Hike2NFT - NFT Hiking Scavenger Hunt

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Luca Cusella

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

Entity (Not Incorporated)

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

6

[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)

Create an app that connects hiking tourism in the central mountains of Italy with NFTs, allowing users to explore and discover natural features while collecting NFTs placed in the real world.

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

Yes

[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.”

The only external dependency will be the creative agency that will prepare the design for the project.

It is already identified and a budget agreed.

[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

MIT

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

When it comes to explaining NFTs to the general public it can be extremely complex to properly describe all the potential uses and the features that they can bring to the real world.

This proposal addresses this gap by bringing NFTs into the context of natural tourism in central Italy.

In the mountain retreat that we will use as “base camp” for organized hiking days open to customers, we’ll organize a special series of initiatives that will include the use and the promotion of the NFT technology on Cardano.

Summary of the experience for visitors:

The visitor will reach the retreat in the morning, and during a traditional breakfast with typical food of the area there will be a very quick introduction to the basic concept of the blockchain and NFTs.

During the introduction, visitors will be guided into the creation of a Cardano wallet and they will be invited to download the App Hike2NFT.

The app will include the trails starting from the “base camp” that can be followed to explore the local territory and a series of riddles that indicate specific places in the area known for their naturalistic spectacularity.

When the visitor reaches these places, they will find QR codes in a variety of possible materials (for example engraved in the wood) that, when scanned by the Hike2NFT app, will transfer a specific NFT to the wallet previously created and connected to the app.

At the end of the day, the visitor returns to the base camp to enjoy a typical “aperitivo” (traditional Italian pre-meal) and taste local products produced in the area. They can also compare and share with the other participants the NFTs they collected during the day.

These NFTs can be traded for local products (available initially at the base camp but could be expanded into additional local businesses in the future) and in order to obtain them, visitors will have to “pay” for them using the various collected NFTs, by making a real transaction to send them to our wallet.

The whole experience will be a holiday package purchased from the visitors. The revenue obtained from that will contribute to cover:

• the costs for the organization of the event
• the mountain guide that will support visitors
• the ADA necessary for the NFTs transactions
• the local products the visitors will trade at the end of the day

The main goal for the project is the creation of an App that can be used to perform the experience just presented, attracting new users to the Cardano ecosystem.

The app will include:

• Customized design created by a creative agency
• Implementation of the app following the design that will include 5 main features:
• Trails on map
• Riddles
• QR code scan for NFT collection
• NFT gallery
• Wallet connection

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

The development of this project will enable a connection with people currently out of the crypto world, bringing them directly in the Cardano ecosystem with real world use cases.

The potential of this impact is remarkable, as once people will own for the first time a wallet with NFTs used to buy real world products, they will be part of the ecosystem, becoming potential customers for other crypto projects in the crypto space. 

Furthermore, this can lead satisfied visitors to promote NFTs and the Cardano technology to other people through their stories about the experience.

At the very least increased awareness of Cardano and blockchain in general will be achieved.

On top of this, the project can be replicated in other places and also in different contexts (e.g. touristic tours in cities): having a working product that implements such a mechanism can be beneficial for the whole ecosystem. The project has great expandability once a proof of concept is proven.

The success of the project can be measured by:

• the number of transactions generated by the users
• the number of wallets owning Hike2NFT assets

The final output will be an app ready to be published on Android and iOS stores.

The app can be used by people on site to get the map of the trails, the riddles, and to collect the NFT on the trails.

A promotional video will be produced to explain the working mechanism of the app to the general public.

[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?

The team already has extensive experience in the creation of apps, websites, and promotional videos as well as the experience with the creation of Cardano dApps.

A study about the technical feasibility of the project was already performed and the technology stack is already identified:

• Vue.js for the main App
• Ionic (that uses Capacitor to unlock native API like geolocation and camera needed for the full experience)
• Blockfrost API for the interaction with the chain data (query wallets info)

The creative agency that will prepare the design for the project is already identified and a budget agreed.

The team of 2 developers that will implement the project is already identified and a budget agreed.

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

Milestone 1

Wireframe Design

• The first step will include the wireframe of the app, provided by the creative agency hired for the job
• Outputs: will be a file containing the wireframe and available for reviewers
• Acceptance criteria: The wireframe describes all the sections of the app according to the project requirements

Milestone 2 

Final Design

• The final designs ready for the implementation will be produced by the creative agency
• Outputs: will be a file with the final design available for reviewers
• Acceptance criteria: The designs reflect what was in the wireframe and in the project features. The files are usable by developers that can start the implementation.

Milestone 3

Implementation 1/2

• 2 of the 5 features listed in previous section will be implemented
• Outputs: The code is available on Github and quick video demo
• Acceptance criteria: The code is capable to execute 2 of 5 the features described in the previous section

Milestone 4

Implementation 2/2

• The remaining features will be implemented
• Outputs: The code is available on Github and quick video demo
• Acceptance criteria: The code is capable to execute the remaining 3 of 5 the features described in the previous section

Final Milestone

Finalization of the app and content creation

• The content for the app will be ready (trails on map, riddles, etc.)
• The app will be finalized and ready to be distributed via stores
• Outputs: Final code is available on github, video demo of the finalized app and close out report will be available for reviewers
• Acceptance criteria: the finalized app capable of executing all the described functionalities is working properly

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

Luca Cusella - Founder / Content and Creative (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-cusella-b5a34418/)

Luca is an audiovisual professional with 15+ experience in development and production of documentary and fiction content.

His experience includes cinema and television, having worked for several years on set in various roles (camera operator, director of photography, direction, focus puller), thanks to his good problem solving skills in the field.

He collaborates with services and organizations such as Rai Cinema as a filmmaker, curating content for them, even for important events such as the Venice Film Festival.

He worked for several major brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Condenaste, Confindustira and others. 

He also takes care of communication projects and produces documentary films linked to the territory, in synergy with tourist and cultural promotion activities.

Vlad - is a Full stack developer, with 5+ years experience mainly focused in web and hybrid app development.

Languages and frameworks: PHP, Javascript, Typescript, Python, Laravel, Wordpress, Angular.js, Vue.js, Node.js, React.

He already completed projects that involve the use of the Cardano stack (e.g. Wallet connectors, Serialization lib) in various environment (server side in Python and Node.js, client side with Javascript)

David - is a Frontend developer, with 3+ years experience mainly focused in web development.

Languages and frameworks: Typescript, Wordpress, Vue.js, React.

He mainly focuses on the visual aspect of the development and also has little experience as a designer.

Melazero - Creative agency based in Rome active for 10+ years.

The main focus of the agency is around Brand, Book and Web. During the years of activity they worked for various Italian and international brands in several industry sectors (Institutional, Architecture, Interior design, publishing house, etc.)

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

Design - $8,000 - quote received from the creative agency for:

• Branding
• Wireframe
• Final designs

For each step 3 reviews are included.

Development - 400 hours @ $50/hour = $20,000

Content Creation - 100 hours @ $50/hour = $5,000

• Promotional video and photos
• Content for the app (trails on map, riddles, short videos and photo)

Supporting material for content creation = $2,000

• Typographic material
• Scene props
• Technical consultancy (e.g. Mountain guide for trails definition, Location manager etc.)

Project Administration - $3,000

• Monthly/Milestone Reporting
• Funds management
• Close out report and video

Total Budget - 97,435 ada ($38,000 @ ~ 0,39 with some buffer from current exchange rate of 0,45)

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

The cost for the project represents a very good value for Cardano because of the double-side effect that its development represents: 

• From one side this project will expose the blockchain technology, specifically the Cardano technology, to hiking enthusiasts who have probably never heard of it and it will give them a chance to put their hands on a practical use of it. This means attracting in a very direct way brand new users to the Cardano ecosystem.
• From the other side, users that have already a knowledge of the Blockchain and Cardano, and are also interested in hiking, will be attracted to participate in events that will generate transactions for the blockchain.
• This working example can be replicated in different places and contexts, amplifying the effect of the two previous points.

The main costs are intended for software development, and the average hourly cost indicated is in line with the Italian averages in the sector. The estimate of 50 men/day (8 hours a day) is sufficient for the complete development of the app.

The cost of the creative agency for branding and design is already agreed and in line with national market prices.

The production costs of content (video, photos, multimedia) are underestimated compared to the national average, but the skills required to produce them are already identifiable in the members of the project team.