• Version 3.1, March 2026
  • New: You've always been able to drag Factors to rearrange your map. However, links between Factors used to run directly from one to another.
    This meant that if two Factors were in opposite corners, the link between them would cut straight through the middle of the map. That could make the map look cluttered and the links difficult to follow.
    In this new version, you can drag links to make them bend. For example, you can pull the middle of a link so it curves around the edge of the map instead of crossing the centre.
    This helps keep the map clearer and easier to read, and can also improve how it looks.
  • If you are running PRSM locally on an intranet , there is an updated container with the latest version of PRSM that you should use.
  • Version 3.0, February 2026
  • New: You can now ask an AI to generate a first-draft description of the map, which is displayed in the Map Description panel. To open the panel, click on the small grey button on the left edge of the map area and click on the 'Sparkle' Sparkle Icon icon. The AI will analyze the factors and links in the map and generate a summary of its contents. This can be useful for getting an overview of a complex map or for sharing a summary with others who may not have time to explore the map in detail.
  • Similarly, you can ask the AI to generate first-draft descriptions of individual factors and links. To do this, click on a factor or link to open its pop-up dialog and click on the 'Sparkle' Sparkle Icon icon there. The AI will analyze the factor and its links and generate a description of it.
  • The AI-generated descriptions are just a starting point. You can edit and refine them as needed. The quality of the descriptions will depend on the complexity of the map and the information it contains and are designed to support reflection and refinement — not replace expert judgement. See the AI Assistance section of the manual for further details and tips on how to get the best out of this feature.
  • As always, feedback on this or on any other feature of PRSM is always welcome, so please get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions: prsm@prsm.uk.
  • Version 2.7, January 2026
  • New: PRSM now has an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows developers to interact with maps programmatically. See the API Documentation .This interface enables integration with other software systems. For example, there could be a program that automatically updates maps based on data from external sources.
  • And many minor user interface improvements and performance enhancements.
  • Version 2.6, September 2025
  • New: Louvain clustering of factors. This is a method of detecting communities or clusters of related factors within a map. See Louvain Clustering for further details.
  • Command/Control key combinations can be used instead of the Save (^S), Open (^O) and Undo (^Z) buttons.
  • And formatting changes and bug fixes.
  • Version 2.5, April 2025
  • New: importing and exporting GEXF and GraphML files. These are standard formats for representing graphs and networks. You can now import and export PRSM maps in these formats, making it easier to share your maps with other applications and tools. See Opening and Saving maps .
  • The Force Atlas 2 layout engine has been tuned to give a more useful layout of complex maps.
  • The Settings Factor Styles panel has the number of available styles doubled from 6 to 12.
  • Version 2.4, December 2024
  • This version introduces a new type of factor: 'Portals'. A portal factor is a special type of factor that links to another map. When you click on a portal factor, the map it links to will open in a new browser tab. This useful when, for example, you have several related maps and want to move easily between them. It is also useful if you have a high level or abstract map. Portal factors on this map can link to more detailed maps that expand on the factors in the high level one. See Linking one map to another for further details.
  • When opening a map from a file, you can now choose whether the map should replace the existing map, or be merged with it. See Merging Maps .
  • The colour picker, used to choose the colour of factors, links, background shapes and the map background, has been enhanced to control the transparency of the colour. One use of this is that if you make the map background transparent and then obtain a high definition image of the map, that image will also have a transparent background, which can be helpful when incorporating the image into a web page.
  • When creating a 'read-only' copy of a map, you can choose whether to include a 'Copy map' button in the top bar. If you do, viewers cannot change the read only map, but they can create a fully editable copy of the map in a new room, displayed in a new browser tab.
  • The User Manual has ben reformatted and extended and you can now search it.
  • And bug fixes and security updates.
  • Version 2.3, May 2024
  • The chat feature (the dialog icon in the bottom right corner) has been removed - it was very rarely used.
  • A "minimap" has replaced it. The minimap is a small version of the entire map, displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen. It only appears if some parts of the map are not visible within the main window. A rectangular outline on the minimap indicates the portion of the map that is currently visible in the main window. This helps you to see how the visible section fits within the larger map, especially if the map is extensive. You can drag the rectangle on the minimap to quickly move the visible area to a different part of the map.
  • To change your name and your initials shown on the avatar at the top right corner of the map and elsewhere, click on the avatar. A dialog will open for you to enter your new name.
  • To open a PRSM map file (or any of the other types of file that PRSM can read), you can either use the Open button or you can now drag a file from your desktop and drop it on the PRSM browser window.
  • Version 2.2, January 2024
  • The shapes for individual factors, or for all the factors of the same style, can be resized to be relatively larger than other factors. This is done with new sliders included on the pop-up dialogs for editing factors and editing factor styles.
  • You can save a high resolution (8192 x 8192 pixels) image of the map as a Portable Network Graphics (.png) file using the Save drop down menu. The image, which is suitable for publication, will show the whole map. If, however, you want the image to include just a portion of the map, select a factor or factors that you want the image to be centred on before Saving the image. The image will include just those factors and the neighbouring ones.
  • And other enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.
  • Version 2.1, August 2023
  • There is now a panel into which you can write a description or notes about the map as a whole. To view the panel, click on the small grey button on the left edge of the map area. While entering or editing text, you can use the formatting buttons at the top of the panel: bold, italic, underline, as well as change font size, insert images etc. The contents of the panel are shared with other participants as you write. Click on the grey button again to put the panel away.
  • Instead of some factors and links being hidden when using the Analysis features, they are faded out, to provide more context around those that are shown.