To make a gamified app aimed to teach cartography (art of making and reading maps).

Description 

The idea of the app is to create a user-driven community. Here, people can upload maps of public places. When making the map they mark important or key locations. Once they mark these locations they also must write a summary of the location, it can either be a realistic summary or a fantastical description. Depending upon the user and the purpose of the map. Once this is done, the player can hide puzzles or treasures at the location. These simple cryptographic puzzles can be solved and checked using the app. These could include simple cyphers or image-based puzzles. The correct answer will unlock the next location on the map. At the final location, there must be a treasure, which is a reward for the player who completes the quest.

Otherwise, the player can also pick-up quests made by other people. This will allow them to take up these adventures.

The users can then access each other’s maps and quests to go one adventure themselves. By making and embarking on quests the users gain experience and rewards. The app uses gamification aspects like level systems, rewards, teams and guilds (to promote competition and companionship). The app is designed in a way to appeal all user types and has features which they all might find intriguing.

The main purpose of the system is to teach people cartography. From the data collected from the survey (online and conducted locally by myself), it is a necessary skill to have. It will increase people’s mental ability to remember and recognize places. Further, in case of emergencies, it is an excellent survival skill to have. Through the readings of thematic maps, people can even understand terrains better. For example, if someone is going on a hiking trip, they can look at the elevation thematic map to know how steep a climb will be.

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