Reputation Scores for Catalyst Proposers & Reviewers [by Lidonation & TrustLevel]

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Dominik Tilman

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

4

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will develop a POC to link roles, expertise and reputation in Catalyst. The reputation scores will be integrated into the Lidonation Catalyst Explorer tool and published as badges and filters.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The open-source license model will either be the Apache 2.0 license or the MIT license.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

Extended Problem Statement: 

Voters in the Cardano community face challenges in making informed decisions due to the overwhelming number of proposals, compounded by a lack of trust in community reviews. Evaluations of Fund 10 reveal low participation rates and limited engagement, indicating a fundamental issue in assessing the reliability of individuals and parties within an open system. The absence of a straightforward reputation system poses a risk to the quality of collective decisions within the Catalyst ecosystem, even with the introduction of DReps.

Evaluations of Fund 10 show:

• Less than 15% of registered wallets voted
• Only 15% of voters voted for 1 proposal
• Only 22% of voters voted for more than 25 proposals (that is only 2,8% of total registered wallets)

Source: https://twitter.com/LidoNation/status/1709916495550030191

The fundamental issue is that assessing the trustworthiness and reliability of individual persons and parties in an open system requires great efforts. Trustless systems that involve human actions and interactions require some sort of process to build reputation. Without a simple reputation system that makes past actions and decisions visible and links them to their outcomes, Catalyst is prone to poor collective decisions and runs the risk of not supporting the best teams and ideas. 

Proposed Solution

To address these challenges, our proposed solution involves a comprehensive approach:

1. Research: 

Utilizing data from previous funding rounds up to Fund 10, we conduct a thorough analysis. Leveraging Catalyst Testnet, Ideascale Platform, Milestone Reporting, and Community Reviewing data, we aim to:

• Establish correlations between reviews, voting decisions, and proposal outcomes.
• Develop a knowledge graph and perform a graph/network analysis to identify quality reviewers and voters.

The current available data set (cast a wide net of catalyst data):

2. Proof of Concept (POC):

We will develop a framework as a proof of concept to link roles, expertise and reputation. Starting with the [proposal, reviewer] role, we will generate reputation. Reputation will be integrated and published to the lidonation catalyst explorer tool as a badge and filter. The [proposal, reviewer] role can serve as a template to build reputation for other catalyst roles in the future. 

Building upon the research phase, the Proof of Concept (POC) is a crucial step in demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed reputation system within the Catalyst ecosystem. The POC involves the following key components:

a. Framework Development:

• Objective: Develop a functional framework that establishes a clear link between roles, expertise, and reputation.
• Implementation Steps: Leverage the analyzed data to define the criteria for reputation generation and to develop algorithms that consider factors such as the accuracy of reviews, consistency in voting decisions, and the successful completion of proposed milestones.

b. Reputation Generation:

• Objective: Implement the reputation generation process based on the defined criteria.
• Methodology: Utilize the algorithms to assign reputation scores to reviewers and voters. The reputation should reflect the historical accuracy of reviews, alignment with successful proposals, and consistency in voting decisions.

c. Integration with Catalyst Explorer:

• Objective: Showcase the generated reputation within the lidonation catalyst explorer tool as a badge and filter.
• User Interface Design: Implement an intuitive and user-friendly interface that allows community members to easily interpret and navigate the reputation information and to ensure seamless integration with the existing Catalyst Explorer for a cohesive user experience.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

1. Project Impact on the Cardano Community:

Without a simple reputation system that makes past actions and decisions visible and links them to their outcomes, Catalyst is prone to poor collective decisions and runs the risk of not supporting the best teams and ideas. We address the challenges faced by the Cardano community in making informed decisions about proposals in the Catalyst voting process. By implementing a reputation system, we seek to enhance trust in the decision-making process, ultimately leading to better support for high-quality teams and ideas.

2. Measurement of Impact:

Quantitative Measures:

• Increase in the percentage of registered wallets participating in the voting process.
• Growth in the number of voters supporting more than one proposal.
• Enhanced participation in community reviews.

Qualitative Measures:

• Improved perception of the reliability of community reviews.
• Positive feedback and testimonials from community members regarding the effectiveness of the reputation system.

3. Sharing Outputs:

• Website: The scores will be available on the Lidonation website
• GitHub: Document every step and output in a dedicated GitHub repository.
• Monthly Feedback Sessions: Conduct regular sessions for community interaction and feedback.
• Official Monthly Catalyst Reporting: Share activity board, developer sprint velocity, and updates on budget/timeline during monthly reports.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

1. Team Capabilities:

Our team has proven its experience in various technical projects:

Lidonation:

The Lido Nation team has delivered 9 Project Catalyst projects, and is fully invested and involved in the community, at both virtual and in-person events. Darlington is a Cardano Ambassador and a full-stack Software and DevOps Engineer with experience running his own company.

TrustLevel:

The TrustLevel team is building a Universal Reputation Protocol (URP) based on AI and Blockchain technology that is designed to provide a decentralized and transparent system for rating the trustworthiness of individuals and organizations. Their protocol can be used in various domains such as (social) media, research, e-commerce, and finance.

2. Track Record and Trustworthiness:

Our team members have been actively engaged since Fund 3 in Project Catalyst. We have been involved in multiple funded projects in Catalyst. Darlington already operates the most widely used Catalyst community website. 

3. Fund Management:

We will use Dework to manage and track the progress of our proposal. This will also include a transparent overview of the received payments from the treasury and the payment to our team. 

[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

We propose a four-month timeline for implementation of all milestones, assuming a start date of March 1, 2024.

Research and Data Analysis (6 Weeks)

• Description: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of previous funding rounds (up to Fund 10) using data from Catalyst Testnet, Ideascale Platform, Milestone Reporting, Community Reviewing data, and more.
• Outputs:
• Comparative analysis linking reviews with voting results and proposal outcomes.
• Development of a knowledge graph and network analysis to identify quality reviewers and voters.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Completion of a detailed report summarizing the findings.
• Demonstration of the knowledge graph and network analysis.

Reputation Framework Development (6 Weeks)

• Description: Develop a proof of concept (POC) framework to generate reputation for the [proposal, reviewer] role, serving as a template for other Catalyst roles.
• Outputs:
• Functional reputation generation framework.
• Integration of reputation into the lidonation catalyst explorer tool.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Successful implementation and functionality testing of the reputation generation framework.
• Seamless integration of reputation into the catalyst explorer tool.

Reputation System Testing and Optimization (4 Weeks)

• Description: Conduct testing of the reputation system, gather feedback from the community, and make necessary optimizations for accuracy.
• Outputs:
• Feedback analysis and optimization recommendations.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Host 1 catalyst Townhall breakout room and 1 gimbalabs session to collect feedback from community members on the usability and effectiveness of the reputation system.
• Update the lido tool with at least 1 of suggested optimizations based on testing and feedback.

Project Completion

• Timeline: 1 Week
• Outputs: This final milestone includes all close-out and project completion activities. Outputs will include a project completion video and the completion report. Additionally we can demonstrate all deliverables and outputs in a town hall meeting.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Completed and submitted close out video
• Completed and submitted close out report

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Name: Dominik Tilman 

Role: Project Management, Data Analytics

Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikstumpp/; www.trustlevel.io; www.conu21.com 

Description: Founder of TrustLevel.io & Conu21.com, 15+ years experience in innovation management and company building.

Name: Darlington Wleh

Role: Technical Lead

Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profd2004/

Description: Darlington is an engineer by day, at all times, a dancer, humanitarian, idealist, and entrepreneur. Darlington is a Cardano Ambassador, who contributes by writing articles, podcasting, hosting Twitter Spaces and live meet-ups. Darlington has deep knowledge about blockchain technology and broad experience in the Cardano ecosystem. Darlington have been helping and leading architecting and delivering of software solutions to small and medium size enterprises for the last 15+ years.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

1. Milestone: Research and Data Analysis (6 Weeks)

• Data Analyst: $12,000
• Skilled professionals to conduct comprehensive data analysis.
• Software Tools and Platforms: $1,000
• Costs associated with using data analysis tools, platforms, and necessary software.
• Documentation and Reporting: $1,000
• Costs for preparing a detailed report summarizing the findings.

Total Cost for Milestone 1: $16,000

2. Milestone: Reputation Framework Development (6 Weeks)

• Software Developers: $10,000
• Skilled professionals to develop the reputation framework and integrate it into the lidonation catalyst explorer tool.
• Testing and Quality Assurance: $2,000
• Budget for testing the reputation generation framework and ensuring its functionality.
• Integration Costs: $4,000
• Costs associated with seamlessly integrating reputation into the catalyst explorer tool.

Total Cost for Milestone 2: $16,000

3. Milestone: Reputation System Testing and Optimization (4 Weeks)

• Community Engagement: $3,000
• Expert to gather feedback from the community and analyze it.
• Optimization Implementation: $3,000
• Budget for making necessary optimizations based on community feedback and testing results.

Total Cost for Milestone 3: $6,000

Final Milestone (1 week)

All close-out and project completion activities: $2.000

Overall Budget: $40,000

Calculated with 1 ADA = 0.4 USD

Total Budget: 100.000 ADA

1. Milestone: 40.000 ADA
2. Milestone: 40.000 ADA
3. Milestone: 15.000 ADA
4. Milestone: 5.000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Expertise and Complexity: 

Costs reflect fair compensation for specialized skills in data analysis and software development. The budget allocations align with prevailing rates in the industry, determined by the experience and skill set of professionals.

Strategic Investment: 

The budget represents a strategic investment in the Cardano ecosystem, ensuring a high-quality reputation system with long-term positive impacts on governance and community trust.

Risk mitigation:

As a team, we willingly accept the currency risk of being paid in ADA, demonstrating our commitment and adaptability in a dynamic cryptocurrency environment. A decrease in the ADA price is a risk we bear, while any increase allows us to expand the scope.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund Rules and also that data in the submission form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept