Our Work

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and user-friendly for both mobile and web platforms.

Story Map

Blue Raster & Smithsonian Promote Internship Program with ArcGIS StoryMaps

Blue Raster worked to develop an ArcGIS StoryMap to promote the Smithsonian Institution's Leadership for Change Internship Program. The Leadership for Change Internship, helmed by Smithsonian Affiliations, provides paid internship opportunities for students at museums, cultural, and educational organizations that are partners within the Smithsonian Affiliations network. To help showcase the impressive reach of Leadership for Change, Smithsonian Affiliations collaborated with Blue Raster to develop a StoryMap highlighting past internship projects and explaining the program to potential applicants.

What Leads to Successful StoryMap Development?

Blue Raster worked directly with Smithsonian Affiliations to plan and create an ArcGIS StoryMap to meet their goal of promoting the Leadership for Change Internship Program. In planning out the StoryMap content, Smithsonian Affiliations used the StoryMap Accelerator offered by Blue Raster. The StoryMap Accelerator aids development through a series of guided discovery questions that help to outline the narrative and content to be used in the ArcGIS StoryMap.

Highlighting the Internship Experience

Smithsonian Affiliations identified StoryMaps as their preferred platform because it enabled a multimedia showcase of both the opportunities afforded through the Leadership for Change Internship Program and the impressive student internship projects created across the country.

SI Affiliates StoryMap Home Page

The StoryMap provides a multimedia experience for those looking to learn about Leadership for Change

Smithsonian Affiliations is utilizing the StoryMap as their homepage for the Leadership for Change Internship Program this year. Blue Raster worked within the Smithsonian’s timeline to allow for a launch date right at the beginning of 2024.  The deadline to apply for the Leadership for Change internship program is February 26th, 2024. We encourage everyone to share this great opportunity with young people that may be interested in applying.

Map Showing national impact of intern projects

The map portion of the StoryMap highlights the nation-wide community impacts of past internship projects

Enrich your Projects with ArcGIS StoryMaps

Blue Raster is here to discuss your project and explore the possibilities of ArcGIS Story Maps. Our talented team of designers and GIS analysts will work closely with you to understand your goals and vision. Blue Raster can turn your ideas into immersive and engaging narratives that leave a lasting impact. Contact Blue Raster now to embark on a journey of storytelling, innovation, and project enrichment.

SI Affiliations StoryMap Overview

Overview of ArcGIS Story Map

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Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes: Honoring International Changemakers Who Are Making A Difference

Blue Raster is proud to announce another project from our long running collaboration with The Jane Goodall Institute.

Among Jane Goodall's many vital programs is Roots & Shoots, with the mission to empower young people to affect positive change in their communities.

In 2023, JGI collaborated with the John Templeton Foundation to award the Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes.

Jane Goodall Templeton StoryMap

From the JGI website: "The Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes are an extension of the partnership between JGI and the John Templeton Foundation to elevate the extraordinary efforts of visionary youth leaders and their adult mentors worldwide.  Awardees were selected based on their exceptional work with Roots & Shoots at the intersection of science, compassion, and community – specifically those who exemplify curiosity and wonder and the pursuit of knowledge, as well as the expression of compassion towards people, other animals and the environment we share."

When Erin Griffin, Director of Partnerships, Jane Goodall Institute-USA sought a novel way to showcase the 30 winners of the inaugural Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes she turned to trusted partner Blue Raster and the concept of an ArcGIS StoryMap.

The StoryMap showcases the 2023 winners and features an interactive map, videos and a brief write up of each winner and their vital contributions.

StoryMap screenshot

Blue Raster built several StoryMaps for The Jane Goodall Institute. The platform is ideal for visual story telling, with or without a map based visualization.

Check out the Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes StoryMap, honoring international changemakers who are making a difference today!

Templeton StoryMap

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Empowering Freshwater Communities and Indigenous People through Immersive StoryMaps

Freshwater ecosystems contain an incredible 10% of the world’s known species and support the livelihoods of billions of people including many Indigenous Peoples and local communities. However, since 1970, freshwater plants and animals have declined by 84% due to threats like poor fisheries management, watershed degradation and overuse. The Nature Conservancy is partnering directly with local communities around the world to apply traditional knowledge and co-create new, science-based conservation strategies.

To tell the story of its partnership with these Indigenous People and Local Communities, The Nature Conservancy employed the services of long-time partner, Blue Raster to develop a series of Storymaps to shed light on TNC Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program’s work with freshwater communities and indigenous people, highlighting their efforts to propagate and enhance community-led conservation initiatives across Africa and Latin America.

TNC's collaboration with communities in Africa is focused on three critical regions: the Bas Ogooué wetland area in Gabon, the upper catchment of the Okavango Basin in Angola, and the remarkable Lake Tanganyika, which borders Tanzania, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. In Latin America, TNC's collaboration with communities extends to the Andean Amazon region in Ecuador, Colombia, and the Tapajos River Basin in Brazil. These ecosystems are not only home to remarkable biodiversity but also provide essential resources and cultural heritage for indigenous peoples. By partnering with local communities, TNC aims to strengthen their capacity to manage and protect their ancestral lands sustainably.

Blue Raster's expertise in utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps has allowed TNC's conservation efforts to be communicated effectively, enabling users to engage deeply with the stories being shared. By combining rich media, interactive maps, and engaging narratives, the StoryMaps create a powerful medium for storytelling. The StoryMaps developed by Blue Raster incorporate compelling graphics, audio soundscapes, maps developed and published in ArcGIS Online and high-resolution images, capturing the essence of the fisheries, landscapes, communities, and wildlife that TNC works tirelessly to protect. These visuals not only enhance the aesthetic appeal but also serve as a means to evoke emotions and foster a sense of connection with the featured regions. Developed in English, the StoryMaps created are also available in African French, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese translations.

These maps not only offer a geospatial perspective of TNC's work but also provide users with an opportunity to explore the geographical context and understand the intricate relationships between freshwater habitats and communities. Through the interactive maps, readers can visualize the conservation initiatives, the areas of focus, and the significance of indigenous and local community participation. By utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps as a powerful storytelling tool, TNC can effectively communicate its vision for the future, emphasizing the importance of continued partnerships and collaborative efforts with indigenous people and local communities. The immersive nature of the StoryMaps helps stakeholders envision a future where freshwater ecosystems thrive, and IPLCs actively contribute to their protection.

The collaboration between Blue Raster and The Nature Conservancy is a testament to the power of technology and partnerships in conservation efforts. Through the creation of immersive StoryMaps, TNC's work with freshwater communities and indigenous people in Africa and Latin America is brought to life. By amplifying these stories in local languages, Blue Raster and TNC empower communities to take an active role in preserving their natural heritage and build a future where people and nature thrive in harmony. Together, they are forging a path towards a more sustainable and equitable world.

“The Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program is excited about our story map, made in partnership with Blue Raster. We hope those who engage will learn about the important efforts of the local communities, partners and TNC staff in freshwater fisheries and biodiversity conservation and feel invited to participate. The story map platform both allowed us to tell the efforts of our program as a cohesive unit across our work in Latin America and Africa and allowed us to highlight the unique impacts specific to local communities and partners.”
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Allison Aldous, Director of the Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program

Make Way for Whales (And Environmental Hope)

The Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Initiative supports the Smithsonian’s mission to increase the public’s understanding and stewardship of the Ocean. Researchers have been working to track the migratory patterns of whales to better understand patterns and find ways to protect them. One of the biggest threats to migratory whales are collisions with ships. In the early 2000s, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) first began shifting shipping lanes to protect right whales in the Bay of Funday and Boston Harbor.

Tracking Whales

Over the last decade, researcher Hector Guzman has pioneered a satellite-positioning system to follow and track other migratory whale species in Panama, Costa Rica, and more recently Chile so that similar measures could be taken in ports in in central and South America. His work and the resulting policy changes in shipping routes has reduced the probability of whale-ship collisions in Panama by 95%.

Smithsonian Whale StoryMap

The Ocean Initiative wanted to highlight this work as part of its educational offerings to K-12 students. Dr. Guzman’s work provided a positive story about how scientific research can inform and change policy for the betterment of nature.

Make Way for the StoryMap

The Smithsonian engaged with Blue Raster to create an ArcGIS Story Map that illustrates the research and its impact in an engaging and conversational way that would connect with students. Utilizing ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS StoryMaps, the Blue Raster team built the “Make Way for Whales” StoryMap that shows how shifting shipping lanes increased the safety of whales. Additionally, the StoryMap includes:

    • Background from research papers that explains the danger shipping poses to whales and the trends impacting whale populations
    • Description of how whales are tagged and tracked
    • Details on the geographies of the coastlines studied
    • Interactive maps that show the overlay of GPS whale locations and ship traffic
    • Custom illustrations depicting Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) being used that avoid the migratory patterns of whales
Smithsonian Whale StoryMap
Whale StoryMap images

Blue Raster used research data (compiled in spreadsheets) to build the maps and other custom graphics on the page. The resulting story shows how trade can continue to happen while being responsive to the needs of wildlife. It is an encouraging message that they hope will inspire future scientists, researchers, and environmentalists.

Trillion Trees: An Interactive Look at Forest Regeneration

Trillion Trees organizations

Trillion Trees is a joint venture between three of the world's largest conservation organizations - BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF - to end deforestation and restore tree cover. The organization aims to protect and restore forests to achieve one trillion trees by 2050, for the benefit of people, nature, and a stable climate. To do so, they:

      • Implement work on the ground to protect and restore forests,
      • Influence global policy and private sector practices, and
      • Inspire us all to value, protect and restore forests.

Key to these efforts is telling the story of where their work has made a difference and where the need is the greatest. Being able to do so in an interactive and compelling way can lead to more support both financially and politically.

Trillion Trees StoryMap

Trillion Trees looked to Blue Raster to tell their story via an ArcGIS StoryMap. Using data sets from a variety of research, the Trillion Trees story map shows how nearly 59 million hectares of forests – an area larger than mainland France– has regrown since 2000. This research informs forest restoration plans worldwide, giving a picture of the areas where focusing restoration efforts could be most beneficial.

Trillion Trees StoryMap

With the StoryMap application, Trillion Trees was able to outline the story they needed to tell, select the data to use, develop content to provide context to the data, and create graphics. Much of this work is automated in the platform, allowing non-developers to build an incredibly interactive page that reads like an in-depth magazine article in a mainstream media source.

The Trillion Trees story map includes:

      • An overview of the challenge
      • A definition of regeneration
      • The impact of discovered regeneration
      • An interactive map showing viewers the areas of high regeneration along with descriptions of why/how that regeneration happened.
      • In depth analysis of two areas’ regeneration

The content provided shows the impact policy changes regarding forestation, environmental protection, and agricultural regulation can have on tree growth.


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