1/ a quick thread on protocols focused on location. location data is leveraged by many consumer services (Google Maps, Uber), but also by military and industrial applications. now teams are #blockchain-ing this data to make it tamper-proof (secure), verifiable, and trustless.
2/ furthermore, new applications like self driving vehicles, AI, and increasingly digitized consumer, industrial, and military services will rely on secure location information services to deliver service. example - in 2012, a military drone was hacked and "stolen" by students...
3/ several projects are working on a new form of consensus called "proof of location" to design new mechanisms for collecting, verifying, storing, and sending data about location to the services and applications that consumer this data. let's dig into proof of location.
4/ first you need devices to collect location data. various implementations of PoL rely on beacons of various types of gather x and y coordinates and assign location data to these geospatial coordinates using a system of stakeholder incentives via a token.
5/ you also need a z coordinate for time - and then you effectively have a space coordinate with a time anchor to provide an accurate assessment of geospatial network topology. if this sounds complicated, it is. i have limited experience with geospatial data and mapping...
6/ but i can fully appreciate the complexities of providing mission-critical location data in a secure, accurate manner. if you want to dig into these systems further, here are some projects to look into:
7/ FOAM (@foamspace) - a proof of location protocol that has been in development since 2017 (if not earlier). has a TCR to add, rank, and review locations. recently conducted a public token sale via @tokenfoundry to raise 38k ETH for development. foam.space
8/ Platin (@platin_io) - a proof of location blockchain with a focus on mobile-based computation via a phone app, and including zero-knowledge proofs to preserve privacy of data validators and contributors. conducting a token sale and airdrops in October.
platin.io
platin.io
9/ XYO Network (@XYOracleNetwork) - a cryptographic location network who have deployed over 1 million location beacons and claim the "single largest" network of Bluetooth & GPS devices in the world. note - they also have a sponsored race car.
xyo.network
xyo.network
10/ last but not least, @streetcredco - built by execs from MapQuest and Mapzen (a Samsung co), focusing on building "accessible data for places people care about." no specifics published yet, but you can earn #bitcoin by mapping locations in NYC - mapnyc.streetcred.co
11/ what projects have i missed? do we need new protocols with their own token for location data, or can we leverage #bitcoin for the incentive layer? anyone spending time on this space? recommended reading? i'm intrigued by this use case, but scratching the surface.
