Slow loading maps in StoryMaps

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4
02-21-2022 10:00 PM
DebN
by
New Contributor II

I like to use StoryMaps in the classroom for teaching, however I have noticed that many students are having to wait ages for the maps to appear. The maps are simple ones (just a few layers) that I have generated and added to the StoryMaps - photos and other media come in straight away with no issues. It's getting to the point where the students are 'giving up' because it simply takes too long, and even when they do appear they vanish again during scrolling. There are approximately 20 students trying to access at the same time, which isn't a big demand. Does anyone have any advice how to get around this, please?  

4 Replies
OwenGeo
Esri Notable Contributor

@DebN -- I'm sorry you and your class are experiencing performance issues with your maps.

We'll need more information to be able to help. There are thousands of other examples of maps in stories that are behaving as expected without these wait times, so there must be something about the maps or environment that you are using that is causing the issue. Even a map that appears simple can be slow if the layers are complex or not designed properly or if one of the layers is coming from a slow map server.

Are the maps also slow to load if they are opened in the ArcGIS map viewer or are they only slow when viewing them in the StoryMap? Answering that question will help us understand whether this is an issue with the map itself or with the StoryMap.

Are there any conditions where the maps are working well? Perhaps on specific networks or when not connected to the campus network or VPN?

Could you share a link to some of the maps that are slow to load so we can look into this?

Owen Evans
Lead Product Engineer | StoryMaps
DebN
by
New Contributor II

Hi Owen

@OwenGeo Thanks for your reply - my apologies for the delay in replying. 

The maps are not slow to load in MapViewer. All students are logged on to AGOL in order to see the StoryMaps (permission is set for groups as I don't make the StoryMaps public).

I have noticed that the speed at which the maps load seems to vary between students - but I haven't tested this, it's more an observation. They are using their own laptops (BYOD) but I can't find a reason why this speed variation occurs. 

The maps do work better off campus. I can't determine if that's just because the students are not all trying to access them at the same time, or if that suggests it's the school network that is the problem.

I can share some maps, but how do I do this? All our settings are school based access only.

Thank you for your help.

Debbie

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Thomas1
Occasional Contributor

@OwenGeo we have problem as well with at maps are slow to load and sometimes doesn't load at all. It would be way more user friendly if there was a little animation showing that the map is loading so readers understand they have to wait and if a new symbol/message appears when it won't load at all so readers know there is a problem and it is no use to wait anymore. 

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OwenGeo
Esri Notable Contributor

Since your maps can only be accessed from inside your organization the fastest way to get help will be to please contact Esri Technical Support. They will be able to further assist you in troubleshooting this issue.

Owen Evans
Lead Product Engineer | StoryMaps
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