We have seen a wide range of different proposals for Blockchain companies and FOAM is one of these projects that really stands out. One of their goals is to build a consensus driven map of the world using what they call “Proof of Location”. CSC or Crypto-Spatial Coordinates will be an open and interoperable standard for location in Ethereum Smart Contracts. FOAM wants to be the first mover pioneering location data in the Blockchain space. In an earlier post, I was discussing TrustToken and how assets like Real Estate could one day be Tokenized on the Blockchain. It only makes sense that location data will also be apart of this movement. The Smart Contract will be able to make an immutable claim to an address on the Blockchain and a corresponding location on the map. The use case makes total sense. As of now, Google provides maps of just about everywhere on this planet, in clear imagery. FOAM will be adding Beacons which will be established and mutually agreed upon via Token. Aside from FOAM, a couple of other projects have been working on this space such as “What3words” and “Open Location Code“. FOAM wants to create an open source standard for Blockchains that is free.
“The CSC is effectively a human readable representation of a pair of a geohash and an Ethereum address, together with an immutable pairing of the two on the blockchain.“ -FOAM
Proof of Location
One of the FOAM’s pillar beliefs is that people should own their own data, have the choice of whether or not they want to share that data. Right, most of our devices have GPS integration. This data is generally shared based on when and where we are. For example, if we enter a shop, that location data could be collected for further use in the future. Usually that would be for marketing purposes. FOAM is building The Spatial Index which is a visual Blockchain explorer, and Crypto-Spatial Coordinates, The open standard for location on the Ethereum Blockchain.
“Proof of Location allows users and autonomous agents to privately record authenticated location data at times of their choosing, and then reveal their personal information at their discretion, by presenting a fraud-proof location claim.” -FOAM
The Future of FOAM
The Spatial Index Web3 Architecture will be a sort of mix between Google Maps and Bloomberg Trading Terminal as put in their own words. I find the visual explorer to be the most engaging and exciting aspect of their designs. GPS, time, and data that will be packaged along with it will have a definite use case in the future and I expect to see a lot more from FOAM several years down the road. Interestingly, the project is launching out of New York City, in Brooklyn, which aims to be one of the pioneering centers of Blockchain technology. New York is a great place to start as there is plenty to map out.
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