My previous article has a lot of problems, but I am still proud of who I was when I wrote it. I still believe the right implementation of web3 tech and geographic information systems can be a powerful too for coordination, and I don't think this has been explored or even considered yet as a field on its own. Digital maps are a resource we take for granted. Most of us today would not be able to function in a city without our navigation apps. Centralized services index roads, businesses and locations on their maps on their terms. I believe we can build a better map for web3. I wanted to write a post highlighting the major flaws in my original article to set myself up for further exploration of this concept.

In the article, I suggested compensating volunteer cartographers with tokens issued by a smart contract. Without a secure proof of location protocol this would be easily exploited by sybils and bots. Even then, I feel that a network of localized DAOs is a better option for compensating users for contributions to the map than relying on a smart contract to automatically distribute tokens.

As for the map itself, I no longer consider the structure I called the Ethereum Base Map (EBM) necessary or feasible. This would be a centralizing force in the ecosystem, and would require a top-down governance structure fraught with geopolitical conflict. As an alternative, the "Application Layers" I briefly reference in the article would form heart of the protocol. Users would create their own cryptographically-secured layers of the map, selectively choosing to share and publish their data with other users. The map itself would then consist of overlapping layers of shared data. Localized DAOs would organically form and provide incentives for the area's inhabitants to build up the map around them. Networks of neighboring DAOs could then coordinate among themselves to establish shared standards and bottom-up governance structures.

I want this project to inspire others towards spatial coordination. What if anyone could work for their local DAO by contributing to portion of the map? What if bounties for local freelance work were simply pinned to an x/y coordinate?

In the coming weeks, I will post more articles exploring different aspects of the project in more detail. To begin, I will elaborate on the basic value proposition of MapDapps: users adding new features to the map and sharing their contributions with others. Later, I will explore what sorts of new opportunities this protocol might create for coordination of labor, and how it might influence society.