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Learn ArcGIS Story Maps / FAQs About Hosting and Editing

The following frequently asked questions (FAQs) and their answers are provided to address some of the confusion, concerns or limitations about hosting and editing your own Story Map. Where applicable, OWF has provided its own experiences in dealing with these concerns and limitations. These FAQs can also be found here.

  • Where is the data contained in the Story Map (the content) stored? The data are stored in a Web Application Item in ArcGIS Online (in your account's Content page). This includes the narrative content, references to webmaps, pictures, videos and web pages, and the settings.

  • How can you make edits (as opposed to just customization) to the Story Map?
    There are two ways to edit a Story Map. The first is to log in to ArcGIS Online, navigate to your account's Content page and click on the Story Map. Then click on the blue "Edit" button at the top of the page to make edits to the story.

    You can also make edits using the downloadable version of your Story Map. When the downloaded template (index.html) is configured with the application ID (appid), you can add the word "edit" to the URL address; this will open the builder, where you can edit the story. You will be prompted for user authentication through the Identity Manager. OWF tried these steps and they did not work. The Identity Manager did not appear. Perhaps it only works if you have an Organizational Account?

    It is important to understand that the Story Map can only be edited by its owner (the named account that initially created the Story Map). If you have an Organizational Account, then the Organization Administrator can take or give ownership to another user, but then the original owner can longer make edits to the Story Map.

  • Can you use the Story Map app templates without ArcGIS Online? From Esri: "This is not a supported use case at this time. Please let us know if you are interested in such a scenario".

Next Steps

The next step is understanding how to share and/or collaborate on a Story Map with others, either in a public or private fashion.