RootsWallet - Aries JS

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Hyperledger Aires is a mature library that provides a shared, reusable, interoperable tool kit designed for initiatives and solutions focused on creating, transmitting and storing verifiable digital credentials. It is well adopted by numerous Self Sovereign Identity projects in permissioned and permissionless blockchains.

RootsID regularly interacts with the Hyperledger Aries developers at SSI meetings at Trust over IP, Decentralized Identity Foundation, and Hyperledger Linux Foundation. Together we are developing an interoperable open source SSI ecosystem. 

On Fund 7 we delivered our project Hyperledger-Prism Interoperability (Github, final report video) that allows Aries Cloud Agent (ACA-PY) to work with ATALA Prism DIDs, sharing and issuing Verifiable Credentials. ACA-PY is the Aries agent in Python that was widely adopted worldwide and it’s intended to be used in backend or cloud systems.

In this project we are focusing on integrating Aries Framework JavaScript (Aries JS) into RootsWallet, the first and only Open Source Mobile Identity Wallet for ATALA Prism. Aires JS is a framework for building SSI Agents that aims to be compliant and interoperable with the standards defined in the Aries RFCs. Since it is written in TypeScript, integration with our mobile identity wallet code will be straightforward.

At the end of the project RootsId will have delivered a backend and a mobile agent based on Hyperledger Aries integrated with ATALA Prism, allowing companies to build complete SSI systems that are interoperable with other projects based on Aries, not necessarily on Cardano but on other blockchains.

Technically we'll use the following features from Aries JS:

• DIDComm v1 communication (RootsId is currently based on the newer DIDComm v2)
• Support for Indy Anoncreds (issuance and verification)
• Support for W3C JSON-LD credentials (issuance and verification)
• Several Aries protocols such as: 
• Out of Band v1
• Issue Credential
• DID Exchange
• Present Proof
• Connection
• Mediator Coordination
• Basic Message

RootsWallet code will be delivered as Open Source in our public GitHub repository.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

Integrating the Aries open source identity ecosystem with the Cardano open source identity ecosystem is the highest priority for interoperability with the majority of the SSI industry. Interoperability means that Self Sovereign Identity solutions based on other blockchains can communicate with solutions based on Cardano and share Verifiable Credentials and Presentations in order to be validated. That will enable endless opportunities to build cross-chain projects and joint efforts to move or extend other projects into Cardano.

RootsId already delivered an integration of Aries Cloud Agent in Python with Cardano. That project allows backend agents to use Aries features. Now, this project will leverage RootsWallet, our Open Source Identity Wallet, to include AJS and be able to easily interface with the Aries ecosystem.

RootsId is a member of Hyperledger and closely participates in the Aries Working Group sharing the same interoperability goal. We truly believe that this kind of collaboration generates opportunities to build multi chain systems.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

The main challenge is the technical integration into our code.The Aries Framework Javascript project is rapidly modularizing but many dependencies are still tied to the legacy Indy project. There is a risk of encountering difficulties as we isolate functionalities from Aries to be used in RootsWallet code.

Our mitigation plan began months ago. We are participating in the weekly Aries Javascript Meeting every Thursday to understand the nuances of the implementation and having direct contact with the implementations. We are confident that when difficulties arise, we’ll easily find knowledgeable people willing to help and collaborate.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

Project plan consist of the following activities with its duration:

• Build Aries library into code: 1 week
• Integrate Aries communication protocols: 4 weeks
• Integrate Aries Credential functionalities: 4 weeks
• Testing: 2 weeks
• Documentation: 1 week

TOTAL DURATION: 3 months

The high-level scope of each activity is described below:

• Build Aries library into code: this is the initial task to include the library into RootsWallet. It will require a detailed architecture design.
• Integrate Aries communication protocols: this activity will enable RootsWallet to use Aries DIDComm v1 and its communication protocol to establish a connection with other agents
• Integrate Aries Credential functionalities: this activity will enable RootsWallet to issue and verify Verifiable Credentials based on Aries
• Testing: test and debug the above functionalities
• Documentation: produce the necessary documentation to develop advanced functionalities in RootsWallet

Deliverables:

• Open Source code on Github repo
• Documentation

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

Budget is mostly composed of development hours at a ratio of $100/hr. Based on the activities defined above the requested breakdown budget is:

• Build Aries library into code: 10 hours = $1.000
• Integrate Aries communication protocols: 80 hours = $8.000
• Integrate Aries Credential functionalities: 80 hours = $8.000
• Testing: 30 hours = $3.000
• Documentation: 10 hours = $1.000

TOTAL BUDGET: $21.000

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

RootsID team has been delivering Open Source building blocks for the Self-Sovereign Identity ecosystem in Cardano. They have been funded in several Catalyst projects since Fund 6. All of them were delivered successfully on time or still in development in the planned timeline. Our funded projects are:

• F6: Interoperability as Growth Driver: [DELIVERED] [Github] [final report video]
• F7: Interoperability Within Atala Prism: [DELIVERED] [Github] [final report video]
• F7: Hyperledger-Prism Interoperability: [DELIVERED] [Github] [final report video]
• F7: Open Source Credential Wallet: [DELIVERED] [Github] [final report video]
• F7: WAL-CLI Wallet Tools for developers: [DELIVERED] [Github] [final report video]
• F8: Universal Resolver for did:prism: [IN DEVELOPMENT]
• F8: DIDComm v2 Mediator: [IN DEVELOPMENT]
• F8: RootsWallet - Support for sidetree: [IN DEVELOPMENT]
• F8: KYC Credentials PoC: [IN DEVELOPMENT]
• F8: Cardano SSI standards contributors: [IN DEVELOPMENT] [video]
• F8: RootsWallet beta - Backup/Recovery: [IN DEVELOPMENT]
• F8: WAL-CLI Communication: [IN DEVELOPMENT]

The team is constantly engaged in all Self Sovereign Identity Cardano activities such as Atala Prism Astros, Atala Prism Pioneer Program, Prism+SSI After Town Hall break rooms, and meeting periodically with partners or related Catalyst projects with the aim of collaboration and help adoption and growth of Cardano in the Identity world.

Additionally, the team participates actively in the worldwide SSI community by attending and collaborating on several working groups in the Decentralized Identity Foundation, the Hyperledger foundation, and the Trust over IP foundation.

This project in particular will be developed by Rodolfo Miranda and Lance Byrd:

Rodolfo Miranda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodolfomiranda/

His background includes a MS EE degree at Stanford University and more than 25 years of successful work experience in both large multinational companies and owned startup projects. His main activities involve architecting, developing, and implementing large scale software solutions for the Telecommunication Industry. Lately, he was engaged in blockchain technologies and joined Cardano community where he:

• Participate as Community Advisor (from F6) and vCA (from F7), and is involved in many improvement working groups and discussions
• Is part of the Challenge Team for Fund 7 challenge "Grow Latinamerica, Grow Cardano"
• Is part of the Challenge Team for Fun 8 challenge “Self-Sovereign Identity”
• Was part of the first cohort of the Atala Prism Pioneer Program
• Is part of the team that created the LATAM Cardano Community and host a weekly LATAM TownHall

Lance Byrd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/2byrds/

His background includes a BS in Computer Science (UMBC) and MS in Information Assurance (Capitol College) and more than 22 years of software development as a consultant. He has developed massive scale data analytics and visualizations, machine learning analysis pipelines, and worked with University researchers to bring their work to market. He has also built and taught technical certification courses for several different topics in data analysis, big data, and compliance.

He is an expert Cardano/Catalyst/Atala Prism SSI mobile developer. He is one of the founders of RootsID which has been building a Cardano-based open source identity ecosystem including a mobile identity wallet called RootsWallet. He is advised by expert UX designers from IOG, identity experts like Darrell O'Donnel and Tony Rose and is a regular at Trust Over IP, Decentralized Identity Foundation, and Hyperledger foundation meetings.

For this Fund 9, RootsId is presenting the following proposals:

• F9: RootsWallet - iPhone version
• F9: RootsWallet - Aries JS (this one)
• F9: KERI bridge for Cardano
• F9: RootsId Verifiable Credentials
• F9: Discord Social Credential
• F9: RootsWallet - Simplified SSI UX 
• F9: WAL-CLI Issue Credential Protocol
• F9: WAL-API Identity Wallet Service
• F9: Cardano SSI Contributors - Season 2
• F9: ATALA Prism ZKP + Hyperledger Aries (collaboration with Snapbrillia)

Since we are participating in 10 proposals, we carefully planned time allocation for each of us. We defined our individual commitment per week as if all of the proposals are funded including extra activities. Based on that, we defined the allocation per proposal for each of us needed to deliver the proposal in time. Take in account that we design our proposals to have a duration no longer than 12-14 weeks in order to match funding rounds, that means that our pending F8 proposals will be concluded before the F9 execution phase starts. For your reference we add a link to the time allocation spreadsheet that can help you validate that our commitments are feasible.

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

If funded, this project as defined will conclude in this round. It does not depend on further funding to be used and adopted in production. However, since interoperability is an ongoing process we may present future projects in future fund round with the same spirit of defining standardized ways to adopt other parts of the SSI technology.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

This project is basically a software development project with four clear deliverables that will work as proofs of completion:

• the open source code of RootsWallet
• the documentation explaining how use Aries functionalities within RootsWallet

Additionally, this team adopts Agile methodology based on the tools provided by github. Besides progress reports, the advancement will be tracked by public github issues, project views (like Kanban board) and commits. Intermediate progress will be reported as Sprint Burndown, a KPI metric that shows the progress in percentage of each development sprint.

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

Our short term success vision is to have a cloud agent and a mobile agent based on Aries communicating with each other, and issuing, presenting, and verifying Credentials.

Our long term success vision is for teams that need to build projects that require Decentralized Identity technology, adopt RootsWallet to use Aries functionalities and interface with projects outside PRISM and Cardano to validate credentials from many ecosystems. And by this interoperability, generate the adoption needed to grow the SSI industry and Cardano acceptance.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

In a strict sense, this proposal is an entirely new project that has a start and a launch day, and can live on its own. However, the project is built on components that were developed in previous funded projects from RootsId. So, in a broad sense, the strategy of RootsID is to deliver more and more SSI components as a continuations process. We started with the basic building blocks, some as alpha releases, and from there we grew with more advanced and rich components that allow us to build more complex solutions.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

We are grateful to be able to discuss and consider how our identity software might impact our grass roots users and their communities. By giving each individual control over their own cryptographically verifiable digital identity, we hope to empower their ability to choose to be remembered and/or forgotten in nuanced and fulfilling ways that improves every area of their life and community. We would especially like to see improvements in the following ways:

SDG goals:

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

SDG subgoals:

10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

9.b Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities