Krowdovi Launches Solana-Based Indoor Navigation Platform

Krowdovi is an open-source platform built on the Solana blockchain that addresses indoor navigation challenges. It utilizes a burn-and-mint DePIN model to incentivize users to record first-person navigation videos of indoor spaces such as hospitals, airports, and malls.

The project aims to solve the issue of getting lost in large venues, which reportedly costs hospitals $200K-$500K annually in staff time. Unlike Google Live View, which requires pre-captured data, Krowdovi relies on user-generated content.

Creators record videos with their smartphones and earn reputation tiers and tokens when users burn $FIND tokens to unlock routes. The platform is currently deployed on devnet and is seeking a security audit before a mainnet launch.

The platform targets two specific problems in the current market: the difficulty of indoor navigation and the economic pressure on videographers from generative AI. Statistics indicate that 30% of first-time hospital visitors get lost or arrive late to appointments. This inefficiency costs large hospitals between $200,000 and $500,000 annually in staff time.

Existing solutions are often insufficient. Tools like Google Live View rely on pre-captured Street View data, which is scarce for indoor environments. Enterprise alternatives often charge venues between $10,000 and $50,000 per year.

Simultaneously, the rise of synthetic video generation presents a challenge for professional videographers. While tools like Sora can generate video, they cannot replicate the specific physical layout of a venue. Krowdovi offers an economic opportunity for creators to own location-based visual content that AI cannot replicate.

Krowdovi operates on a decentralized infrastructure model designed for ease of use. The system is divided into user and creator workflows, governed by specific token mechanics.

For Users

Users entering a venue can scan a QR code located at the entrance. This action loads a first-person video showing the route from their current location to their destination. The videos feature overlay graphics and multi-language support.

For Creators

Creators use their smartphones to record navigation videos. They upload these to the platform and earn reputation tiers ranging from Bronze to Diamond based on video quality and view counts. They receive payment when users burn tokens to unlock their specific routes.

Token Mechanics

The economic model relies on the $FIND token. Users burn $FIND tokens to mint "credits" required to unlock videos. The distribution of burned tokens is as follows:

• 75% of burned tokens are permanently removed from circulation.
• 25% goes to a remint pool to reward creators.

A smart contract on Solana manages the burn-and-mint logic, reputation tracking, and distribution. The project is fully MIT licensed.

The platform is built using a modern technology stack designed for scalability and minimal devops requirements. The smart contracts are written in Rust using Anchor on Solana, handling the burn-and-mint engine and treasury management.

The backend utilizes Node.js/Express with Prisma and PostgreSQL for venue metadata, video uploads, and authentication. The frontend is built on Next.js 14, featuring a Creator Studio and wallet integration via @solana/wallet-adapter-react. The system is designed to be hostable on Railway or Vercel.

Current Limitations

While the smart contract is deployed on devnet and the full-stack app is ready to deploy, several limitations exist. There is currently no real content, as the creator needs to film 10-20 venues. There is no mainnet token launch yet, as the team is waiting on a security audit and demand validation. Additionally, quality verification is currently manual, and there is no dedicated mobile app (web-only).

Next Steps

The project is currently in the testing phase on devnet. The roadmap includes a security audit before mainnet launch and addressing issues regarding anti-gaming measures, moderation, and ZK proofs.