Introducing HONEY Bursts: Hivemapper’s Bounty Feature for Targeted Mapping

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of HONEY Bursts, an exciting new feature now available in app version 6.7.8 that takes Hivemapper’s mapping efficiency and contributor incentives to the next level. To participate, simply download the latest version of the Hivemapper app from the App Store or Android Play Store.

HONEY Bursts are designed to align the interests of map customers and contributors. Customers highlight areas for prioritized coverage by offering a bounty. Contributors who drive through these targeted areas can earn bonus HONEY tokens on top of their regular rewards.

Map customers often demand fresh data for certain locations, whether it's a neighborhood or an entire town. This feature gives them the ability to decide how much this coverage is worth to them and create incentives for the community to deliver. 

A real estate developer might want up-to-date maps of areas around new housing or commercial developments. Water, electricity, and gas companies might want to incentivize mapping in areas where they are planning to install new infrastructure. Insurance companies might need fresh coverage data to help them assess natural disaster risks.

Each week, based on customer demand and network coverage requirements, particular locations will be designated as HONEY Burst zones. These zones are prime areas where increased mapping activity is encouraged.

From Request to Reward: Hivemapper customers spend a set amount of map credits to specify locations that they want to see mapped and define a bounty for coverage. HONEY Bursts currently run for a week at a time, but customers will soon be able to choose a specific date and time range for a HONEY Burst.

Bursts in Action: Once live, the HONEY Burst appears prominently in the Hivemapper app. This notifies contributors of the zones where increased activity will receive bonus rewards.

Map and Earn: Contributors who drive through these zones will receive an extra burst of HONEY tokens. The precise amount they earn will depend on how many unique hex tiles they cover within the HONEY Burst relative to the efforts of others.

A large city has been selected to host the Summer Olympics. With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected, the city’s organizing committee is investing in infrastructure improvements. New stadiums are being built and roads are being re-routed. 

City officials need fresh map data that captures all of these changes. They are willing to spend 1,000 HONEY tokens for the week to get fresh coverage of the area, which they can draw as a polygon of their choice.

This pot of 1,000 HONEY will be split among all of the contributors who mapped inside the HONEY Burst area during the reward week. It will be divided among them based on the number of unique hexes that they individually mapped inside the particular area.

So, for example, let’s say that three contributors mapped inside the HONEY Burst area during the week. We’ll call them Contributor A, B, and C.

Contributor A drove down the same street twice in the area, covering the same 10 hexes twice for a total of 10 unique hexes.

Contributor B drove a few different streets in the HONEY Burst area, covering a total of 70 hexes, 60 of which were unique.

Contributor C drove around the block a few times in the HONEY Burst area, covering a total of 500 hexes, only 30 of which were unique. 

The sum of 10 hexes from Contributor A, 60 hexes from Contributor B, and 30 hexes from Contributor C equals 100 total hexes. The pot of 1,000 HONEY would be split proportionally among the contributors as a supplement to their regular mapping rewards, with each hex getting a burst of 10 HONEY.

The end result?

Contributor A would get 10 HONEY x 10 hexes, or 100 HONEY.

Contributor B would get 10 HONEY x 60 hexes, or 600 HONEY.

Contributor C would get 10 HONEY x 30 hexes, or 300 HONEY.

HONEY Bursts are now live and will run weekly, starting every Monday. Rewards will be distributed on Wednesdays as usual. 

The feature is already active this week in several US cities, including San Francisco, San Jose, and South Lake Tahoe in California, as well as multiple locations in Arizona, like Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Nogales, Prescott, and Parker. Update to the latest Hivemapper app version to participate in these Bursts.

This is just the beginning. HONEY Bursts will continue rolling out to other areas in the coming weeks as customer demand increases, further solidifying our progress as we collectively map the world. The Hivemapper community keeps pushing boundaries. Thanks for being a part of this groundbreaking journey.