ArcGIS StoryMap Implementation for Interactive Mapping at the New York Botanical Garden
INFO-679 Museums & Digital Culture: Theory & Practice
Project TYPE
Individual Work
Learning outcome
Foundations of Museums & Digital Culture
Role
Act as a Researcher and project lead responsible for this individual project
KEY TASK
Primary research & stakeholder engagement
Institutional strategy analysis & systems mapping
Framework application and QA (TADIRAH, Digital Environmental Humanities)
Opening slide for museum of the american revolution strategic planning as the final project submission. may 2024. Still Image. Original image from author's work.
Project Overview
This project proposes implementing ArcGIS StoryMaps at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to enhance the Hand Lens program’s digital storytelling and collection interpretation. It explores how interactive, map-based experiences can present plants as active agents, using frameworks from Digital Environmental Humanities and critical plant studies.
The implementation is benchmarked against The Huntington Garden’s "Birds of The Huntington" StoryMap, informed by stakeholder interviews with their GIS and content teams.
The primary audience: elementary school science educators planning NYBG field trips, who require tools that function both in the classroom and on-site.
Methods
Institutional Analysis: The NYBG 2024–2030 "Branching Out" Strategic Plan was analyzed, mapping the proposal against four core digital programs: C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium, Hand Lens, Mobile Guides, and Plant Tracker.
Research and Interview: I conduct a 40-minute interview with Harrison Hyatt (GIS Technician) and Sandy Masuo (Content Lead) at The Huntington Garden to discuss their experience with ArcGIS implementation, workflows, and engagement outcomes for the Bird of The Huntington.
Framework Application: The TADIRAH framework was applied to classify ArcGIS StoryMaps as a presenting and visualizing tool and to evaluate its institutional fit with NYBG’s existing information management functions.
Systems Mapping: A use-case model was developed to map stakeholder roles to platform functions and external media sources, including Xeno-Canto, Wikipedia, and eBird.
Funding Strategy: NEH Digital Humanities Advancement Grants (DHAG) were recommended as the primary funding pathway, and alignment with open-access and public programming.
tableau dashboard showing the designer distribution. may 2024. Still Image. Source from author's tableau work.
Rationale 1#
Foundations of Museums & Digital Culture
Hearing directly from Harrison Hyatt and Sandy Masuo from The Huntington about the real friction between creative initiative and institutional approval workflows gave me practical insight into how digital projects live or fail beyond the proposal stage. This project reflects the development of building systems to connect collections to communities in ways that are intellectually accessible.