GIS

Hunter! Explore. Discover. Master.

by Ryan McClintock

Game Overview
Game Vision GIS HUNTER is Indiana Jones meets Carmen Sandiego and then participate in The Amazing Race. GIS
HUNTER combines many of the major branches of science (namely geology, chemistry, physics, and biology) with economics, history, and geography. By utilizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) as a platform, this computer game takes players on an educational journey that spans many of the worlds cities and natural wonders. GIS HUNTER is an online computer game where players travel, via GIS technology, from one place to another by following clues, answering questions, and interpreting coordinates. To do this, they must use their knowledge of science, history, and geography as they utilize the powerful features of GIS technology. Its an intense form of academic geocaching. The Story Someone has stolen priceless artifacts from the worlds major museums. The players job is to retrieve these artifacts one by one. To do this they must begin at the site where the first stolen artifacts is known to be stored. Given the latitude and longitude of this site, players will travel there using GIS and begin their work. Once at the site, the game will provide clues that require players to apply their geology, chemistry, biology, and physics knowledge. These clues will take them to various locations near and around the major city or site they are visiting. These clues and questions will require them to use the powerful GIS maps and data sets. For example, while in Denver, a player may need to navigate to the state capitol so they can use the system to calculate the square footage of the Capitol Building. Upon imputing their response, the game will provide them with the clue to the next location in Denver and give them a point total based on how close their answer was to the true value. In this case players can advance with various point totals. Clues within a city or site may be additional coordinates, street addresses, trivial, or based on science content. By following clues within the city or site, players will arrive at the specific site of the robbery. Once there they will be given their final GIS task to complete. Successful completion of this task means recovery of the stolen artifact and the player being given a set of coordinates to the site or city where the next artifact was stolen. As players advance from one site to another they accumulate both artifacts and points. The game, BH, will have various levels. Each level requires the player to recover the stolen set of artifacts. When players advance to a new level they are to recover a new set of artifacts in an increasingly large and complex region of the world.

Learning Objectives
By playing this game students will learn to: Manipulate various types of maps in a GIS environment; Utilize the various GIS function and calculation tools; Interpret coordinate systems and map analytics; Use multiple resources to solve complicated problems. Additionally, they will: Apply general scientific, mathematical, historical, and geographical knowledge.

Market Analysis
Audience Profile
The use of cutting-edge GIS software in high schools is just beginning to take hold. BH could be used in an integrated high school science class, but is ideally directed at students enrolled in a Geospatial Technologies course. Students enrolled in this course will have appropriate experience with general biology, chemistry, and physics concepts.

Distribution GIS HUNTER will be used in high school Geospatial Technologies classes and possibly in other classes like
Earth/Space/Environmental or Humanities. The game will be available as both a download and online, thus students need computers and robust internet access (both versions require internet access).

Detailed Game Description

The Core Idea GIS HUNTER is a computer game that utilizes the powerful functions and features of GIS software. These
functions and features are needed for players to advance from one clue to another (at different locations within a city or site) and to ultimately retrieve a stolen artifact and advance to another city or site to hunt another stolen artifact.

Background Story
Someone has stolen priceless artifacts and has them hidden in various locations around the (world, country, state depending on level). Your job is to identify these locations and travel to them to hunt down the stolen artifact. Along the way, youll discover clues that will push your scientific knowledge to the limit; youll have to use cutting-edge GIS technology to apply this knowledge and discover additional clues and, eventually, the stolen artifact! Then its on to the next secret location! Your task is to recover all of the stolen artifacts and accumulate as many points as possible along the way.

Game Objective
The objective of the game is to recover the stolen artifacts as intelligently as possible by responding well to the questions and tasks youll need to carry out along the way. Once you recover all of the stolen artifacts, you will advance to the next level, which contains more complicated clues and locations that span larger and larger regions of the globe.

Game World GIS HUNTER is a computer game. It will be played on a computer either as a downloaded game (needing
internet access) or by visiting the game site (does not require a download).

Game Play
Play begins at level 1. Players are given a set of coordinates and must use the game interface and maps to travel to this location.

Once at this location, players must proceed from task to task to recover the stolen artifact that has been hidden in or near their current location. Tasks include content-based questions and questions that require them to utilize GIS map and analytical skills.

A progress meter indicates how close a player is to recovering the artifact in that particular location.

Once the artifact is recovered, they will receive a clue that takes them to a different world location, where they then answer questions to recover the next artifact. This continues until all of the artifacts for that particular level have been recovered. Players are awarded points for their answers. These points can vary depending on how close their answer is to an accepted value (for numerical answers). Players can replay levels to increase their point totals (and therefore their grade in their class).

Set-up GIS HUNTER needs a computer with the following configuration:

Windows 7 or OS X 10.5.8 or later Internet connection (2 Mbps or faster for online version) Screen resolution: 1024 x 576 (or better)

Rules and Mechanics

Upon beginning a GIS HUNTER game, players enter their screen name and upload an avatar for their player. Play begins with a set of coordinates that the players must navigate to in order to begin their quests to recover the stolen artifacts.

Once at the location, they will answer questions that require GIS and/or basic scientific knowledge.

Each task (question answered) will provide an additional clue to a location closer to the stolen artifact. Once they have successfully recovered the artifact for that particular location, say Denver, they will then be given a new set of coordinates to another world location, say London. Each successive location and level will require more sophisticated GIS knowledge and skills to be successful. Players may replay previous levels to increase awarded points.

Winning GIS HUNTER is about advancing to higher (and harder) levels with as many points as possible (which means
most accurate answers and calculations).

Assessing Outcomes
The difficulty required tasks (GIS features and functions) and science content increases with each level. Level status, therefore, indicates students learning.