Systems and methods for empirical expert determination and question and answer routing are provided. They system collects location tracking data about each user and analyzes the location tracking data to empirically determine the level of expertise a particular user has for a specific venue/event or a specific geographic region at a particular scale on a map. The system receives questions about a specific venue/event or about a category of venue/event in a specific geographic region at a particular scale on a map and routes those questions in real time to one or more experts for the specific venue/event or the category of venue/event in the specific geographic region. The system receives a response to the question from at least one of the one or more experts and routes the response back to the requestor, also in real time. The system also efficiently represents the location of a plurality of venues/events and/or users within a specific geographic region on a displayed map at a plurality of scales of the map.

A smart toy is provided. The smart toy includes a housing forming a zoomorphic shell for housing internal components. The smart toy also includes a microphone for receiving an audio signal from a child and a speaker for playing a responsive audio signal to the child. The smart toy further includes an actuator button and a microprocessor for establishing a voice call with a remote server when the actuator button is pressed. The microprocessor processes the audio signal received from the child and sends the audio signal to the remote server. The remote server processes the audio signal using a dialog engine and a knowledge database to generate the responsive audio signal which is tailored to the child and responsive to the audio signal. The remote server sends the responsive audio signal to the microprocessor to be played to the child.

A method of providing physiological self-regulation challenges prior to participating in a series of activities or exercises at a series of predefined locations includes determining a physiological goal associated with each location. A sensing device measures a physiological state of a user, and a mobile communication device communicates to a user whether or not the user has achieved the physiological goal for the challenge. The level of difficulty of the physiological goal may be reduced if the user does not meet the goal. The physiological goal may comprise a brain state that is conducive to learning, and the sensing device may be configured to measure brain state values representing cognitive engagement. Upon achievement of each physiological goal, the participant is provided with a reward such as information concerning the current predefined location and/or information concerning the next predefined location.

An educational tool provides for presenting a challenge to solve a puzzle game with multiple, differentiated levels of playing surfaces and puzzle pieces. A user may zoom dynamically in and out and shift between the levels of playing surfaces and/or puzzle pieces. A geographic map-based puzzle game may include multiple layers of a world level with an option for zooming to a continent level, with a further option for zooming to a country level with all of the options having the potential to provide various levels of specifics and information, etc. and further in or back out. Each level or playing surface and each puzzle piece may make educational elements available to the user, at the user's discretion. For example, in a map-based puzzle, each piece at the country level may also state the largest city and/or the capital of the country and also all important bodies of water surrounding each country along with name of the body of water for any waters surrounding the country.

An intuitive globe that provides an ornamental display piece and/or an interactive learning tool has a sphere casing, a geographical demarcation, a liquid, and a support stand. The support stand holds the sphere casing, wherein the sphere casing is rotatably connected to a sphere mount. The sphere casing is a hollow body that is filled with the liquid and is transparent such that movement of the liquid is visible when the sphere casing is rotated. The geographical demarcation is disposed about the sphere casing, representing a body of land. The geographical demarcation is a first color, while the liquid is a second color; the second color contrasting the first color, such that the geographical demarcation is readily discernable from the liquid. A plurality of touch sensors can be utilized in conjunction with a plurality of lights to illuminate selected regions of the geographical demarcation.

One example includes predicting social, economic, and learning outcomes for a geographic entity at a future time. The outcomes are predicted using near-real-time student data indicators and correlations between the indicators and the outcomes.