Last month a group met to consider how to build a scalable blockchain database for general use, and the Interplanetary Database Foundation, the organization that will run it. Since then, the IPDB has announced that it is now officially accepting applications. To apply for early access to the IPDB Test Network, participants are required to fill out a form and describe how they would like to use the network. It has been pointed out that it is not a production-ready network and users can therefore expect data to be reset periodically until IPDB is ready for the general public.
Last year, the possibility of a public instance of the federated ‘blockchain-ified’ big data database that would become BigchainDB started to be discussed. From that, the IPDB Foundation was created and now it is changing the way its run from director Greg McMullen’s self-styled benevolent dictatorship to being managed by caretakers.
The caretakers, registered as a not-for-profit voluntary association, have established a real governance model, mapped around likely pitfalls, and have also launched an internal test network. The caretakers provide perspective offered by a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, and accountability provided by having them ask why certain decisions were made and spotting conflicts that may have been missed.
Caretakers include BigchainDB, COALA, Monax, OuiShare, and unMonastery provide views on a variety of fields with expertise from lawyers to policy experts to hackers.
