Generic certification solution

A generic whitelabel open source certification software allows companies to explore the possibilities of certifications on Cardano.

Björn Sandmann: 8+ years of full stack development with the .net Stack. Focused on traditional business problems and SaaS solutions on Azure

Tldr;

A hosted open-source software where everybody can issue and claim certificates. Simple sign up with your organization and create the certificates based on existing requirements and invite others to claim that certificate.

The service consists of an API and a white-label frontend every organization can brand to it own needs.

Introduction

Trust in proven ability, safe products or verified compliance with certain requirements is an important building block of an evolving society. In the industrialized nations, everything is now certified: Buildings, products, machines, tools, but above all educational programs: Participation in training, passing exams, and having certain skills or knowledge. From a university degree to a yoga class around the next corner.

Market

These certificates are awarded by an almost infinite number of large and small companies or public institutions. These institutions all have their own lists of requirements, processes, and complex certificate structures: sometimes it is a snapshot of a certain level of requirements that is valid for life, sometimes they expire after a certain time and require recertifications. In other cases, a series of selectable basic certificates must first be earned before the final certificate is issued automatically. The processes involved are as varied as the companies and organizations themselves.

Product

Instead of a specific solution for a certain group of interested parties, this is a proposal for a generic solution with the following features:

• White label: the solution can be adapted by the certificate issuers to their own brand. Since most certification companies earn money with certifications, a technical solution must be 100% white label capable.
• Generic: The typical certification requirements must all be covered. These include expiring certifications that need to be renewed and certificate modules that build on each other. The certificate issuer must be able to replicate their existing certificates from the analog world.
• Open Source: With the development of an open source solution, other community projects can build on this solution to drive concrete implementations at specific universities, companies and organizations in a second stage.
• Showcase SaaS: A major barrier to adoption of certifications over the blockchain will initially be the level of abstraction. This proposal includes not only the open source software development, but also a free service as a multi-tentant SaaS solution that organizations and businesses can use as a playground.
• Reduced complexity: In order for organizations to use certificates on the blockchain, some simplification is required. For both the issuer and the certificate recipient, the focus must be on the presentation of the certificate rather than the technical dependencies.
• PRISM: Integration with Atala.PRISM should be enabled for both the issuer and the certified party.

Show us the money

1. Development of a POC version with different certification templates. Integration with PRISM (when released). WebAPI + SPA + SmartContracs + DID Integration
   80 USD/h x 35h/week x 12 weeks
   33,600 USD
2. Continued development to a production ready certification solution;
   Upload & management of documents, UI design, Configuration of templates, complete ability to brand the software to needs of the customer (eg. colors, logos, certification 'stamps'), testing
   80 USD/h x 35h/week x 16 weeks (including external contracting for design)
   44,800 USD
3. Hosting of the open source solutions for at least 2 years as a free SaaS; bug fixes and support of the open source project
   1,400 USD /yr x 2
   2,800 USD
4. Project website; creation of documentation and onboarding material for companies; video tutorial
   2,000 USD (including external contracting for design)

This sums up to 83,200 USD. As a professional software developer this isn't attractive to pursue considering the classic under-estimation problems of software development. For a community – on the other hand – it is a lot to ask for, and I believe it is even too much. Therefor, I would take 40% of the estimated costs from my on pocket, being a community project from which we all would profit in the long term. This way the requested amount is reduced to 49,920 USD

Getting on the road

Within 3 months after project start (directly after funding)

• Creation of a POC with different certification templates:  Lifetime certificate, Expiring certificate with recertification process, Lego block system with certificates which build upon each other

  Within 6 months after project start

• Build out to a production ready solution
• Create documentation and onboarding material

Within 12 months

• A SaaS is hosted for free for everybody to try out 
• The open-source solution is still maintained and other developers are encouraged to participate and use the software to further facilitate the adoption of DIDs and certifications on Cardano

Defining success

• A working SaaS solution can be successfully tested by interested parties to get an impression of DIDs and certification solutions on the Cardano platform. 
• The OpenSource project is available to the community to develop further certification models. The Project can freely be used by user companies which would like to roll their own certification-system or offer certification solutions to customers.
• PRISM finds a concrete application:  Initially by interested parties, who try out what is possible with certifications and DIDs.  In the second step, through adoption by companies and organizations that recognize the advantages of certification on the blockchain and that the technical hurdles are not as high as expected.

Technical implementation

.Net core, VUE, Azure; Plutus; DID integration depending on SDK available

Reference of recent projects: https://www.gulp.de/gulp2/g/spezialisten/resume/bsandmann

Conclusion

It is important to have a hands-on example where interested parties and companies can easily explore and establish their existing certification business on the blockchain. In the long term, this will work as a catalyst for further developments and increases the chance that companies will consider actually taking these certifications into operation – and therefor increase the real-world usages of DIDs.