Constellation Update 2/22/19

Dear Constellation Community,

Read on for updates from last week at the MOBI conference, Engineering news from Wyatt and the team, and a look at our Ambassador MeetUp in Lagos. Enjoy…

MOBI International Conference 2019

Ben (CEO) Diggles (VP of Business Development) & Sebastien (Ambassador) outside the BMW Group HQ

The automotive industry is in clear need of a secure data validation layer and this is precisely why Constellation’s engineering and business development teams are laser-focused on solving the data issues that come hand in hand with autonomous driving. Benjamin and Ben spent a few days at the MOBI conference at the BMW Group HQ discussing such issues with representatives from the manufacturing and DLT sectors. It was an incredibly exciting and energetic few days with industry leaders pushing the boundaries of new network capabilities. Many conversations and connections were made, as the dust settles on a fascinating week Benjamin Diggles reflects on some of the key takeaways from the conference…

Why MOBI Matters

Given how highly competitive the automotive industry is, it’s hard for manufacturers to share data and collaborate. Business decisions based on IP and data are worth billions, so for a manufacturer to share data with other companies would take a trusted 3rd party. DLT removes the need for centralized trust, there is an opportunity for big car brands to collaborate in a new way — especially when it comes to autonomous driving. If cars aren’t sharing their data; autonomous driving is a moot point. So there we have it, the MOBI foundation can bring automotive companies together to solve issues in a way that was previously unimaginable. MOBI allows manufacturers to collaborate, move the automotive industry forward yet still retain their valuable IP.

DLT Application

The majority of presentations were academic, focusing on the technology needs. This was very telling, the actual application is still a way out, as projects and networks continue to develop. The manufacturers themselves have moved well beyond speculation and it’s clear that large companies, like BMW, are investing in DLT, they are not looking back and fully bought in. There is currently a missing link between 3rd party protocols that can deliver and a manufacturer’s needs. this is precisely why constellation has scaled back and focused completely on development, the time is to deliver applications, not PoCs.

Suppliers Are Growing Tired

It’s time to deliver. We spoke to a number of industry leaders and it’s clear they are growing tired of doing fruitless PoCs. “My managing director is putting pressure on me and we are going to be moving on if something doesn’t show promise soon.” It seems very clear that everyone is frustrated with overpromising projects, many companies have leaned into single projects too hard. Too many projects have relied on marketing and big resource push’s when the product and its available application have been lackluster or not ready. There is hesitation from industry leaders to approach other vendors outside of big-budget projects.

MOBI Grand Challenge

we are really proud to have sponsored the MOBI grand challenge. The entries were very compelling and it shows clear value in the foundation. Not only are they fostering collaboration but also driving real-world applications. Check out the first round winners here.

ENG updates — Demo

Fresh from the Eng den…our Demo is close to completion. Additions to our UI will allow a user to connect to the network in real time, reading the state of clusters and nodes.

Notarization of data types will also be available with users able to upload schema, validate that information and test the network response. With that comes the ability to test full application features. The demo will also include a v1 DAG explorer or visualization illustrating a data dependency graph in real time.

Keep a look out for documentation on our Github profile with more details next week. Hop in, launch a node, start a cluster, deploy an app.

Lagos Meet-Up

Crypto blogger, geologist, Arsenal fan and Constellation Ambassador, Onoh Ifeanyi, organized our first Lagos, Nigeria meet-up earlier this month. Thanks to all the Lagos community members who attended. The Constellation Ambassador program is now 40 people strong spread all across the globe. We can’t wait to see where the next one springs up. Learn more about the Ambassador program here.

Developer Week

By the time this newsletter gets out, Wyatt will have given an illuminating 40 minute presentation on DAG technology at Developer Week SF, breaking down what it is, and what it can be used for. Missed it? No worries we’ll have a video up for you soon enough.

Over the next two quarters our consumer facing marketing efforts will go ‘dark’ as the core team focuses exclusively on B2B marketing materials that provide enterprise clients with the information they need to build pilots and integrate applications. Over the next few months please expect a lower cadence in newsletters, social activity, and community content as our business and engineering efforts go into overdrive as we provide ample application support to those developing on the Constellation Network. That said, this will be our final bi-monthly newsletter for awhile.

Until Next Time,

The Constellation Team