Spatial Web: People, Places, and Things
The renowned scholar Alfred Korzybski’s famous aphorism “The map is not the territory” reminds us that our words only capture a small portion of the actual world. However, with the Spatial Web, the map becomes the territory, taking us beyond simply reading “about the world” in books or on screens and into direct engagement with the world, where information is given in and as the world. It is time to shift our worldview away from “the book” and toward a new model — the world itself.
Think you’re walking through a bustling city where each building symbolizes a distinct website or online platform. This metropolis is wide and interconnected, with roads and pathways connecting each structure, making it easy to move from one to the next. This is similar to how we currently navigate the internet, traveling from website to website via links.
Consider how this city may become even more immersive — a location where you can step into buildings and experience a three-dimensional, interactive environment rather than just seeing them from the outside. Inside, you can interact with objects, converse with avatars representing other people, and engage with the environment in a tangible sense.
This is the essence of the spatial web, commonly referred to as Web3. In this developed metropolis, your interactions extend beyond the surface; you are a member of a dynamic, living ecosystem. It’s as if the internet has come to life, enveloping you in three dimensions.
The spatial web connects the digital and physical worlds, making your online experiences more intuitive, engaging, and natural — similar to traversing the actual world but with the boundless possibilities of the digital domain.
Let’s build!
Today, we must evolve beyond the original web’s vision (and limits) as a worldwide network of networked computers, documents, and media. Web 3.0 is about creating an intelligent and adaptable new web, a global network of interconnected people, places, and things that will allow us to securely engage, transact, and share our ideas, information, and imaginations.
We must create Web 3.0 to enable seamless connectivity for the transportation of products and services from anywhere in the world to anywhere else on the globe. In Web 3.0, we need to be able to trace origins from mine to market, farm to table, and game to virtual world. It must protect our virtual identities and any associated profile information, activities, transactions, location records, and digital inventories.
Finally, it must facilitate a globally interoperable and integrated digital economy that includes humans, machines, and virtual domains.
Several crucial components are required for the spatial web to be secure and linked across the digital and physical spheres.
First, a consistent technique for identifying people, places, and objects (universal identification) is required. In addition, a universal addressing system must be devised to identify these things. To ensure authenticity and confidence, we need verifiable data records that authenticate the accuracy of what we see and with whom we engage.
Furthermore, a global payment system should enable smooth transactions for products and services, whether in the actual or virtual worlds. Crucially, all of these parts must communicate seamlessly using an open-source spatial programming language and protocol that is independent of any single entity — whether an individual, enterprise, or government.
Finally, a universal spatial browser is required to provide secure and interoperable experiences across multiple devices, operating systems, and physical and virtual settings.
The spatial web requires a new set of technologies capable of:
SPATIALITY: Spatiality in digital content transcends being merely a singular data entity; it is rendered into dimensions and inherently arranged in a spatial context, positioning location as the foremost mode of representation rather than mere textual strings.
TRUST: Trust is established through the reliable, real-time verification of all users, assets, and spaces, along with their interactions. This is achieved using certifiable and verifiable records that substantiate various proofs of ownership, activity, traceability, and rights.
PRIVACY: By leveraging cryptographically secure and decentralized digital identities, individuals gain control, trust, and security, enabling interactions and transactions to occur “trustlessly” — without the need for mutual trust between parties. This system supports both anonymity and the ability to audit, contrasting sharply with previous models that necessitated the disclosure of personal information and multiple authentication steps.
OWNERSHIP: Users maintain sovereignty over their data and digital assets, dictating the terms of sharing with others. This control persists even when transitioning away from a specific service provider, ensuring their ownership and governance over their digital properties remain intact.
SECURITY: Safe practices in data collection, transmission, and storage facilitate seamless interactions and transactions involving both virtual and real assets. This allows any user to engage within and across any space, regardless of whether it is a physical or virtual environment.
INTEROPERABILITY: Multi-user interoperability makes it possible to search, view, interact with, transact with, and transport any asset or user within or across any space effortlessly. This ensures users can navigate and relocate assets between places smoothly, independent of the device, operating system, or geographical location they are using.
How do you envision the spatial web influencing your regular digital interactions and online experiences?
