OVER’s DePIN: Pioneering the Future of Decentralized 3D Mapping

The acronym DePIN stands for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks. It describes physical networks that are created and maintained by communities, not companies, thanks to token incentivization. The DePIN industry encompasses infrastructure for data storage, wireless connectivity, computing, energy, data collection, and more. This sector has been around for years, starting with IOTA, Filecoin, and XYO. Yet, it is only recently that a consensus around a name for the category has solidified.

OVER’s DePIN

OVER stands at the forefront of the DePIN movement with its groundbreaking map2earn™ program. This initiative harnesses the power of the OVR Token, offering a unique incentive for community members to create detailed 3D Maps of physical locations — known as OVRMaps — using just their smartphones. Participants have the option to either retain ownership of their 3D data by minting it into an OVRMap NFT or sell it directly to OVER, thus participating in the Map2Earn incentive program.

This innovative program has galvanized a global community of explorers, turning them into digital cartographers. OVER counts 1.2 Mln registered users globally, with the aid of their smartphone sensors, a dedicated network of mappers among them has captured more than 14 million geolocalized pictures. This massive collaborative effort and amount of data — 36 TB — has resulted in the creation of over 28,000 OVRMaps, covering an impressive total area of 9 million square meters.

map2earn™ program in the DePIN ecosystem

To date, OVER’s map2earn™ program represents the most ambitious 3D Mapping initiative in the DePIN ecosystem, redefining the boundaries of digital twin creation and participatory mapping. Through this initiative, OVER is not just mapping the world in three dimensions but is also leading the charge in the decentralization of information and the democratization of digital space.

OVRMaps are the fundamental component of the Spatial Computing stack. The distinction between traditional and spatial computing lies in the system’s ability to contextualize — and thus compute — information in space. OVRMaps represent the 3D structure of physical locations, serving as the basic data that enables spatial computation. OVER leverages the 3D data contained in OVRMaps in three key ways:

• Creating an explorable and editable digital twin of the mapped physical location.
• Enabling creators to use the 3D Map to precisely contextualize their content in space, including occlusions, with the Web Builder and Unity SDK.
• Enabling precise re-localization for AR experiences within the mapped location through the OVER Visual Positioning System (VPS).

The value of OVRMaps extends beyond the OVER ecosystem for the use cases just mentioned. The 3D data they encode is valuable for anyone looking to access spatial computing capabilities. While OVER is currently the primary user of this data, creating immediate demand and use cases for OVRMaps, we plan to enable third parties to access the data contained in OVRMaps for VPS re-localization and digital twin exploration in the coming months, thereby connecting to an even broader economy.

Stay tuned for updates!