CAP: Cardano Analytics Platform

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

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

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

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

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

The Cardano Analytics Platform will leverage ontology, semantic querying with controlled natural language, and visualization to ease Cardano on-chain data analysis.

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

[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?

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

All code generated in this project will be public available on MOBR's github under MIT License

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

How do you perceive the problem you are solving ?

We are addressing the challenge of accessing and analyzing data within the Cardano ecosystem. Currently, a significant barrier exists for consuming on-chain data easily and effectively, for both developers and non-technical users. Our solution involves developing an analytics platform aimed at performing queries using a controlled natural language (CNL). It will be capable of composing customized dashboards to enhance analysis and decision-making. In addition, the solution will support developers by offering an API for interacting with the knowledge base, and creating visual widgets.

What are your reasons for approaching it in the way that you have?

This approach recognizes the critical need to facilitate access to on-chain data within the Cardano ecosystem. The proposal is aligned with promoting holistic analyses, ultimately driving the growth and success of the community. We aim to break down barriers currently hindering both developers and non-technical users from fully engaging with the Cardano ecosystem. 

Who will your project engage?

Our project will engage a range of users, including developers, stakeholders, researchers, community members, and other blockchain enthusiasts. Specifically, our target audience comprises individuals with varying levels of technical expertise, from seasoned blockchain developers to non-technical users seeking to gain insights from on-chain data. 

How will you demonstrate or prove your impact?

We will track user engagement metrics, such as platform usage, active users to gauge the level of adoption and ongoing usage of the Carnado Analytics Platform. 

Explain what is unique about your solution, who will benefit, and why this is important to Cardano.

Unlike existing analytics tools that often require significant technical expertise to navigate, our platform will feature APIs for developers and intuitive visualization tools to simplify data analysis processes, making it accessible to users of all technical backgrounds. 

Users will be able to input questions and get visual widgets (we call them informative artifacts) through a controlled natural language to perform specific queries. As a result, users will be able to compose visual widgets creating their own customized dashboards. For instance, the following questions could be supported by the proposed platform:

• What are the largest ADA transactions in the past 24 hours?
• How many account addresses have more than 200,000 ADA?
• What is the average daily transaction volume per active wallet on the Cardano network?
• Plot a bar chart with the number of smart contracts deployed per month in the past year
• Create a donut chart illustrating the percentage of ADA token holders actively participating in Cardano's governance through voting or delegation
• Plot a line chart of the growth of active addresses on the Cardano network over the past six months
• Plot a pie chart of the distribution of ADA tokens among the top 10 wallet addresses on the Cardano network

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

Our project aims at having a significant positive impact on the wider Cardano community by simplifying data access and analysis processes, bringing a broader range of users to participate actively in the ecosystem.

[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?

Our capability to deliver the project with trust and accountability stems from our team's experience and expertise in blockchain technology. With a background in research and development at IBM and other well established institutions, we bring a wealth of knowledge in Web3, AI, distributed systems, and multimedia technologies. 

We are successfully executing similar initiatives, including the development of the POnto ontology and the ongoing Polkadot Analytics Platform, and also the ICOnto ontology and the Internet Computer Analytics Platform (ICAP). Both initiatives received funding by grants from the Web3 Foundation and DFINITY Foundation. Check out our video showcasing the ICAP development progress here:

To validate the feasibility of our approach, we will conduct thorough research and analysis to assess the technical requirements and potential challenges associated with developing the platform. By adopting a transparent and iterative development process, coupled with testing and validation procedures. With our experience in other similar initiatives, we are confident about the feasibility of our approach and ensure that our project is delivered with trust, accountability, and quality.

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

Milestone 1: Ontology and Research

Milestone Outputs:

1. Conducted literature review and conceptual framework specification
2. Developed ontology for the Cardano ecosystem

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Ontology is comprehensive, covering key concepts and relationships within the Cardano ecosystem
2. Technical report identifying existing glossaries, related existing ontological frameworks and knowledge-oriented applications within the Cardano space

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

1. Completed ontology documentation detailing entities, relationships, and definitions
2. Technical report summarizing relevant research finding

Milestone 2: Knowledge Base Bootstrap and Basic Data Extraction

Milestone Outputs:

1. Implemented knowledge base components including a triplestore database and basic API endpoints
2. Extracted and structured basic data from the Cardano network as proof-of-concept

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Knowledge base components are functional, allowing for the storage and retrieval of ontology-aligned data
2. Extracted data is structured according to the ontology, ensuring consistency and usability for future analysis

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

1. Functional demonstration of the knowledge base representation (SPARQL query results
2. File in Turtle format with RDF-triple representation with data extracted from the Cardano network and stored within the knowledge base

Milestone 3: Data Extraction and Semantic ETL Workflows

Milestone Outputs:

1. Data Extraction Mechanisms for Cardano Networ
2. Ontology Alignment Mechanisms for Data Transformatio
3. Knowledge Injection Mechanisms for Loading Transformed Dat
4. Semantic ETL Pipelines Implemented on Workflow Management Platform

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Completion of data extraction components capable of fetching data from the Cardano network
2. Successful development of ontology alignment components to transform extracted data into entities aligned with the Cardano Analytics Platform ontology
3. Implementation of knowledge injection components enabling the loading of transformed data into the knowledge base, integrating with the knowledge injection API
4. Creation of semantic ETL pipelines utilizing a workflow management platform such as Apache Airflow or equivalent, effectively managing data extraction, transformation, and loading processes

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

1. Demonstrable data extraction components fetching data from the Cardano network
2. Validation of ontology alignment components transforming extracted data into ontology-aligned entities
3. Successful implementation of knowledge injection components loading transformed data into the knowledge base via the knowledge injection API
4. Demonstration of semantic ETL pipelines functioning efficiently on the selected workflow management platform

Milestone 4: CNL definition and query engine

Milestone Outputs:

1. Developed Controlled Natural Language (CNL) specification for semantic querying
2. Built query engine capable of processing CNL-based queries

Acceptance Criteria:

1. CNL components enable users to interact with the system using controlled natural language queries aligned with the ontology
2. Query engine API successfully processes CNL queries, retrieving relevant data from the knowledge base

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

1. CNL specification document outlining syntax and semantics for querying the knowledge base
2. Functional demonstration of the query engine processing sample CNL queries and retrieving accurate results

Milestone 5: Final Milestone

Milestone Outputs:

1. Designed and implemented user interface (UI) for data visualization
2. Integrated informative artifacts for custom dashboards
3. Completed testing of the entire system
4. Delivered project documentation including user guides and technical specifications
5. Released open-source repository containing project code and resources

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Dashboard and its API are functional, allowing users to interact with and visualize data effectively
2. Informative artifacts such as charts, graphs, and tables are integrated, facilitating customizable dashboard creation
3. System and its API passes all tests, ensuring functionality, reliability, and performance
4. Project documentation is accessible, providing clear instructions for users and developer
5. Open-source repository is publicly accessible and contains all necessary code, documentation, and resources

Evidence of Milestone Completion:

1. Video showcasing the UI design and functionality
2. Dashboard demonstrating the integration of informative artifacts for data visualization
3. Test reports demonstrating successful completion of testing procedures
4. Completed project documentation accessible to the community
5. Publicly accessible open-source repository with project materials

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

The team is composed of the two MOBR Systems co-founders, who will manage and develop the project together.

Dr. Moreno LinkedIn profile: https://linkedin.com/in/marcio-moreno-phd-598a459a/ 

Dr. Brandao LinkedIn profile: https://linkedin.com/in/rafaelrmb/ 

For a complete list of peer-reviewed published papers and granted patents, please visit the following google scholar links

• Marcio Moreno, PhD: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PfdmrPUAAAAJ 
• Rafael Brandao, PhD: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3ta0InEAAAAJ

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

We estimate this 12-month project would require 1440 human-hours of work executed by the two team members to deliver the project. Assuming 8 hours per day, that means 180 human-days of work. We are considering the average dev daily rate of US$500, resulting in a total of US$ 90,000.

With the current value of ADA around US$0.45, we are asking for 200,000 ADA to execute this proposal (40,000 ADA for each milestone).

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

The project represents value for money by delivering a comprehensive analytics platform that enhances transparency, accessibility, and decision-making within the Cardano ecosystem.