What We Do

Astral provides open-source tools + infrastructure empowering developers to build user-centric, verifiable location-based apps on the decentralized web.

We create the tools, standards and protocols necessary for a decentralized geospatial web, simplifying how Web3 developers integrate spatial and location data into their apps.

Our approach combines immediate usability with ongoing academic-grade research into the next wave of decentralized geospatial technologies.

Core Technologies

Astral has three main areas of work:

• Location Proof Protocol: A framework for creating credible, verifiable, digitally-signed proofs of location and time. Already deployed and available on Arbitrum, Celo, Base, and Ethereum Sepolia — a Typescript SDK is in development.
• Verifiable Geocomputation: Systems that implement geospatial algorithms in smart contracts or cryptographic protocols, ensuring computations were done correctly.
• P2P Geospatial Data Infrastructure: Peer-to-peer protocols for storing, managing, and efficiently accessing geospatial data (sensor readings, drone scans, satellite imagery) on decentralized storage systems like IPFS and Arweave.

Why It Matters

Our tools, standards and research unlocks new kinds of trustworthy, verifiable location-aware decentralized apps, including:

• Environmental monitoring and climate action (digital MRV, sustainability-linked finance)
• Transparent mobility and transportation systems (congestion zones, smart parking)
• Governance and compliance tools (local DAOs, digital jurisdictions, fraud detection)
• Interactive experiences (location-based gaming, metaverse applications, geotagged social posts)
• Humanitarian and human rights applications (secure reporting, accountability)

Progress & Milestones

Recently completed:

• Published our first peer-reviewed paper with the University of Maryland Geographical Sciences Department
• Built and deployed the Astral API, a unified gateway to the decentralized geospatial web
• Deployed Location Proof Protocol on Arbitrum, Celo, Base, Ethereum Sepolia
• Released Astral Logbook, consumer-facing location proof app
• Integrated the Location Proof Protocol with TOUCHGRASS.CLUB, an accountability app to help people get outside
• Integrated Location Proof Protocol with IPFS
• Sponsored Funding the Commons x Earth Commons Hackathon — over ten builder submissions
• Launched comprehensive developer resources (docs.astral.global)
• Merged with EASIER Data Initiative to form the Decentralized Geospatial Collaborative to aligned decentralized GIS research and co-maintain open source repos
• Co-chairing the Decentralized Geospatial Web Working Group

Next:

• Publish the Astral SDK as an npm package, giving Typescript developers an easy way to create, publish, fetch and verify location proofs
• Design and build a block scanner-style UI — including map visualizations — to explore location proofs
• Support pilot ecosystem developers (could this be you? Reach out!)
• Present our first peer-reviewed paper at GISRUK 2025 in Bristol, UK
• Research the landscape of proof-of-location systems, share our findings
• Develop the first Location Proof Recipe Extensions
• Refine the beta Location Proof Protocol into a technical specification to share with the geospatial community via the Open Geospatial Consortium
• Submit for more extensive grant funding to support our open source ecosystem development
• R+D on a smart contract library for geometric and topological algorithms (Spatial.sol)
• Research privacy-preserving location proofs, including zero knowledge- and TEE-based methods
• Deepening collaboration with UMD’s EASIER Data Initiative
• Expanding open community of builders, researchers, ecosystem contributors

Selected Accomplishments

• Ethereum Attestation Service Fellowship & Demo-Day Shortlist (2024)
• Filecoin Development Grant (decentralized satellite imagery) (2020)
• KERNEL Genesis Block Presenter (2020)
• European Space Agency’s Living Planet Symposium Speaker (2022)
• Arweave Prize Winner (Future of Blockchain 2020)
• Presenter, Open Geospatial Consortium (2022)
• Co-founded Decentralized Geospatial Web Working Group (2023)

How You Can Help

We invite builders, researchers, and open-source contributors passionate about decentralized spatial computing to collaborate. Your Gitcoin contributions directly fund ongoing R&D, open-source software, and community-building—accelerating decentralized geospatial innovation.