Why Hivemapper?

Want the deep dive?  Read How Hivemapper Mapping Network Works document​
This is an overview of features offered by Hivemapper that make it a compelling crypto mapping network for building a global map. This overview is intended for people familiar with the geospatial industry, decentralization, mapping technologies, or crowdsourced systems.
You can learn more about the Hivemapper decentralized mapping network by reading the white paper and pre-ordering the Hivemapper Dashcam.
A useful blockchain
The Hivemapper Blockchain will incentivize the creation of a decentralized mapping network, and reward contributors (map miners) with HONEY, the token of the Hivemapper Blockchain. The Hivemapper Blockchain will verify that each tile provided map coverage, establishing and storing the truth about the physical world at that location on the blockchain.
A map owned by the people who build it
Today, most large maps including Google Maps use vast amounts of our location data for free. With the launch of the Hivemapper crypto mapping network will distribute ownership to those who contribute to the map via the HONEY token.
Open market
Anybody can join the Hivemapper Network and begin mapping without needing permission. By lowering the barriers to entry for contributing to a map and rewarding contributors, Hivemapper is building not just a new global map, but a new mapping economy.
Anonymous and unbiased
Today, governments and landowners often influence (or worse yet dictate) what gets mapped and to what resolution it's mapped. By providing an anonymous mapping network, contributors can safely provide map coverage and users can be confident that the map is unbiased and reflects the true physical ground truth.
Hivemapper seeks to establish the single source of truth about our physical world
Reliable maps
Because the Hivemapper Network rewards contributors there is an ongoing economic reason for contributors to continue to participate, and produce high-quality map coverage. Additionally, the network incentivizes contributors to map in the places that matter most to customers consuming the maps.
Every perspective
Satellites and airborne are fantastic top-down perspectives but they simply cannot see what a dashcam sees at street level. Hivemapper supports ground collection and consumes multiple types of content (imagery, video, and location telemetry). This enables the Hivemapper network to grow a global map that helps users see more of the earth and see objects from the ground perspectives.
Localized
If you are unhappy with the maps in your area, you can easily participate in mapping them. You don't need to wait until some large company decides to prioritize your neighborhood or city for mapping.
Competitive prices
Prices for Hivemapper APIs are competitive as the Hivemapper Network's approach leverages low-cost commodity hardware from contributors who operate from their local cities and neighborhoods. 
Networked, not crowdsourced
Hivemapper combines many elements of other successful crowdsourced mapping and decentralized systems. What makes Hivemapper unique is that unlike most crowdsourced mapping systems it is a mapping network with key differences:
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Category
Mapping network
Crowdsourced map
Economic incentives
Built-in
None
Coverage
Network incents coverage where it matters
Uneven coverage
Collection tools
Collection software and hardware tools connected directly to the map, so collection knows what the maps needs
Collection tools are disconnected from the map itself, so map often gets redundant information
Anonymous
Built in anonymity for contributors
At the contributor's discretion
Puts drive time to use
Hivemapper puts your time to additional use by enabling one to collect for a global map while you walk or drive. Contributors can easily map with their dashcam, and contributors are motivated to join Hivemapper to earn rewards.
Reputation, not marketing
In the Hivemapper Network, contributors demonstrate their reliability against a transparent set of tile attribution criteria that determines the quality and authenticity of the content.  
Open source
The code that runs contributor collection tools, map processing, and map storage and rendering will be made open source. Contributors don't need to write their own code to enable the collection because the code that determines how rewards are distributed is open and transparent to all, allowing users to inspect the algorithms that produce the global map.  
Everyone benefits from improvements made to Hivemapper's code; we would love it if you decided to help build the new mapping economy. Join us.​
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