As crypto prices remain highly volatile, the long term players are more concerned with figuring out which uses of blockchain and distributed ledger technology are actually going to have a meaningful impact.

Geospatial applications ranging from augmented reality to robotics to autonomous vehicles are an area where the use of blockchains is essential. Mediated data access rights; determining proof-of-location; enabling markets for location and decentralized 3D data capture, processing and storage are just some of the applications for blockchain in geo. The applications are immensely valuable from a financial standpoint, and moreover, represent some of the most exciting transformations in how people experience the world around them.

What follows is a background reader and primer for crypto investors and anyone else interested in the connection between blockchain and geo.

History and Background

The Spatial Web | This 2004 white paper from the Open GIS Consortium provides a full articulation of and identity for the “Spatial Web.” It identifies many of the key challenges that remain to this day, including the industry constraining issues surrounding non-interoperability.

Google’s World: The Impact of “Agnostic Cartographers” on the State-Dominated International Legal System | A look at Google’s approach to customizing maps based on the beliefs and laws of the nations they’re operating in, dramatizing the ramifications of allowing singular centralized platforms to control how map data is used.

The future of geospatial intelligence | If you have to read one piece to understand the full trajectory of geospatial data, this is the one. This fundamental background covers early beginnings to the current massive expansion of our ability to capture reality and process and organize that data.

A Brief History of GPS | With the rise of variety of new standards that help localize people and devices in 3D space, it is important not only to understand what those new standards are proposing, but also the legacy systems they’re attempting to evolve and replace.

Perspectives on Decentralization and Data

Paradigm shifts for the decentralized Web | Essential piece highlighting three model shifts that arise from the decentralization of data: 1) End users become data owners; 2) Apps become views; 3) Interfaces become queries. As 3D data gathering expands in the blockchain era, these frameworks need to be considered and built into the designs of our decentralized geospatial data systems.

Why decentralization matters | Chris Dixon’s seminal essay describes the shift from Web 2.0 to an emergent decentralized Web 3.0. Data creates powerful network effects, and allowing any one company to control access to and reap economic rents from the huge class of 3D data that will come online over the next decade carries with it incredible risks.

The Future of Geo is Decentralized | The author of this thoughtful piece has been involved with open maps through projects like OpenStreetMap and brings that background to bear on blockchain and the geospatial web. She notes that who owns the map has always dictated how the map is used and even how reality is perceived, sharing a few examples of how a new paradigm is possible.

The fight against Google’s smart city | Is Google’s (and other big tech companies’) interest in programs such as smart city initiatives simply a Trojan Horse for expanded data gathering? That’s the argument presented here. Money quote: ““This is a story about governance, not urban innovation. There is nothing innovative about partnering with a monopoly.”

Blockchain and Geospatial Data Overview

The Game Changer of Geospatial Systems — Blockchain | A geospatially-oriented primer on blockchains that identifies a few important use cases in geo: land records as a primary candidate for a trust-less consensus-based system; autonomous delivery where wrong/malicious instructions can be trapped and identified; automated payment for transportation based on distance traveled; and the opportunity to create a decentralized market for geospatial data.

Blockchain in Geospatial Applications | Further explorers a set of use cases for blockchain mediation of geospatial data. One example related to how tokens could be used to incentivize contributions to public-good data sets in a way that keeps the data truly available for all. The author points out that in the context of autonomous vehicles, a middleman-free system would allow devices to negotiate and pay automatically for data and space rights, bringing costs down for consumers. The last use case identified extols the benefits of corruption-proof land ownership registration — especially in developing economies. Video by the author below.

Geospatial blockchain: promises, challenges, and scenarios in health and healthcare | This research paper looks at the value of open, immutable geospatial data in the context of public health, looking specifically at examples such as disaster responses, in which crowdsourced geo-tagged data could be validated and rewarded.

Bitcoin, blockchain and GIS could change the world | Better location data could allow for a variety of improved governmental function, including bringing transparency to elections (particularly in areas with high degrees of fraud) and providing a more immutable record of government spending.

Geo Applications on Blockchain and Geospatial Standards

The billion dollar war over maps | In case the implications of geospatial data aren’t clear, this piece discusses just how much money and effort is going into 3D spatial mapping just in the context of the autonomous vehicle industry.

Proof of Location: Geospatial data on blockchains | An introduction to verified “proof of location” on a blockchain. It examines use cases such as: verifying driver locations for ride sharing apps; supply chain management; location-based rewards programs; location integration to crypto collectibles/NFTs; rewards for managing traffic flows and more. The article also discusses tokenization can enable community-based curation of static locations.

Introduction to Proof of Location | The early leader in proof of location is FOAM. This piece articulates the vulnerabilities and challenges of GPS and introduces the companies approach to solving PoL that incorporates beacons and crypto-economic incentives. A must read from one of the most exciting projects in the space.

Geospatial Corporation Integrates Blockchain Technology with GeoUnderground | This serves as a primer not only for the company featured but for how blockchains can assist in heavy industrial geospatial industries. This looks at the use of blockchains to act as a single source of truth in the context of mobile physical assets like gas and oil — essential for billing, payouts, integrity management and more.

Global Relocalization: A Better GPS | GPS is insufficient for Augmented Reality, one of the most transformative technologies of our time. This great essay looks at the alternatives solving the key issues of GPS for AR including failure in indoor and urban environments, lack of systems for orientation and more.

Crypto-Spatial Coordinates — the open location standard on Ethereum | Smart contracts allow a phenomenal number of new translations and interactions between people and machines. This proposal from FOAM provides a standard for how locations, addresses and coordinates can be embedded in smart contracts built on Ethereum.

Proposing an Open Camera Positioning Standard | In the world of applications that take advantage of 3D data, camera-based positioning for handheld and autonomous devices is essential. We recently proposed a standard for camera-based positioning that is an open, iterative and collaborative alternative to closed standards like those used by Google.

Presentation of Camera Positioning Standard (CPS) at AWE2018

Conclusion

Geospatial applications aren’t looking to blockchains in order to participate in some technology mega trend, but because they solve key issues. In the geo space, blockchains are poised to power a new location and 3D data infrastructure and enable a huge array of industries and applications — from augmented reality to disaster relief. For a crypto sector that spends so much of its time separating hype from reality, these real world use cases are worth noticing.