You can use any mapping program you like, but here are our favorites:
Google Fusion Tables![]() |
You can make simple maps, including different-colored points and shapes with info windows, with Google Fusion Tables. I have a simple tutorial here. |
Carto![]() |
Carto maps look really sleek and modern, plus you can do some cool animations with them. Carto has great documentation (click on Resources → Documentation). I also have a simple tutorial here, and Albert Kochaphum has provided you a much more full tutorial here. |
Palladio![]() |
One cool thing about Palladio is that you can make point-to-point maps — meaning, you can show the origin and destination point of one record. You can also import historical basemaps and filter your data in really cool ways. I have a simple tutorial here. The only issue is, Palladio maps aren’t embeddable. You can download them as static images, but your users won’t be able to interact with them. |
Esri Story Maps![]() |
Story Maps are simple and fun to make. They’re a good choice if, rather than mapping a lot of points, you want to “walk” your viewers through a map-based story. Sorry, I didn’t make a tutorial, but the Story Maps site has great documentation! |
StoryMapJS![]() |
What?? There’s Story Maps and StoryMap? Yep, sorry, and they’re two different platforms! This one takes a different approach from any of the other platforms: Your “canvas” is one big map, and you click an arrow to advance through all the different points on the map as a story unfolds. I didn’t make a tutorial for this one, either, but the program is really simple and walks you through the process as you go. |
GeoJSON.io![]() |
Great platform that allows you to create geospatial data and take it into other platforms, like Carto and ArcGIS. |