Story Map as a Web Map: In Search of Refuge by Vicki L.C Esri (Essay Sample)

The assignment was an analysis of a story map titled ‘In Search of Refuge.’ The paper defined a story map as a web map that is carefully designed and provided with a context and supporting information that renders it a stand-alone resource by use of maps, texts, photos, and even videos to enhance functionality and help explore content. In the ‘In Search of Refuge,’ the story map documented the displacements from 1951 to 2017, and its analysis was meant to help the reader get a clearer picture of the events that occurred. The instructions gave a reminder that an excellent story map should have a proper balance between the text and the maps. This was confirmed as true in the ‘In Search of Refuge’ story map. The balance involved the organization of the map in terms of the other elements on the page, ‘In Search of Refuge’ bearing an excellent balance between the map and other page elements, which provided an impression of equilibrium and harmony. The author also used the balance to create some edginess by incorporating images of the displaced individuals with their luggage, with some carrying very young children. The balance in the story map was also depicted through the author’s creation of a perfect balance between the visual weight and visual balance by using actual people’s images and their daily experiences, and the use of a good balance of the visual direction to show the groups’ origin and where they were headed. The immigration maps are marked in different colors that show where a specific group settled according to the map. The reader could easily understand the movement of the people in the story map through the visual impressions. The instructions further emphasized the format of the paper as a double spaced, and it should provide one reference.