A longish TL;DR on the Proto App

Notes from Release Day

Before we go any further; Our App is now available to download on the
Apple App Store & Google Play Store.
And we’ll be kicking off this launch, with back to back map-a-thon’s.
So download our app, hop into our community and stay tuned !

Download the app today!

What have we been up to?

Over the past few months, we’ve shared our overarching vision and the reason why we’re building proto in quite some detail (if you haven’t read those, you should : Building the Future of Maps , Mappers as Creators).

Simultaneously we’ve been building our platform, our community and a set of educational tools for GIS as well. And we’ve seen growth in all three. And after rounds and rounds of internal testing, testing by our community and bug fixes (which still keep us up at night); Its Beta time!

This blog is here to give you a quick intro and a walkthrough to answer some of the pressing roadmap questions that might come up in your mind.

Maps are content, we help you make, share and monetize them.

We’re not only shifting the power of map creation but we’re expanding its scope, enabling every user to contribute and gain tangible benefits from their efforts. The foundation of Proto is deeply entwined with our vision to democratize mapping. Our aspect of compensation is a shift from traditional mapping platforms, where user contributions, though invaluable, have historically gone unrewarded and unrecognized.

At Proto, we recognize maps as more than just navigational aids; they are a form of content — rich, informative, and deserving of recognition. And therefore, our platform is designed to facilitate the creation, sharing, and, crucially, the monetization of this content. It’s about giving rightful value to the contributions of individual mappers, acknowledging their efforts in collecting and sharing data about the real world.

Central to our mission is the Proto app itself, a tool that transforms each user into both a cartographer and a storyteller. The app does two key things from our perspective,

• Firstly, it empowers those who already map and contribute data, providing them with the tools and platform to showcase their work and reap the rewards.
• Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it lowers the barrier to entry into the world of mapping. By making the process more accessible and rewarding, we’re inviting a broader spectrum of people into the mapping arena.

A few things to remember

If you are new to Proto, then you should know that every contribution you make on Proto is both recognized and rewarded. Rest assured, your efforts and insights are valued here. But the ethos of empowering mappers goes beyond mere financial incentives; it’s about fostering a thriving community of creators.

At Proto, we see you, as our partner in this transformative journey. You bring the insights, the local knowledge, and the personal experiences, while we provide the platform and tools to share them. And with great power, comes great responsibility; so when you map, its important to keep a few things in mind

• Map honestly, don’t make stuff up or add information that is wrong. On the platform, your maps are your reputation.
• Add images, always. The images you add increase the value of your map data. Make sure you get good ones.
• Add an address. Whenever possible. Even if the app shows you an address, please go ahead and add one that might be more accurate.
• Help others. When others mappers need support, whether on the ground or on the app; be available. This is a positive sum game. The more we all do together, the better outcomes we are able to generate for everyone.
• Share bugs and stuff that you may encounter. Your feedback is very valuable.

With these out of the way, let’s move on to the app, its features and what it promises.

The Core Element: Points of Interest (PoI)

Proto is a “Points of Interest” contribution app. In simpler words, you can use the app to map the location of anything from your favorite restaurant to a troublesome pothole. Anything that can be represented as a pin or a point is fair game.

We’re focused on PoI’s for a couple of reasons:

1. They’re the Backbone of Maps, (not literally) but PoI’s are super valuable.
2. They’re perfect for beginners. PoI’s are a great starting point.
3. They’re straightforward and intuitive — if you know a place, you can map it.

So anything you do on the map, whether a check-in, a journey or anything else, you are essentially dealing with PoI’s.

How Check-Ins Work

Every time you drop a pin on Proto, that’s a Check-in. It’s your way of saying, “Hey, I found something!” The more you tell us about it, the better.

A Check-in has four simple parts:

• Address: Where is this place?
• Tag: Just select from a list or create your own.
• Message: What’s special about it? Share your thoughts or a quick story along with more information about the place.
• Images

Checking in on proto

Your check-ins are the building blocks for all the mapping you do, so its important to do them carefully and accurately. Check-in’s are also responded to by others on the app. They do so in one of three ways:

1. Liking things (this is the usual, you know it already)
2. Saying they’ve been there (to indicate, that they’ve been there)
3. Adding them to journeys (we’ll talk more about this next)

Feed’s & Check in interactions

And Then There Are Journeys

As a mapper, you can map an entire city and be good to go.

But as a creator, its your identity that sets you apart. One of that paths to doing that on proto, is through journeys.

Journey’s are a string of interconnected check-ins. You can link your Check-ins to create a Journey. It’s to tell a bigger story through connected pins. Think of a theme — maybe “The Ultimate Coffee Spots in Town” or “All the potholes in Bangalore” — and start linking your Check-ins to build journeys around these themes.

You can add any check-in to a journey by tapping on the journey icon found under check-ins. Your journey’s count towards our total points and play an important role in building your identity as a mapper. Its what you use to differentiate yourself on the app. Are you the mapper mapping out all the traffic lights in Mumbai ?, or that person mapping out ideal locations for bird watching in Philly ?

Working with Journey’s

A few other key bits

• Flags: Flags are a way to mark misinformation or malicious activity on the app. When you flag a user’s check-in, we take it down for review. 3 failed reviews, and a users account is suspended.
• Been there: Under every check-in, you’ll see a little green tick-mark. We call this a “Been there”. Use been there to indicate when you’ve also visited the location another user is talking about in their check-in.
• Profiles: All profiles on proto are public. You can visit other users and see their mapping in detail. Learn from their work, and even add some of their check-ins to your journey’s.
• Check-in details: When you tap on a check-in, you can see its details. i.e its location, the pictures and most importantly its signature. The signature is a way to track each check-in on-chain.

Profile’s and Verification

Rewarding the Mapping Community

Your contributions are acknowledged with rewards, visible on your profile. To redeem rewards, you must:

• Be verified. Verification is simple, it involves joining a 15 min verification call and is free. This lets us know that you’re a real person and not a bot.
• Have mapped for at least 1000 points. You need a minimum of 1000 points to unlock rewards. This helps us ensure that you are a committed mapper and will contribute to the ecosystem long term.
• Have an unflagged record. Each flag on your profile lowers your ability to unlock rewards.

Once you’re eligible, you can tap on your points in your profile to open the rewards page. You will be able to access your rewards in the form of gift cards, discounts and very soon, as a native token as well.

Future Roadmap and Community Engagement

As you map more, you’ll learn ways to maximize your rewards and how to earn and do more on the app. Your growth on the platform will also mean a growth in your ability to map more complex real-world features. To help with advanced mapping, in the coming months pro-users of the app will get access to a full-fledged web-based editor that lets them add data in bulk, validate other users contributions and work on more complex mapping exercises independently.

The best way to get involved, learn more and become an active mapper is to start mapping, join our community and learn from fellow mappers. You can also join our mapper meet-ups every month to learn more and stay in the loop.

Join us,

You can follow us on twitter & instagram, and if you wanna get started on proto; join our online onboarding events

And visit us here

We also hang out on group chat here, feel free to drop by!

See you soon and Happy Mapping !