This proposal has been approved on 9th of May 2023 with 55 votes on Snapshot.

Abstract:

AB-NXRA-1 is a proposal submitted to the AllianceBlock DAO to prioritize the development of features for the Data Tunnel product.

This proposal outlines:

• implementing a Community Form Builder to enable community participation,
• integrating NexeraID to improve security and low-barrier access
• repurposing ABQL as a visual workflow builder to simplify the data querying process, and
• the integration of Kleros for decentralized dispute resolution.

The proposed order of implementation is chosen to improve accessibility, security, user interface, and dispute resolution. The proposal invites community members to provide feedback and input on Commonwealth and Discord for a period of one week before the proposal is posted for an on-chain vote on Snapshot.

Motivation:

AB-NXRA-1 is the first governance proposal for the AllianceBlock DAO to vote on. We invite the AllianceBlock community members to participate in determining the order of priority of the features of the Data Tunnel because we believe that the community should have a say in determining which items the product teams should focus on and that together we know best what products create the most value for the AllianceBlock ecosystem. After the initial proposal AB-NXRA-1 more of similar proposals will follow for the other products.

Rationale:

The features that are proposed in AB-NXRA-1 are important for the future of the Data Tunnel and will help with the successful adoption of the product. While having several talks with prospective clients and data enthusiasts we noticed that we can improve several aspects of the Data Tunnel product. The features that are proposed in this proposal are the result of the research the product team has done based on user feedback we received.

Community Form Builder:

The Community Form Builder is a powerful tool that enables users to create and share forms, which can be used as surveys to collect responses and additional data points for existing datasets. This is an effective method that simplifies the process of building datasets, eliminating the need to deal with complex tables and data types.

Furthermore, these forms can be utilized to collect data for suggestions and feedback, thereby promoting greater community engagement. For instance, we intend to ask the community to propose new names for our visual workflow builder and will ask our community to come up with a more memorable name for the "Data Tunnel."

The community form builder will enable the community to gather data in a user-friendly way and by publishing the results on the platform to earn extra income. Thereby promoting greater engagement and earning opportunities.

Repurposing ABQL as a Visual Workflow Builder:

Within the Data Tunnel team we are committed to making data accessible to all users, regardless of their technical background. Recognizing that data can be a complex topic, we developed the AllianceBlock Query Language (ABQL) to simplify the data querying process. To refine this language further, we engaged in extensive conversations and user-feedback rounds. Here we discovered that the current ABQL requires an intermediate or advanced technical background, which poses a challenge for non-technical users.
In response, we propose repurposing ABQL into a visual workflow builder that enables users to create an entire data pipeline by simply dragging and dropping various information blocks. This visual query builder is designed to simplify the data pipeline construction process and make it more intuitive for non-technical users to access and manipulate data. By implementing this feature, we aim to empower all users to harness the power of data and unlock its full potential.

Dispute Handling (NexeraID & Kleros Decentralised Court):

An important aspect to consider is how to resolve disputes and moderation on several matters, including datasets uploaded to the Data Tunnel. We considered several options and after careful evaluation and discussion on discord we propose to first implement our self sovereign identity solution on the Data Tunnel by implementing NexeraID. With pseudonymization, bad actors can remain anonymous and evade accountability for their actions, leading to increased risk and potential harm.

After integrating NexeraID we believe that we will be able to reduce potential malicious actors operating on the platform significantly. After this implementation is complete we can move on integrating the Kleros Protocol, a decentralized arbitration system that uses crowdsourcing to resolve disputes fairly and transparently. When disputes arise ideally a central party shouldn’t act as a mediator between the two parties that have a conflict. This means that ideally this responsibility of arbitrating these cases at the Kleros court to decide which behavior is acceptable on the platform and which is not.
By enforcing its decisions through smart contracts on the blockchain, Kleros ensures that decisions are final and cannot be manipulated or overturned. With Kleros and other decentralized justice systems, individuals and businesses can have greater confidence in the fairness and efficiency of conflict resolution.

Proposed steps to implement:

To enable community participation by the AllianceBlock community, the first step is to implement a Community Form Builder. This will allow anyone to easily create and submit forms for various purposes, providing or gathering feedback, and suggesting ideas or gathering data from their network about a variety of topics.

Once this is in place, the next step is to integrate NexeraID, which will enable users to be verified and issued their self-sovereign identity and be in control of their data, they can choose to who they want to share their information. This will increase security and prevent fraudulent activity on the platform. Users will know that they are interacting with checked users without having access to their underlying data and will therefore be more protected from users with malicious intent. Data publishers could on their turn for example restrict access on their datasets to specific regions or industries.

The third step is to repurpose ABQL as a Visual Workflow Builder. This will simplify the process of building data pipelines and queries and will allow users to easily search through and extract the data they need from the platform in a visual environment that allows iterative experimentation.

Finally, to decentralize the dispute handling process, Kleros should be implemented. This will increase transparency and trust in the dispute resolution process, while also reducing the workload for a network of moderators.

This order of implementation was chosen because it starts with enabling community participation, moves on to improving security, simplifying user interface, and finally, decentralizing dispute handling. By following this order, the platform can gradually become more accessible, secure, and efficient for all users.

TLDR: 

• Implement Community Form Builder to enable community to gather and monetize data
• Integrate NexeraID so that the users can be issued their self-sovereign identity which they control fully
• Implement Visual Workflow Builder to repurpose ABQL
• Implement Kleros and decentralize the dispute handling process