Please describe your proposed solution

While many modes of media and document capture and cloud storage exist, none currently exist for Cardano as NFT storage. Beyond that, this proposal will address these eight specific manifestations of a problem-solution relationship:

1. Decentralized Storage with Proof of Ownership:

• Problem: Traditional cloud storage services are centralized, meaning they are vulnerable to data breaches, government interventions, or failures of the provider. Ownership and control of documents can be questioned.

• Solution: By utilizing decentralized storage like Arweave, we ensure that documents are distributed and controlled by the user. Tying this to the Cardano blockchain provides a transparent and secure ledger for ownership and version tracking.

2. Permanent and Secure Document Archiving:

• Problem: Many documents, especially important legal or historical records, need to be stored permanently. Traditional storage methods are vulnerable to loss, corruption, or expiration over time.

• Solution: Arweave offers permanent storage, and by linking the document to a blockchain, you ensure that its integrity and existence are preserved indefinitely, making this ideal for legal, property, academic, institutional or other records that have need of authoritative authenticity.

3. Transparent Verification of Documents:

• Problem: Verifying documents often involves complex manual processes or reliance on third-party services, which can be slow, expensive, and prone to errors or fraud.

• Solution: Anyone can verify the authenticity and timestamp of a document without needing to trust a centralized entity. This can streamline processes in many industries that are looking to apply blockchain, such as finance, legal, real estate, and supply chain, making verification both faster and more cost-effective.

4. Access Control and Rights Management:

• Problem: Managing who has access to sensitive documents is often challenging, and access control is prone to being mishandled or manipulated, leading to leaks or misuse.

• Solution: Using smart contracts on Cardano, we automate access control, ensuring that only authorized parties can access or view the document. This creates a robust, automated system for permissions that is more secure and traceable than traditional methods.

5. Cost-Efficiency and Intermediary Reduction:

• Problem: Storing, verifying, and sharing documents via centralized services or legal intermediaries can be expensive and time-consuming, with recurring fees.

• Solution: Storage on Cardano eliminates the need for intermediaries in document verification and access control. This reduces costs for businesses and individuals who need to certify or share sensitive documents over time.

6. Trustless Ecosystem:

• Problem: Relying on intermediaries for document verification or storage introduces risks of bias, fraud, and central points of failure.

• Solution: Cardano storage and retrieval creates a trustless environment where neither the document provider nor the verifier needs to rely on any centralized authority. The system’s transparency ensures that trust is built into the process, reducing the risks of fraud and corruption.

7. Data Portability and Global Accessibility:

• Problem: Documents stored on centralized systems may face accessibility issues, such as region-based restrictions, server downtime, or censorship.

• Solution: A decentralized system ensures that documents are accessible worldwide, anywhere at any time, without regional restrictions or reliance on centralized servers. Users and organizations can retrieve and verify documents from anywhere, fostering greater transparency and accessibility.

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

This project should have these significant benefits for the Cardano community at large:

1. Strengthening Cardano’s Utility and Ecosystem Growth

This solution will add a practical and high-value use case to the Cardano blockchain, thereby strengthening the ecosystem by demonstrating how Cardano can be utilized beyond financial transactions. By integrating with Arweave, the project showcases Cardano’s versatility in addressing enterprise and individual needs for document verification and management. As more developers and businesses explore the platform, the long-term growth and resilience of the Cardano ecosystem will be reinforced.

2. Enhancing Cardano’s Reputation in Enterprise and Legal Use Cases

This project opens the door for Cardano to be used in industries such as legal, healthcare, and finance, where document authenticity and verification are critical. By providing a reliable solution for these sectors, the project has the potential to set a precedent for using Cardano in high-stakes, regulated environments. Successful implementation could enhance Cardano’s reputation as a blockchain that meets the compliance and security demands of enterprise-level applications.

3. Attracting More Developers to the Platform

The project will attract developers with expertise in smart contract development and decentralized storage solutions. As it grows, it will draw in more talent from the development community, which can contribute to the creation of additional plugins, integrations, and features within the Cardano ecosystem. This influx of developers will foster innovation and lead to a richer, more robust ecosystem.

4. Boosting Cardano Network Usage, On-Chain Activity and ADA Utility

By recording document metadata and hashes on the Cardano blockchain, the project will contribute to an increase in on-chain activity, thereby boosting Cardano’s utility. Additionally, if or when users pay transaction fees in ADA for document uploads and verification, it will drive ADA adoption, further supporting the Cardano economy.

5. Potential for Governance and Identity Solutions

Document certification and verification are crucial elements in digital identity and governance solutions. This project can serve as the groundwork for larger identity-based systems on Cardano. By enabling secure and transparent document management, it contributes to the broader vision of creating robust, decentralized digital identity frameworks, particularly in regions where traditional systems are lacking.

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?

Aaron Moguin, COO of Landano and Project Manager: Aaron is responsible for the project's overall management, ensuring that all tasks progress cohesively and efficiently. His expertise in operations management is key to maintaining project timelines and delivering on milestones.

Dorus van der Kroft, CTO of Landano and Lead Developer of the Project: Dorus is the driving technical force behind the project. With extensive experience in blockchain technology and software development, he ensures the technical excellence and innovation of our solution.

Peter van Garderen, CEO of Landano and Systems Analyst for the Project: Peter brings a strategic vision for integrating blockchain solutions with enterprise systems, overseeing the analytical aspects of the project. His insights are vital in aligning Landano’s record-keeping requirements with industry standards.

Technical Feasibility & Project Management:

Our approach combines agile methodologies with continuous integration and deployment, ensuring that the project adapts to changing requirements and incorporates feedback efficiently. We leverage state-of-the-art tools for project tracking and version control, guaranteeing transparency and consistency.

Risk Mitigation:

We have identified key risks, including technical challenges in blockchain adoption in rural areas, and have strategies in place to mitigate them. Regular reviews, testing phases, and community engagement will ensure that we promptly address any issues, maintaining the project's integrity and progress.

Our team's combination of technical acumen, strategic insight, operational excellence, and community engagement positions us to successfully deliver a product that meets the needs of the Cardano ecosystem and its stakeholders.

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

Milestone 1: Design and Prototype

Milestone Outputs

• Detailed design specifications document
• A functional prototype

Acceptance Criteria

• Approval of the design specifications document by the project review committee.
• Successful demonstration of the operable prototype in a controlled test environment, illustrating key product functions.

Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Publication of the design document on the official Landano project website.
• Video recording of the prototype demonstration, uploaded to the Landano project’s official YouTube channel or website.

Milestone 2: Testing and Refinement

Milestone Outputs

• Comprehensive testing to identify and resolve critical bugs.
• Updated prototype that meets all functional requirements as outlined in the initial design document.

Acceptance Criteria

• Resolution of all identified critical bugs during the testing phase.
• Confirmation from the technical team that the updated prototype meets the predefined functional requirements.

Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Detailed test reports that outline the outcomes, issues found during testing, and resolutions applied.
• Demonstration video of the updated prototype, showcasing the refined functionalities and compliance with initial design specifications.

Milestone 3: Final Validation and Documentation

Milestone Outputs

• Finalized and validated version of the product ready for deployment.
• Comprehensive documentation and user guides.

Acceptance Criteria

• Positive feedback from key stakeholders and potential users confirming the viability and usability of the prototype.
• Detailed documentation that provides clear instructions and guidelines for users to effectively utilize the product.

Evidence of Milestone Completion

• Availability of detailed documentation and user guides on the Landano project website.

Final Milestone: Outputs:

• Final closeout report
• Final closeout video

Acceptance Criteria:

• Final closeout report is publicly available
• Final closeout video is publicly available

Evidence of Completion:

• Link to final closeout report
• Link to final closeout video

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

Project management: Aaron Moguin, Project Manager and COO - Landano

Aaron is responsible for this project's overall management and delivery schedule, ensuring that all components progress cohesively and efficiently. His expertise in operations management is key to maintaining project timelines and quality.

<https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-moguin-0a769512/>

Software development: Dorus Van Der Kroft, Software Lead and CTO - Landano

Dorus is co-founder of Landano. He is an expert full stack developer with over twenty years of industry experience delivering projects from start to finish. His broad set of software engineering skills have been used in start-ups and large enterprises.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorus/

Design and requirements: Peter Van Garderen, System Architect and CEO - Landano

Peter is co-founder of Landano. He is a professional archivist and a world-renowned expert in the field of digital records management. He is the creator of the most widely deployed open-source archives management applications in the world and a long-time decentralization advocate. Peter has designed software architectures and led development teams for over 15 years.

<https://www.linkedin.com/in/petervangarderen/>

User engagement and testing: Dan Amankona, CMO of Landano and Community Liaison: Dan plays a pivotal role in engaging with the developer and broader Cardano community, gathering feedback, and fostering collaborations that enhance the project's relevance and adoption.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-amankona-50346649/

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

To accommodate for the fluctuation in ADA price, which creates a conversion risk and a potential budget shortfall, we are using the October 2023 historical low (October 2023) base price of $0.25 ADA to calculate our expenses.

We will employ 1 senior Mendix software engineers ($130/hr = 520 ADA/hr), 1 systems analyst ($100/hr = 400 ADA/hr) and 1 project manager ($100/hr = 400 ADA/hr) to complete this work over a three month period. The systems analyst role includes requirements analysis, documentation, user acceptance testing and community management.

Milestone 1 (60 days): ₳63,600

Software Engineer: 90 hrs (₳46,800)

Systems Analyst: 30 hrs (₳12,000)

Project Manager: 12 hrs (₳4,800)

Milestone 2 (60 days): ₳63,600

Software Engineer: 90 hrs (₳46,800)

Systems Analyst: 30 hrs (₳12,000)

Project Manager: 12 hrs (₳4,800)

Milestone 3 - Final (60 days): ₳22,800

Software Engineer: 30 hrs (₳15,600)

Systems Analyst: 12 hrs (₳4,800)

Project Manager: 6 hrs (₳2,400)

No dependencies.

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The value of this product is described in detail above; When implemented, the benefits to the Cardano community at large and the Cardano blockchain are vast and manifold, greatly outweighing the value as expressed in ADA or any fiat currency, quantitatively. Qualitative benefits are also detailed above. These rates are competitive with standard consulting fees for these services and will allow team members to devote attention to this project that will result in its success.