Consensus Update #12 — Consensus App Upgrade and Positive Steps

Our update for the last two months (October and November 2019) saw a slight delay as the entire team have been busy ensuring the next stages of development were met.

As we listed at the end of Update #11 in September we have been working on a number of items including:

• Bug fixes within the Consensus app.
• Government reporting tools for showcasing citizen poll data.
• Expanding the desktop portal to implement new features such as folder structures for polls.
• Continuing discussions with new exchange listings.

We are pleased to announce these items are up to date.

New Consensus App Launching

We ended up achieving all of the points. As of today we are in the middle of launching new features and a new design for the Consensus App and Government facing Desktop Portal. The new Consensus App will be available for both iOS and Android users.

Over the last month we were able to implement everything we wanted based on our own testing and feedback from the South Burlington, Vermont Pilot Project. To summarise we have improved the functionality, design, feature set, verification and the way citizens provide feedback (citizens can give feedback using open text fields).

To give you a brief idea take a look at some of the screenshots below which showcase what to expect.

Launching the New Consensus App

Upon download and launch anyone will be able to select their city and create a private profile. At the moment South Burlington, VT is the only city people can select.

Creating a Profile

Once you have created your profile (which is only visible on the device you created the profile on) you can then navigate to the menu where you can see three main menu items:

• Feed: In the feed you can see all current polls and search for new questions to answer.
• Notifications: The notification area is ideal to see everything relating to your actions within the app.
• Profile: In the profile section you can add your details including your age, gender, city and phone number. You can also verify your profile too.

New Folder Structures for Polls

Some of the feedback we received from the South Burlington Pilot Project was people wanted a folder structure setup for polls.

Today we are delighted to announce the new version includes this request. Instead of seeing every single poll in one feed we now have a folder structure. By enabling this feature citizens can see a list of polls relating to the individual category.

ID Verification for Local Polls

In the new Consensus app you may notice polls which require you to verify your ID before providing feedback. This was implemented as we don’t want any interference from nonresidents which would skew the poll results.

Verification is a simple process. It involves providing your phone number, government issued ID and selfie. To begin the process in the app we mention: “We need your phone number to match with the local council records so you can participate in local polls and create your own polls”.

Once verification is complete and you see the verification tick on your profile you will then be able to participate in all local polls. As with all polls in Consensus, it is never possible for anyone else to determine what you submitted. Nor will your identity be shared with any third party as stated in the ID verification screen.

“Your votes will be anonymized and your personal information will not be shared via the blockchain.”

New Consensus Desktop Portal (Government Facing)

As well as updating the Consensus app our team have redesigned the Government facing Consensus Desktop Portal. The design uses a series of tabs to help officials see feedback easily. The tabs include:

• Dashboard
• Projects
• Polls
• Users
• Settings

Polls Panel

The polls dashboard displays all of the recent polls while providing a summary of the total votes. There is even a breakdown of votes by demographics. For Governments using Consensus they can easily visually see the results in real-time which speeds up the decision making process.

Projects Panel

In the Consensus Projects panel any assigned Government representatives can create a new project. An active project consists of a description and road map which citizens can see clearly when voting on a poll associated with the project. All projects have a completion date which ensures the decision making process goes ahead. What’s more the government can listen to citizens feedback directly in the project portal, further enhancing the communication flow.

Exchange Listings

As listed in the fourth point from last month we are continuing to update the listings on CoinMarketCap and Coingecko. Previously the native SEN Coin was listed incorrectly as Consensus, however we have been able to change this to align with the correct details.

As a result of our continued actions CoinMarketCap have given us new access to what they call a new self-reporting information feature. As described by CoinMaketCap a couple of the new features enable us to:

• Soon have a fuller profile on CoinMarketCap, with more information that we can display and show to millions of users on CoinMarketCap.
• As Sentient Coin evolves, you will be able to continuously update information and keep your community up-to-date on changes and milestones.

Conference — Digital Identity Summit Schedule

Another reason we held off releasing this update was due to Dustin Plett, CSO Conensus’s schedule. On October 16th Dustin attended the Digital Identity Summit — a closed door meeting with around forty people. Attendees included many state level officials including Vermont Attorney General, T.J. Donovan; Vermont Secretary of State, Jim Condos and Montpelier City Clerk, John Odum.

During the packed schedule Dustin Plett lead a panel discussion about Public and Private Industry Digital Identity Perspectives with the Director of Community Engagement and Innovation for South Burlington, Coralee Holm. The discussion went into detail about South Burlington’s Pilot Project with Consensus and how Vermont can move forward into the next stage of the project.

We can’t say much more as it was a closed meeting, however, the feedback from the discussions throughout the day was very positive.

Summary: What the Consensus team are working on across November:

• We will be looking to roll out the new Consensus app to citizens in South Burlington.
• Continuing to expand the business side of Consensus and looking at commercialisation.
• Looking to eventually open source the Sentient Network (late November).
• Continuing conversations with Exchanges for more listings.
• Possibility of attending an eGov conference in Paris (time permitting).

Now that you are all up to date with Consensus, we encourage you to follow our official announcement channels on Telegram and Blockfolio Signals.