Two story maps produced by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science highlighting how NCCOS science connects oceans, coasts, and people were featured in a recent blog post by Esri chief scientist Dawn Wright. Esri is an international supplier of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In her blog, "An Ocean of Story Maps ," Wright points to top examples of story maps created by Esri users and distributors, ranging in topics from Caribbean pirates to ocean science and exploration.

Two of NCCOS's story maps - Mapping America's Coral Reefs and NOAA NCCOS Biogeography Branch Projects - were highlighted in her post. Story maps are online applications that combine text, imagery, video files, and data all in an interactive map that lets users navigate and explore with ease.

For more information, contact Alicia.Clarke@noaa.gov or Ken.Buja@noaa.gov .