Multimedia Storytelling

8 LESSONS 94 MIN TOTAL
Multimedia Storytelling
This course will empower you to transcend words and

take your audience to the heart of the story with
dynamic, interactive and exciting visuals that you
create.
Tools Used:
Google Permissions, Google Earth, Google Crisis Map,
YouTube, Google Fusion Tables
LESSON 01
Permissions:
Source Google data
Learn proper usage and citations for Google products.
Lesson overview
How to use the Google brand in your
content.
The Google Permissions website is your one-stop-shop to
learn how to properly use and cite our products in your stories.
It highlights common use cases, basic trademark guidelines
and gives instructions on using our logos, images, maps and
graphics across all media.
1 Citing maps sources.
2 Giving credit where it's due.
For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:
newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/training/course/multimedia-storytelling
newsinitiative.withgoogle.com 3
Citing maps sources.
From satellite images to maps, journalists around the world use our tools to help
tell their stories. And we’re glad. We simply ask that you follow some usage rules
to ensure they’re used fairly and properly.
STEP 1 OF 2
Let’s say you’re publishing a web infographic using an

image from Google Earth. Go to google.com/permissions
and click Products.
STEP 2 OF 2
Scroll down until you see Google Maps/Earth and click

guidelines for non-commercial use. The General
Guidelines section should answer most FAQs for Google
map usage.
Giving credit where it's due.
SINGLE STEP
When you’re ready to publish, make sure you properly cite

your Google source. Many of our products, such as
Google Maps and Google Earth, will automatically
incorporate an attribution for Google and the data
provider. We’ve also set up an attributions site to answer
your more detailed questions.
Congratulations!
You completed “Permissions: Source Google
data.”
To continue building your digital journalism skills and work toward Google News
Initiative certification, go to our Training Center website and take another lesson:
15 min estimated time
Google Historical Imagery:

Google Earth Pro, Maps and
Timelapse
Look back in time almost anywhere in the
world.
LESSON 02
Google Historical
Imagery: Google Earth
Pro, Maps and
Timelapse
Look back in time almost anywhere in the world.
Lesson overview
History tells a story.
Sometimes the best way to explain the present is to explore the
past. Google Earth Pro, Google Maps and Google Landsat
Timelapse all allow you to access years of satellite, aerial and
Street View imagery, which are an effective tool for
demonstrating the development of cities, damage from natural
disasters and changes in landscape over time.
1 Exploring history on Google Earth Pro.
2 Exporting still images and video.
3 View streets of the past on Google Maps.
4 Moving through time.
5 Google Earth Engine: Landsat Timelapse.
6 Sharing a timelapse.
7 Creating a custom timelapse.
Exploring history on Google Earth Pro.
Google Earth Pro’s Historical Imagery feature is an easy way to go back in time.
Let’s say you want to show the history of renovations to Rio de Janeiro’s
Maracanã Stadium:
STEP 1 OF 3
Type the stadium’s name in the search window and fly to

the location.
STEP 2 OF 3
You’ll first see the freshest or highest quality imagery

available. Now click the clock icon in the top menu and a
time slider will appear, displaying a notch for every piece
of imagery available for this view.
STEP 3 OF 3
Move the slider all the way to the right to see if any fresher
imagery is available, and move it to the left to see imagery
from the past. The day, month and year of each piece of
imagery is displayed within the slider. Coverage and
availability of images will vary depending on the location.
Exporting still images and video.
Google Earth Pro also allows you to create and export HD tour videos for use in
your stories. See our tutorials for Google Earth Pro and Google Earth Pro:
Export High Resolution Images to learn more.
STEP 1 OF 4
In Google Earth Pro, you can save and export

high-resolution JPGs of these historical images by going
to File, Save, then Save Image.
STEP 2 OF 4
Buttons will appear above the map that allow you to

choose the resolution of your images and keep or remove
various elements on the map.
STEP 3 OF 4
Then click Save image.
STEP 4 OF 4
Finally, name your file and click Save.
View streets of the past on Google Maps.
Similar to historical satellite imagery in Google Earth, Google Maps for desktop
allows you to access historical Street View panoramas gathered from Street View
collections dating back to 2007.
Let’s say you’re doing a story on the reconstruction of Onagawa, Japan after the
2011 earthquake and tsunami.
STEP 1 OF 2
First, type Onagawa in the search bar to fly there. Then, to

enter Street View In Google Maps, grab the Pegman and
drag him to one of the blue lines on the map (blue lines
indicate where Street View is available on the map).
STEP 2 OF 2
When you first enter this mode, you’ll see the freshest,
highest quality panorama available for that spot.
Moving through time.
SINGLE STEP
Now look for the clock icon in the upper left of the map,
which indicates that historical panoramas are available
(since coverage varies, you will not always see the clock).
Use the slider to toggle on different panoramas, marked
with the month and year each was collected.
To see a larger view of the selected panorama, click the

magnifying glass icon.
If you would like to use available imagery for your story, for
example, in a photo slideshow, video, or GIF, use your
computer’s screen capture feature to save the needed
image. Remember to credit the imagery to Google Maps
Street View (visit google.com/permissions or see our
Permissions tutorial for details).
Google Earth Engine: Landsat Timelapse.
A Timelapse map can be a powerful accompaniment to coverage of local,
environmental or science-related issues. Working closely with the USGS and
NASA, Google released more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken
from space, compiled into an interactive time-lapse map that allows viewers to
watch change across the entire planet’s surface beginning as early as 1984.
STEP 1 OF 4
Visit earthengine.google.com/timelapse
STEP 2 OF 4
Click through the thumbnails of phenomenon such as the

sprouting of Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands, the retreat of
Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, the deforestation of the
Brazilian Amazon and urban growth in Las Vegas.
STEP 3 OF 4
When viewing these areas, remember that Timelapse is an

interactive map, so you can pan and zoom just as you
would on Google Maps.
STEP 4 OF 4
You can also use the map’s search bar to view a location
other than those featured on the homepage.
Sharing a timelapse.
STEP 1 OF 2
The Share button below the map generates a link you can
use to share the map and embed it on your website.
STEP 2 OF 2
The link and embed will take viewers to the same area of
the map you were viewing when you clicked Share.
Creating a custom timelapse.
Instead of showing one static area through the years, you can customize your
map to travel in various directions over time. Use this timelapse editor, developed
by Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab, which allows you to fly to the locations you
want to highlight and add keyframes at each stop. Let’s say you’re doing a story
on the effects of irrigation in Saudi Arabia, and you’d like to show the change and
expansion of the landscape as more water is introduced.
STEP 1 OF 3
Start your tour above the irrigation fields, and add a

keyframe. Now let’s go in closer and add another
keyframe, and move north so the camera reveals
additional irrigation fields and add one more keyframe.
STEP 2 OF 3
Click Play Tour to see your finished map. You can set loop
and duration information for each key frame in the
transition panels.
STEP 3 OF 3
When you’re ready to share or embed this tour on your

website, just click the Share button. The link above
includes more options for customization.
Congratulations!
You completed “Google Historical Imagery:
Google Earth Pro, Maps and Timelapse.”
Google Crisis Map: Diagramming

a disaster and its response
See the latest crisis-related data and

customize it for your story.
LESSON 03
Google Crisis Map:

Diagramming a
disaster and its
response
See the latest crisis-related data and customize it for
your story.
Lesson overview
About the Crisis Map.
When a disaster strikes, Google Crisis Response helps ensure
that accurate information is available to those affected.
The Google Crisis Response team works directly with

authoritative emergency organizations such as the Red Cross,
NOAA and many others to create and update the Google Crisis
Map, which features helpful information regarding disasters all
over the world.
The Crisis Map can help journalists visualize and share

crisis-related data, and includes relevant information such as
shelter locations, weather, evacuation zones, post-event
satellite imagery and more.
1 Explore archived Crisis Maps.
2 Customizing the Crisis Map.
3 Customization for advanced users.
4 Sharing the Crisis Map.
5 Receive alerts for new Crisis Maps.
Explore archived Crisis Maps.
SINGLE STEP
To get to know the tool, go to google.org/crisismap. Then

start by exploring a growing collection of archived Crisis
Maps. Just click the dropdown arrow next to the title of
the current map.
Customizing the Crisis Map.
By default the Crisis Map displays multiple layers of information. But it’s easy to
customize the map and highlight only specific information.
STEP 1 OF 3
Let’s say you were writing about Typhoon Yolanda, which

hit Southeast Asia in 2013, and wanted to feature a map of
just Evacuation Centers in your story. You would just open
the Layers panel and uncheck boxes to remove
information you don’t want to appear. Whatever layers you
check will be displayed on the map when you copy and
share its URL or embed code, which will be explained in an
upcoming screen.
STEP 2 OF 3
You can also choose a specific area of the map to display,

and select satellite imagery based on the date it was
collected. On the Layers tab click Satellite Imagery, then
the date.
STEP 3 OF 3
To better feature this imagery, click Zoom to area and

position your map. Use the Zoom tool to get closer to the
details in the satellite imagery.
The final layer and position you choose will be saved and
appear in the map when you share it.
Customization for advanced users.
SINGLE STEP
Whenever possible, Crisis Response provides a download

link with individual information layers on the Crisis Map so
that it can be downloaded as KML (Keyhole Markup
Language) data.
A reporter can, for example, use that KML data in Google

Earth Pro to help create a customized video tour of the
crisis area. See our Google Earth lesson for information
about creating, customizing and exporting video tours for
news reports.
Sharing the Crisis Map.
The Google Crisis Response team makes it easy for trusted news sources to
share and embed Crisis Maps as part of their coverage.
STEP 1 OF 2
Once you’ve customized the Crisis Map with the

information and area you want to feature, click Share at
the top of the map.
STEP 2 OF 2
In the pop-up window you can share the map on social

media or copy the map’s URL.
You can also embed the map on your website using the
iframe provided. In that code, you can customize the
height and width of the map embed.
Receive alerts for new Crisis Maps.
To find out when the Google Response Team launches a new Crisis Map, sign up
for our Google Geo Media Updates group.
STEP 1 OF 2
To sign up, go to
groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/geomedia-updates
and click Apply to join group.
STEP 2 OF 2
Edit your display information, email preferences, and

provide your company info. Then click Apply to join
group.
Congratulations!
You completed “Google Crisis Map:
Diagramming a disaster and its response.”
YouTube: A storytelling tool
Find out how to cultivate and maintain a

YouTube audience.
LESSON 04
YouTube:
A storytelling tool
Find out how to cultivate and maintain a YouTube
audience.
Lesson overview
Using YouTube to source content.
YouTube can be a powerful source for discovering content
that’s relevant to stories you’re reporting. Let’s say you’re
writing about endangered species breeding programs and
you’re looking for footage of a baby elephant. After searching
on YouTube, you’ll see a results page with relevant videos,
playlists and channels.
1 Filter and sort to find your ideal footage.
2 Crediting the content owner.
Filter and sort to find your ideal footage.
STEP 1 OF 2
By clicking Filter you can use advanced filtering and

sorting techniques to quickly find what you’re looking for.
STEP 2 OF 2
You can further refine your search by filtering for upload

date, video length, HD content and more. Finally, you can
sort by relevance, view count, rating and recency.
Crediting the content owner.
Now that you’ve found the footage you want, find out if it’s available for use.
Though YouTube has a license to distribute the video, it's the YouTube user who
owns the content. We encourage you to reach out to users directly and to provide
attribution by displaying the username or the real name of the individual, if you've
obtained it.
STEP 1 OF 4
To contact a YouTube user, click on their username to go

to their channel.
STEP 2 OF 4
Then click About. Here you can see what personal

information he or she has shared (name, website, location,
etc.).
STEP 3 OF 4
You can also find out if they’ve shared their contact email
and use that to reach out.
STEP 4 OF 4
Once you have permission to use their footage, be sure to

credit the source onscreen, in your video’s description and
by linking to their channel.
If you’re broadcasting your YouTube video on television,

please include on-screen and verbal attribution.
Remember, since the YouTuber owns the video, attribution
should be theirs, not “YouTube.”
Congratulations!
You completed “YouTube: A storytelling tool.”
YouTube Creator Academy:

Improve your YouTube skills
Learn how to access and choose lessons that

help strengthen your presence.
LESSON 05
YouTube Creator
Academy: Improve
your YouTube skills
Learn how to access and choose lessons that help
strengthen your presence.
Lesson overview
YouTube Creator Academy.
Whether you’re new to YouTube or already have a news
channel you want to take to the next level, there’s always
something to learn in the YouTube Creator Academy.
1 Searching and browsing by topic.
2 Begin with the basics.
3 Intermediate courses.
4 Advanced courses.
5 Review and enhance your skills.
Searching and browsing by topic.
Each Creator Academy course consists of multiple lessons, practice exercises and
quizzes centered around a useful topic. The curriculum features top YouTube
Creators sharing tips and strategies that you can try yourself. There is a lot of
content here, so we’ll start by introducing you to popular courses for news
organizations.
STEP 1 OF 2
For a full list of available courses click Catalog.
STEP 2 OF 2
To see all the lessons listed individually, switch the toggle

in the upper righthand corner to “lesson” view.
Begin with the basics.
If you’re new to YouTube, we suggest that you use the search bar to find and take
the following courses.
STEP 1 OF 3
The quickstart guide to YouTube - The fundamentals of

YouTube and branding your channel.
STEP 2 OF 3
Create great content - Develop your creative strategy and

production skills to attract loyal fans.
STEP 3 OF 3
News channels - Lesson 4 in the course Target your

audience features clips from some of YouTube’s most
successful news channels.
Intermediate courses.
Once you know the fundamentals, these courses can help you expand your
audience.
STEP 1 OF 2
Get discovered - Package your videos to give them the

best chance to get watched.
STEP 2 OF 2
Grow your community - Build and engage your audience

for long-term success.
Advanced courses.
These courses help you monetize your content and gauge its popularity:
STEP 1 OF 2
Make money with YouTube - Make money as your stories

gain a following.
STEP 2 OF 2
Get insights with YouTube Analytics - Measure your

success and find out how you can improve.
Review and enhance your skills.
SINGLE STEP
At the end of many lessons is a quick quiz to help review

what you’ve learned. Spend some time in the Creator
Academy, and soon you’ll become a master of YouTube.
Visit youtube.com/creatoracademy
Congratulations!
You completed “YouTube Creator Academy:
Improve your YouTube skills.”
Initiative certification, go to our Training Center website and take another lesson.
Google Earth Pro: Take your

broadcast audience there
Add global perspective with satellite imagery

and video tours.
LESSON 06
Google Earth Pro:

Take your broadcast
audience there
Add global perspective with satellite imagery and
video tours.
Lesson overview
Take your viewers on a journey.
Take your broadcast audience anywhere in the world with
Google Earth Pro’s expansive collection of satellite, terrain and
3D imagery. Using Google Earth Pro’s movie making features
for PC and Mac, you can even fly to key story locations and
export that animation as an HD video for use on-air.
Take a look at our FAQs video on YouTube Watch now
1 Getting started.
2 Creating your tour.
3 Adding Placemarks.
4 Modifying your tour.
5 Previewing and saving your tour.
6 Exporting your tour.
Getting started.
SINGLE STEP
To take advantage of everything Google Earth Pro has to

offer for broadcasters, start by visiting
www.google.com/earth/ to download the app. There you
can also explore features and see great examples of the
tool in use.
Creating your tour.
The first thing to do is to create a tour. Let’s say that you’re reporting on Venice's
battle with rising water levels and you want to lead in to your story with the tour.
STEP 1 OF 4
Start by creating a new folder in the Places panel. This is

where you’ll keep the placemarks that you select for your
tour. First, select My places.
STEP 2 OF 4
Then click Add in the top menu and choose Folder.
STEP 3 OF 4
Now choose where you’d like your movie to start and

position the globe for the first shot of your tour. Maybe
you'd like to start the journey from your current location.
Let’s say that it’s London. Use the search bar to type in
your location.
STEP 4 OF 4
Google Earth Pro will take you to that specific point.
Adding Placemarks.
You can make additional adjustments to the camera position by clicking and
dragging on the map or zooming in.
STEP 1 OF 4
Once you have the camera where you want it click the
Placemark button in the menu. Think of each placemark
as a location on your tour.
STEP 2 OF 4
Then give your placemark a name. We’ll call this A.
STEP 3 OF 4
To add the next destination in your tour use the search

bar to enter in a location. Let’s zoom in to just above
Venice, Italy.
STEP 4 OF 4
Click the Placemark button and call it B. If you want to add

more locations to your tour, just repeat the steps and add
additional placemarks.
Modifying your tour.
You can further tweak your tour to get even more precise locations, find angles
that help tell your story better or adjust the time it takes to get from point A to
point B.
STEP 1 OF 4
Let’s position our camera at St. Mark’s Square, one of the

lowest areas of Venice, which can flood up to 100 times
each year.
STEP 2 OF 4
Click and drag the map or zoom in until you find your ideal
view. Then right click the placemark in the Places panel
and select Snapshot View. That will associate the new
camera information with that placemark.
STEP 3 OF 4
Also note that you can change the speed of the camera
between points A and B, as well as other settings, in
Google Earth Pro’s Preferences menu.
STEP 4 OF 4
Click Touring and adjust the sliders.
Previewing and saving your tour.
When you’re happy with the tour you just created, it’s time to export.
STEP 1 OF 5
First, make sure to uncheck the boxes for each of the

placemarks in your tour. This will hide those yellow pins on
the map.
STEP 2 OF 5
Make sure your map is at the starting point by double

clicking Placemark A.
STEP 3 OF 5
In the Places panel, click the title of your tour. You’ll see a
little folder icon appear just above the Layers menu. Click
that to play your tour.
STEP 4 OF 5
Under Tour Controls, click Save.
STEP 5 OF 5
Now give your tour a name and click OK.
Exporting your tour.
STEP 1 OF 5
Once again, double click on your starting location in the

Places menu so the movie will begin in the right place.
STEP 2 OF 5
Then, close the tour controls on the bottom left of the

screen if they haven’t already.
STEP 3 OF 5
Now go up to Tools in the menu and select Movie Maker.
STEP 4 OF 5
Make sure the Venice tour is selected in the Record From

dropdown. Now you can set the movie’s resolution and
other options, and choose where you want to save your
movie. Then click Create Movie.
STEP 5 OF 5
As the movie renders, be sure not to open other programs

on top of Google Earth. This should keep the rendering
process clean and quick. Render times may vary based on
the length of your movie and export settings.
Congratulations!
You completed “Google Earth Pro:
Take your broadcast audience there.”
Google Earth Pro: Exporting

optimal videos and stills
Learn useful tips for creating quality images.
LESSON 07
Google Earth Pro:

Exporting optimal
videos and stills
Learn useful tips for creating quality images.
Lesson overview
Faster renders, quality images.
Our Google Earth Pro tutorial describes how to create and
export video tours, which can help explain the “where” of your
news stories. This tutorial offers tips on how to render those
tours faster and better, so you can save time and avoid
oversized files and choppy movements. Here you’ll also
learn how to export high resolution still images from Google
Earth Pro.
1 Movie Maker: Build your tours in the places folder.
2 Minimize interference.
3 Clear your cache - Mac.
4 Clear your cache - Windows.
5 If you're still having trouble.
6 Exporting high-resolution still images.
7 Using images from Google Geo Media Updates Alerts.
Movie Maker: Build your tours in the
places folder.
SINGLE STEP
For the fastest, cleanest render, build your tours in a

Google Earth Pro Places folder and use Movie Maker just
as is demonstrated in the Google Earth Pro lesson.
Creating a tour from a folder results in a much smaller,
tighter, efficient file—and often a cleaner render.
Other methods are less efficient. While it’s possible to

export animations using the Record a Tour tool located in
the top menu bar, all movements are captured in the 3D
View which can result in a bulky tour file and wobbles or
jumps in the Movie Maker render. Recording a tour within
Movie Maker using “Live mouse and keyboard navigation”
can also result in large files and choppy renders now that
Google Earth has such high definition imagery.
Minimize interference.
Ideally, a Google Earth Pro render takes place using a powerful video card and lots
of RAM (8GB or more). Still, Google Earth Pro should work well on your PC or Mac
as long as it can run without interference. For best result:
STEP 1 OF 2
Quit all other applications while using Google Earth Pro.
STEP 2 OF 2
Within Google Earth Pro, turn off any layers you’re

not using.
Clear your cache - Mac.
Before rendering a tour, especially one that features a lot of 3D buildings, it’s also
best to clear your cache. A full cache is storing a lot of downloaded information
unrelated to Google Earth Pro, so clearing it makes room to store imagery needed
for a proper render. To clear your cache on a Mac:
STEP 1 OF 6
First, be sure to save your tour. To do that, click folder icon

on the left sidebar.
STEP 2 OF 6
Then click on the disk icon in the popup play bar on

the map.
STEP 3 OF 6
Go to Google Earth Pro in the menu, and select

Preferences.
STEP 4 OF 6
Then select the Cache tab. Select both Clear Memory

Cache and Clear Disk Cache. Click OK.
STEP 5 OF 6
Quit Google Earth Pro, then relaunch it.
STEP 6 OF 6
Play through your tour a few times to prime the cache with
the imagery in your tour.
Clear your cache - Windows.
How to clear your cache on Windows:
STEP 1 OF 6
First, be sure to save your tour. Click folder icon on the

left sidebar.
STEP 2 OF 6
Then click on the disk icon in the popup play bar on

the map.
STEP 3 OF 6
Go to Tools, then Options.
STEP 4 OF 6
Then select the Cache tab. Select both Clear Memory

Cache and Clear Disk Cache.
STEP 5 OF 6
Quit Google Earth Pro, then relaunch it.
STEP 6 OF 6
Play through your tour a few times to prime the cache with
the imagery in your tour.
If you're still having trouble.
SINGLE STEP
As mentioned, a powerful video card and lots of RAM

makes for the best tour renders, so older or slower Macs
or PCs may still have trouble rendering after the cache is
cleared.
If this is the case, try playing through the tour without

recording. Stop every few seconds to allow the 3D
imagery along the route to load. Once you've stopped and
started through the whole tour, try recording again.
Exporting high-resolution still images.
It’s easy to save and export high-resolution still images from Google Earth Pro,
which you can use as infographics in news stories.
STEP 1 OF 5
Get to the image you want to save, and go to File, Save,

and Save Image. Several small buttons will appear above
the map.
STEP 2 OF 5
Map Options allows you to turn off elements on the map

such as Title and Legend.
STEP 3 OF 5
Resolution lets you customize the size of the saved image.
STEP 4 OF 5
Once you’ve made these choices, just press Save Image.
STEP 5 OF 5
Then select the location in the computer where you want

the image to be saved.
Using images from Google Geo Media
Updates Alerts.
If you’ve signed up for Google Geo Media Updates, you may receive fresh satellite
imagery of, say, damage from an explosion in Tianjin and want to create before
and after images for a story. You can download the imagery and create
infographics, interactive maps or use them in videos to illustrate the earthquake’s
impact on the area:
STEP 1 OF 6
Use the link in the alerts email you received to view the
imagery in Google Drive.
STEP 2 OF 6
Download the .KMZ file to your computer.
STEP 3 OF 6
Open the file in Google Earth Pro to view to the location

and imagery.
STEP 4 OF 6
In Google Earth Pro’s Places panel, you can turn the

downloaded imagery “off” and “on” in order to see and
save a “before” and “after” view.
STEP 5 OF 6
The day/month/year that view was collected can be seen

in the bottom right corner of the 3D View.
STEP 6 OF 6
For more detailed instructions on how to optimize your

tours for smooth playback, or to do more sophisticated
edits, visit sites.google.com/site/kmltouring/
Congratulations!
You completed “Google Earth Pro: Exporting
optimal videos and stills.”
Google Fusion Tables:

Creating intensity maps
Make demographic data easier to understand.
LESSON 08
Google Fusion Tables:

Creating intensity
maps
Make demographic data easier to understand.
Lesson overview
About Google Fusion Tables
Google Fusion Tables has many helpful features, but the most
popular by far is its ability to create free choropleth maps
(intensity maps) with just a few simple steps. This makes it easy
for journalists to visualize and publish demographic data, such
as election or population numbers, so that readers can more
easily understand the story.
1 Adding Google Fusion Tables to Drive.
2 Importing your data.
3 Review your Fusion Table and basic map.
4 Sourcing boundary data to create customized maps.
5 Arranging your merge (fusion).
6 Aligning your data.
7 View your shaded map.
8 Customizing your shaded map.
9 Sharing and embedding your map.
Adding Google Fusion Tables to Drive.
If you’ve never used Google Fusion Tables before, you’ll need to add the app to
your Google Drive menu:
STEP 1 OF 3
Click New, then Connect More Apps
STEP 2 OF 3
Search for Fusion Tables.
STEP 3 OF 3
Once you add the app to your Drive, you’ll always see it as
an option in the menu.
Importing your data.
Fusion Tables can import data in formats including .csv, .tsv, .txt and .kml; or
directly from a Google Sheet.
Let’s say you’re doing a story on the environmental effects of cattle ranching, and
want to create a map that represents meat consumption throughout the world. If
you’d like to use the same sample .csv file of data that we’re using for this
exercise—global meat consumption numbers — click here to download it.
STEP 1 OF 3
Click Choose File and select a data file from your

computer that you want to import, or search public data
tables. Then click Next.
STEP 2 OF 3
Preview your Fusion Table data, then click Next.
STEP 3 OF 3
Here you’ll have the opportunity to add metadata to your

table, including a table name, data attribution details and a
description. The Export option, when checked, allows
other users to export this data as a file. Click Finish.
Review your Fusion Table and basic map.
It’s critical to wait until the geocoding from the previous step is complete before
continuing with the following steps.
STEP 1 OF 2
Now you’ll see your finished Fusion Table. You can edit the
information and settings in this window at any time.
STEP 2 OF 2
Click the Map of Countries tab and you’ll see that the
map visualization has already been created for you, using
the location information listed in the column. This will drop
a red placemark in each of the locations listed.
Sourcing boundary data to create
customized maps.
Let’s say that instead of using placemarks, you’d like to shade whole countries to
more accurately represent your data.
To do this, you need boundary data--information that helps place your data within
accurate borders on a map. Unfortunately, there isn’t one location on the web to
find all the boundary data you might need, so here are a couple of methods to try.
STEP 1 OF 2
Try searching Google Tables for available boundary

data sets.
STEP 2 OF 2
Also, many boundary datasets have been uploaded by

users and are free to the public, like this one that we’ll use
during this exercise, which covers country boundaries
worldwide.
Arranging your merge (fusion).
To create your customized intensity map, you need to merge the table you just
created in Google Fusion Tables with the boundary data, so that you can shade
each country based on the meat consumption data. This is where the “fusion” in
“Fusion Tables” comes from.
STEP 1 OF 3
First, copy the URL for the boundary data provided (in the
previous step).
STEP 2 OF 3
Now go to your meat consumption table and click File,

then Merge.
STEP 3 OF 3
Paste the boundary data URL into the field at the bottom
of the menu. Click Next.
Aligning your data.
In order for Fusion Tables to properly merge two tables, each table needs to
contain a column of similar, matchable data.
STEP 1 OF 3
Now, choose which columns you’d like to merge—the

information that will be included in each country’s
description when the map is complete. For this exercise,
we’ll include all the columns from both tables. Then click
Merge.
STEP 2 OF 3
In this case, the column found in both tables is the

Country Name column. Make sure both are selected in the
two pulldowns. Click Next.
STEP 3 OF 3
To return to your Fusion Table, go to the next window and

click View table.
View your shaded map.
STEP 1 OF 2
Now click the Map of Geometry tab to see the

intensity map.
STEP 2 OF 2
If your map is not already centered in the window, pull it

down to view it, and use the controls to move in closer to
reveal your boundary graphics.
When you click on a country, the corresponding meat

consumption info should show up in the window.
Customizing your shaded map.
Now let’s add a gradient to the map to make it a true intensity map and more
visually effective for the story. For this exercise, we’ll shade the countries based
on the 2009 data.
STEP 1 OF 4
Click Change feature styles along the left (or, if you don’t
see that menu, go to Tools, then Change map to get the
button to appear).
STEP 2 OF 4
Under Polygons, select Fill color. Click the Gradient tab

and then click Show a gradient. In the Column pulldown,
you can customize the range, or use the suggested range.
Make sure the 2009 column is selected, as we’ll be
shading the polygons (country shapes, in this case),
based on this column of information. Here we can also
tweak the colors.
STEP 3 OF 4
In this window we can also add a legend to our map. Just

select the Automatic legend option in the menu on the
left, then select a position for your legend. Click Save.
STEP 4 OF 4
Now we can more clearly see which countries consumed

more meat in 2009.
Sharing and embedding your map.
The map is complete!
STEP 1 OF 4
To share and embed this map on your website, first click

Share.
STEP 2 OF 4
Change your settings to either Public or Anyone with

the link.
STEP 3 OF 4
Now go to Tools, then Publish.
STEP 4 OF 4
You can copy the URL for the table or copy and paste the
iframe to embed the interactive map on your website. You
can also change the height and width of your map directly
in the iframe.
Use the HTML and JavaScript provided to further

customize the look and style of your Fusion Tables map.
You can also get inspired and grab code samples on the
Google Maps API site
Congratulations!
You completed “Google Fusion Tables: Creating
intensity maps.”
Initiative certification, go to our Training Center website and take another lesson.

Multimedia Storytelling

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Multimedia Storytelling

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8 LESSONS 94 MIN TOTAL

This course will empower you to transcend words and

1 Citing maps sources.

2 Giving credit where it's due.

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

Let’s say you’re publishing a web infographic using an

Scroll down until you see Google Maps/Earth and click

When you’re ready to publish, make sure you properly cite

15 min estimated time

Google Historical Imagery:

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

1 Exploring history on Google Earth Pro.

2 Exporting still images and video.

3 View streets of the past on Google Maps.

4 Moving through time.

5 Google Earth Engine: Landsat Timelapse.

7 Creating a custom timelapse.

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

Type the stadium’s name in the search window and fly to

You’ll first see the freshest or highest quality imagery

In Google Earth Pro, you can save and export

Buttons will appear above the map that allow you to

Then click Save image.

Finally, name your file and click Save.

First, type Onagawa in the search bar to fly there. Then, to

To see a larger view of the selected panorama, click the

Click through the thumbnails of phenomenon such as the

When viewing these areas, remember that Timelapse is an

Start your tour above the irrigation fields, and add a

When you’re ready to share or embed this tour on your

10 min estimated time

Google Crisis Map: Diagramming

See the latest crisis-related data and

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

Google Crisis Map:

The Google Crisis Response team works directly with

The Crisis Map can help journalists visualize and share

1 Explore archived Crisis Maps.

2 Customizing the Crisis Map.

3 Customization for advanced users.

4 Sharing the Crisis Map.

5 Receive alerts for new Crisis Maps.

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

To get to know the tool, go to google.org/crisismap. Then

Let’s say you were writing about Typhoon Yolanda, which

You can also choose a specific area of the map to display,

To better feature this imagery, click Zoom to area and

Whenever possible, Crisis Response provides a download

A reporter can, for example, use that KML data in Google

Once you’ve customized the Crisis Map with the

In the pop-up window you can share the map on social

Edit your display information, email preferences, and

5 min estimated time

YouTube: A storytelling tool

Find out how to cultivate and maintain a

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

1 Filter and sort to find your ideal footage.

2 Crediting the content owner.

For more Multimedia Storytelling lessons, visit:

By clicking Filter you can use advanced filtering and