The Real Point of Geographic Puzzles

Solving geographic puzzles can promote spatial learning but there is more to geoliteracy than recognizing shapes and knowing how they fit together.  Understanding the complex landscape of culture, history, nature and human activity in our world involves discovering the vast diversity of places within a puzzle.  PuzzleMap™ does this with "Point Clues" which help with the spatial challenge and invite the user to investigate certain locations further. 

Point Clue titles appear whenever a puzzle piece is selected.  Titles are intentionally vague or mysterious to tease the user's curiosity.  When clicked or touched, a popup with a related image opens at the clue location.  If a piece is loose, the popup only lasts a few seconds — just enough to provide a clue to where the piece belongs.

If the piece has been placed correctly, the same clue reveals more information.  When clicked or touched, PuzzleMap zooms in to the clue location and displays a popup that includes the title, an image caption and a brief summary of the clue topic with embedded links for further research.  The user can spend as long as they want before dismissing the clue.

Point Clues are randomly included with any puzzle piece that contains them.  The same clue might appear in different puzzles and the clues in any particular puzzle will change each time it's launched.  There are a million places in our world that would be great Point Clue subjects.  To expand the collection and encourage user participation, PuzzleMap subscribers will soon be able to create their own clues and submit them for global publication.  PuzzleMap Explorer makes it easy: 

An intuitive Content Editor provides the necessary input fields and provides a simple markdown interface for formatting summaries.  Images can be uploaded from the user's file system or drug from adjacent browser tabs.  The Location Editor lets the user set the desired location and optimal zoom level on a map.  At each step, the user can preview the final clue appearance.  The system can also save in-progress drafts and it supports the exchange of comments as clues are submitted and reviewed.

Geoliteracy is a critical skill in the modern world.  We want to make it fun and encourage user involvement with incentives, competitions and awards.  Sharing is caring.  PuzzleMap Point Clues are a way to do that since every clue can be a virtual passport to somewhere new.  Whether you're working on a puzzle or developing new clues, discovering the next fascinating place is always fun.  And that's the real point of PuzzleMap.  It's all about exploring!