A statewide discovery app that gamifies 16,000 landmarks.

Context

A statewide dataset of more than 16,000 historical markers existed as a static list: accurate, complete, and inert. There was no way to explore it in the field, no reason to go visit, and no record of who had been where.

What we built

We built a cross-platform mobile app (iOS, Android, and web from one Expo/React Native codebase) that turns the dataset into a location-based game. A PostGIS-backed Node/Express API runs radius queries against the 16,000+ points; the app verifies GPS check-ins and awards points, badges, and streaks over an interactive map. A Next.js admin dashboard manages content, and the whole thing ships through an EAS build and a Docker/Coolify pipeline.

The value

• Turns an inert reference list into a reason to go outside. A static dataset became an explorable, gamified experience with GPS-verified visits.
• One codebase serves iOS, Android, and web, so the whole audience is reachable without maintaining three separate builds.
• The PostGIS backend makes “what’s near me” instant across 16,000+ points, real geospatial querying, not a filtered list.
• Points, badges, and streaks give people a reason to return and to go further, engagement designed in, not bolted on.