Story Map Crowdsource Moves to Mature Support in June 2018

Story Map Crowdsource (beta) will soon move into the mature support phase of Esri’s product lifecycle. Read on to learn more about this status change, and be sure to drop us a note on the Esri Community if you have any questions.

Story Map Crowdsource is an web app template that displays reader-contributed photos and descriptions on a map. It was originally introduced beta in June 2016, and over the last two years we’ve learned much about your needs for crowdsourcing and the level of demand for crowdsourcing by Story Map authors.

Moving forward, the Esri Story Maps team does not plan to continue supporting a stand-alone crowdsourcing app like Story Map Crowdsource, and we are revisiting how to deliver crowdsourcing within the context of Story Maps. Esri offers several other crowdsourcing and data collection apps that may fit your needs (see below).

In the June 2018 update to ArcGIS Online, Story Map Crowdsource will move into the mature support phase of the Esri Product Lifecycle.

What does mature support mean for a Story Map template?

• Story Map Crowdsource will be removed from the ArcGIS Online configurable apps gallery and will no longer be listed on the Story Maps website.
• If you have created a story map using Story Map Crowdsource, the story will continue to work and be accessible to your readers on the web. Readers may continue to contribute to your story (if you have contributions enabled), and you will be able to edit the story and curate contributed photos.
• Your Story Map Crowdsource stories will still be listed and checked for errors in My Stories on the Story Maps website and in your Content page on ArcGIS Online.
• No new features will be added to Story Map Crowdsource, and reported issues or bugs may not be fixed.

Can I still create new stories from a web app template after it is moved to mature support?

Yes, you can still create a new story using Story Map Crowdsource after it has been moved to mature support, but this is not recommended for high-profile or long-term projects. While the Story Map Crowdsource app template is still available in its mature support phase, future changes in ArcGIS, its APIs, or web browsers may break Crowdsource stories at any time. If you accept this risk, you can create a new Crowdsource story from the Story Map Crowdsouce item page (you must be signed in to see the Create a Web App button). In general, Esri recommends that customers do not use templates in mature support to create new applications.

What alternative solutions are available for my crowdsourcing project?

Esri offers a number of options for crowdsourcing:

• Crowdsource Manager: Designed to help organizations manage incoming contributions from the crowd.
• Crowdsource Reporter: An easy to setup responsive web tool for crowdsourcing workflows.
• Survey123 for ArcGIS: Create a form-centric questionnaire that enables anonymous users to quickly fill out and submit observations. It can work on the web or offline.
• GeoForm: A simple web-based tool for people to collect data while in the field or at home that supports anonymous access.
• AppStudio for ArcGIS Quick Report Template: Organizations can configure and brand their own native mobile apps to create simple crowdsourcing apps and publish them on the Apple and Google Play app stores. Quick Report apps can work while offline.

Another alternative would be to harvest geotagged images, comments, and other material via a website form, survey, email, or social media campaign and then use that crowdsourced content to create/update a Story Map such as a Map Tour, Shortlist, or Map Journal.