A new startup wants to use blockchain and the Uber model to create free, open-source maps.
CityLab's Laura Bliss profiles a mapping startup that aims to combine blockchain and cryptocurrency, open data, and crowdsourcing and gig work. In other words, the company plans to pay people to contribute to free maps. Bliss reports:
"With $1 million in seed funding, Streetcred is building a business model based on the blockchain, where digital tokens called Ether—a Bitcoin-esque cryptocurrency with a fluctuating dollar value—would be paid out to contributors anywhere in the world to populate maps with new points of interest."
The company will only map places, not routes. It hopes to compete with the current industry king, Google Maps, by making its service free to the developers, government agencies, and companies that currently pay Google up to thousands of dollars a month. Though still "refining" its business model, Streetcred says it would make money by soliciting "sponsorships" from companies like Uber or Apple to map points of interest in regions with less coverage from other services.
It could also save money by paying contractors in an unguaranteed currency rather than hiring employees.
In CityLab, Bliss compares the startup's model to other mapping platforms, companies relying on gig workers, and data services.
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Top 10 Free Web Applications for Planning
I had the opportuntity, at the 2009 national planning conference in Minneapolis, to present (together with my colleague Christian Peralta Madera) ten free web applications that can be used to support planning. Approximately 350 participants attended the session. Since the presentation, I've received over 100 emails congratulating us on the practical nature of the presentation, and requesting links to the websites we presented. Since our presentation was a hands-on demonstration, this blog entry outlines the ten technologies, and provides links to examples of the technology in practice and resources so you can experiment with the technologies.
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)