Data Infra with an analytics tool and data APIs for Cardano ecosystem

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Lynn Tsang

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

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co proposers and Additional applicants

• Tony Zhang - Co-founder of Footprint Analytics
• Navy Tse - Co-founder & CEO of Footprint Analytics
• Wade Deng - Co-founder & CTO of Footprint Analytics

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

200000

[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 provide a one-stop data solution for analytics and development. With a no-coding analytics BI tool and APIs for various departments' data utilization needs.

[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?

No

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

Because Footprint Analytics is a data platform for community use, there are no smart contracts or assets involved. We don't open source because we want to protect our intellectual property and minimize potential security risks.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

Problem Perception:

Blockchain data accessibility is hindered by the need for expertise and infrastructure to build data pipelines. This creates barriers for developers and community to effectively utilize the data. 

We noticed analysts, developers, and operators all need more efficient data utilization tools. Different teams within the same project are using multiple tools simultaneously, resulting in redundant and inefficient data processing and integration.

The industry needs a better and simpler solution, which presents an opportunity for Footprint Analytics. 

Approach Rationale:

Footprint is a one-stop solution provider for on-chain data. Fusing data across multiple scenarios is one of Footprint's core competitive advantages. The data platform includes BI tools and offers multiple API output options to meet different departments' and scenarios' data utilization needs.

Technical detail: 

1. Program language: Python, Javascript
2. Technical design: https://www.processon.com/view/link/632d7bd8637689341d71c50d 
3. Query engine: Doris, Trino
4. Storage: Iceberg
5. Compute engine: Trino
6. Real-time: Flink + Kafka

1. Data architecture, 
2. Bronze
3. Silver
4. Gold

Project Engagement:

Our project will engage developers, analysts, operators, and various industry stakeholders. By providing a user-friendly and powerful data platform, we empower these individuals to extract insights, make informed decisions, and drive innovation within the Cardano ecosystem.

Impact Demonstration:

We will demonstrate our impact through various measures. Firstly, we will track and report the adoption and usage metrics of our analytics tool and APIs. Additionally, the feedback and testimonials from developers and users will highlight the effectiveness and value of our solution. Furthermore, we will actively seek collaborations and partnerships with Cardano projects and showcase real-world use cases that demonstrate the tangible benefits of our solution.

In Summary:

Our solution is crucial to Cardano as it addresses the specific problem of data accessibility and utilization. By simplifying the data pipeline-building process and providing powerful analytics tools, we facilitate the development of decentralized applications, drive data-driven decision-making, and foster the overall advancement of the Cardano ecosystem.

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

Our project, Footprint Analytics, will bring substantial value to the wider Cardano community in the following ways:

1. Developer Community Acceleration:
2. We will provide ready-to-use developer tools, including free REST and SQL APIs, covering Chain data, Wallet data, and more. This will significantly reduce the time and cost required for developers to build on Cardano. By simplifying the data access and integration process, we will empower developers to accelerate their development efforts and foster the growth of the Cardano ecosystem.
3. Ecosystem Development Monitoring:
4. Our zero-coding analytics tool and standard project dashboard on Footprint will enable real-time analysis of the development of the Cardano ecosystem. This will offer insights into key metrics, such as transaction volumes, active addresses, and smart contract activity. By providing transparent and actionable data analytics, we will empower ecosystem stakeholders to make informed decisions and drive the growth of Cardano.
5. Community Activation and Increased Exposure:
6. Through insightful dashboards and research reports, we will support marketing efforts focused on spreading the word about Cardano's progress. Our reports will provide valuable insights into the development and growth of the ecosystem, demonstrating the advancements and achievements to a wider audience. By activating the community and increasing exposure, we will attract more attention, engagement, and participation in the Cardano ecosystem.

• Measurement of Impact:
• The number of active developers using the APIs, the frequency and volume of API calls
• The number of active users and analysts
• Sharing Outputs and Opportunities:
• We will actively share our marketing outputs and opportunities resulting from our project through partnerships with more than 50 media platforms. Our reports and dashboards will be shared with these media outlets, enabling broader dissemination of Cardano's progress and achievements. Additionally, we will engage with community channels, social media platforms, and Cardano-focused events to ensure maximum exposure and engagement with the wider Cardano community.

[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?

Footprint has covered more than 27 chains, and almost 7,000 analysts and 700 developers using Footprint Analytics since we launched in 2021 August. 

Footprint has partnered with 400 clients to provide them with our data products or solutions, such as Sui, Polygon, Optimism, Animoca, Mocaverse, Double Jump(Oasys), Scopely, Xterio, and more.

We got $4 million in funding in 2022 from Matrix Partners, IOSG, Redpoint, A&T Capital, Hash Global, Waterdrip Capital, Lancer Capital, NGC, Arkstream, Youbi, SevenX Ventures, Puzzle, and other partners.

Footprint's competitive advantage lies in:

• Strong focus on the real-time abstraction layer 
• Unified access to one database, agnostic of chains, protocols, domains, Web3 or Web2
• Under the hook, its sophisticated architecture and powerful suite of tools, such as its AI models based on LLM, make it one of the most efficient data indexers in the industry for processing Web3 and Web2 data

Please check the competitors' comparison details here: Footprint - Competitive Analysis

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

Parse Chain raw structured data

• Expected completion period: 4 weeks
• Outputs: 
• Structured data table: Cardano_transactions, Cardano_token_transfers and more
• Cardano chain data analytics dashboard  
• Acceptance criteria: Full historical data and incremental data with a minimum latency of T-1 day

Parse Money flow data between addresses and entities

• Expected completion period: 4 weeks
• Outputs: 
• Cardano money flow data APIs (Cardano asset flow, Cardano address interactions)
• Cardano money flow data analytics dashboard
• Acceptance criteria: API response time within 1s

Provide data APIs for developers

• Expected completion period: 2 weeks
• Outputs: 
• Cardano chain data APIs
• Cardano money flow data APIs
• Acceptance criteria: Coverage of most parsed data, and will be adjusted for community requirements

Wallet profile data of addresses

• Expected completion period: 4 weeks
• Outputs: 
• Cardano wallet profile data APIs (wallet token balance, transaction, money flow, etc.)  
• Acceptance criteria: API response time within 1s

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

Footprint has a team of 20+ full-time developers - 10 AI and Big Data, 4 Backend, 3 Frontend, 2 Analysts, and 2 + Ops.

• Tony Zhang - Co-founder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzhang88/ 
• Navy Tse - Co-founder & CEO - https://www.linkedin.com/in/navyxie/ 
• Wade Deng - Co-founder & CTO - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-deng-84bb8b6b/ 

The three co-founders, all with developer backgrounds, have been working together for 11 years, and the 10-person core team for 5~7 years. In the last 10+ years, our team has built applications with over 30 million users, and fintech applications including lending/trading/risk management/credit models. 

• Fintech and eCommerce
• Online lending platform with $2B transactions
• Social shopping guide with 13M mobile users
• WeChat mini app with 12M users
• From Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Oracle, etc.
• Blockchain since 2017
• BTC/ETH/ZCASH mining
• Crypto market data mobile app
• Crypto algo trading
• Lossless DeFi protocol
• 
  
• Footprint Analytics with 4M fundraising and endorsed with grants by Sui, Cronos, Optimism, Near, Combo, and more.

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

Milestone 1: Parse Chain raw structured data

Cost: 91,200 ADA

• DevOps Engineer - 20 hours - 4,800 ADA
• Big Data Engineer - 150 hours - 48,000 ADA
• Maintenance Costs - 12 months - 24,000 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)
• Storage and Computing - 12 months - 14,400 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)

Milestone 2: Parse Money flow data between addresses and entities

Cost: 47,600 ADA

• DevOps Engineer - 10 hours - 2,400 ADA
• Big Data Engineer - 80 hours - 25,600 ADA
• Maintenance Costs - 12 months - 9,600 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)
• Storage and Computing - 12 months - 10,000 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)

Milestone 3: Provide data APIs for developers

Cost: 47,600 ADA

• DevOps Engineer - 4 hours - 1,600 ADA
• Big Data Engineer - 8 hours - 3,200 ADA
• Maintenance Costs - 12 months - 4,800 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)
• Storage and Computing - 12 months - 4,000 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)

Milestone 4: Wallet profile data of addresses

Cost: 54,800 ADA

• DevOps Engineer - 10 hours - 3,200 ADA
• Big Data Engineer - 80 hours - 32,000 ADA
• Maintenance Costs - 12 months - 9,600 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)

Storage and Computing - 12 months - 10,000 ADA(After 12 months, the cost will be paid by Footprint.)

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

Budget breakdown: 

1. Human resources involvement: Footprint Analytics is based in Singapore, where senior DevOps Engineer and Big Data Engineer with 3+ years of experience in Singapore work for $10,000 to $14,00
2. Technical resources for data analysis and function development
3. Data maintenance
4. Community and technical support
5. Node and server costs: Based on actual usage
6. Purchase of node services
7. Data storage
8. Computing resources according to different data tables and metrics

[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