Who DAT?
Let’s talk about the DAT Project and Protocol. An innovative group of people set out to create technology that makes data sharing more efficient and capable. This has lead into an app building platform and a peer-to-peer web browser. It began with scientific researchers and academics but has transcended into many markets beyond that.
The non-profit project has been sponsored by many organizations. The Code for Science and Society is a 501(c)(3). This is another non-profit whose mission is to strengthen communities in the ability to collaborate and create tech for a public good. A global club of problem solvers if you will. The Knight Foundation is a journalistic organization looking to inform local communities. They are seemingly on a civic mission. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an organization that funds research in science, tech, engineering and mathematics. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have a similar mission in that their goal is to create a better world for future generations. These sponsors all have one thing in common….they are amazingly smart people who fund other smart people. This says a lot concerning what the DAT Project is, where it is potentially going, and how it could possible benefit those looking to utilize its technology and the communities it supports.
Great, but what does it actually do?
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Among other things it seems to be an open archive for storing and sharing data, even public information that is at risk of being lost in the process of transference from one place or storage to another. In the academic and scientific community this is something that will prove beyond useful as time goes on. Research, documents, contracts, all kinds of data that needs to be transferred to a more efficient and futuristic system of keeping is what I see benefitting.
The DAT Protocol is also a place for building custom DAT applications. This is a file archive that is public-key-addressed. The apps have a live syncing system that makes it easier to send files to databases as well as in a p2p manner. They have created an encryption system that keeps the file sharing process “secret,” if the users wish it to be. Amazing. The potential use cases among cryptocurrencies with this technology are vast. Their Beaker Browser is a strong tool as well. This is essentially a browser to build and host websites that are peer-to-peer and private.
The browser is open sourced and decentralized attempting to return the web to what it was meant to be before the giants took over.
This looks extremely academic and useful. Imagine being a group of scientists from different universities all conducting medical research that must be shared securely amongst each other for collaboration. The database must remain private. DAT does that. Needing to send information to your accountant on the blockchain concerning international business operations but privacy is of utmost importance. DAT is ideal. Having a Board of Directors, group or organization that must coordinate on sensitive information is another way to picture it. A museum needing to update the internal data stored going back decades, DAT seems great for that.
P2P secret file sharing is a way to describe one thing it has become. This does include apps and apparently a web browser. I am going to continue to follow the progress of DAT and plan to provide more information as time goes on. For now, these guys have been working really hard on this system and it looks to have a solid future.
