For the second year in a row, one of our StoryMaps, After the Shocks, has been announced as a finalist in the Esri ArcGIS StoryMap Competition. We are currently shortlisted in the third category of the competition: Humanitarian and Disaster Response. We're eagerly anticipating April, when the winners will be officially announced.
The Esri ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition is an annual contest that invites anyone to create compelling, digital narratives using Esri's ArcGIS StoryMaps platform. The competition is open to students, professionals, and organisations. The categories for 2024 were: Digital Humanities and Popular Culture, Health and Safety, Humanitarian and Disaster Response, Nature and Physical Science, and Planning and Infrastructure.
Winners receive recognition, prizes, and the opportunity to share their work with a global audience. It’s a great opportunity to turn complex data into compelling and innovative stories. Images speak volumes, but the story behind a project is just as important in capturing the full picture.
Last year, we received the runner-up position, second only to The National Geographic, with our StoryMap Satellites and Seeds.
The Story Behind the Story
Back in 2023, a series of earthquakes left tragic impacts on the people of Herat, Afghanistan. The earthquake caused destruction to essential infrastructure and homes, alongside high rates of injuries and the loss of life. Minority communities faced similar harm, such as Afghanistan’s nomadic pastoralists, who, after seasonally migrating, encountered the consequences of this natural disaster.
In 2024, Júlia Conejero, Helen Mazalon and Isabella Brittan decided that there was a story be told, no matter how much time had passed. The disaster left tragic impacts, and it’s been relatively forgotten by news and media sources. It was time to bring the story, and the hidden narratives to light with geospatial imagery and our StoryMap.
From the beginning of the project, there was always a motive to show how GIS, data and geospatial analysis is crucial in understanding the full extent of natural disasters. Equally, how important it is to provide these analyses to humanitarian groups who seek to distribute aid effectively.
Julia worked on the earthquakes when they first occurred in 2023, making her knowledge and past analysis key to this project. Additionally, she created products such as this map where she visualised the nomadic pastoralist population during the first earthquake. Without her work, we would have been unable to develop an understanding of minority communities, like the nomadic pastoralists, during the quakes.
Helen created several in-depth products on fault lines, visualising the seismic reasons behind Afghanistan’s earthquake activity. Further, she created products, like this map to show the shake intensity and magnitude of the quakes. Helen’s work was essential in building the visual context that led up to the aftermath analysis of the quakes
Isabella spoke with Júlia and Helen to establish a clear understanding of the data, which she used to write the foundations of the story. The final story was edited by all three authors to create a compelling and concise narrative.
We're thrilled to be finalists in the Humanitarian and Disaster Response category. This recognition reflects our efforts to make GIS more accessible by presenting our insights in a clear and engaging way for a wider audience.
Most importantly, being shortlisted in such a prestigious competition means that our StoryMap will reach audiences around the world. This exposure will ensure that more people are aware of the earthquake-prone nature of Afghanistan, and the disaster that occurred in 2023.
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