Just as the internet evolved from Web1 to Web2 to Web3, mapping technology is experiencing its own paradigm shift. This episode explores how we've progressed from static maps to real-time navigation to contextual spatial understanding—and why this convergence of technologies represents a foundational shift that most people haven't recognized yet.

Mapping 1.0 (3000 BCE - 1990s): Locate

• Fixed coordinates, static maps, survey-based
• Key milestone: GPS consumer access (1995)

Mapping 2.0 (1996 - 2010s): Navigate

• Interactive wayfinding, real-time updates, universal smartphone access
• Key examples: MapQuest (1996), Google Maps (2005), Waze (2013)

Mapping 3.0 (2010s - Present): Understand

• Temporal intelligence, predictive insights, contextual interpretation
• Multidimensional data layers (environmental, social, economic)
• Key capabilities: ML traffic prediction, AR overlay, computer vision

Highlights:

• Just as internet evolved from Read (Web1) → Read/Write (Web2) → Read/Write/Own (Web3), maps evolved from Locate → Navigate → Understand
• Mapping 1.0 lasted millennia, 2.0 lasted ~20 years, 3.0 is evolving rapidly as a foundational layer rather than distinct domain

Host: Bryce Bladon | Editor: AJ Fillari | Sponsors: Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

Bill Lakeland, CEO of Spexi Geospatial, explains how his company is revolutionizing spatial data collection through a decentralized drone network. From flying aerial mapping cameras in airplanes to building the world's largest standardized drone imagery network, Bill discusses why current imagery solutions are broken, how distributed drone operators can capture better data at 50x less cost than satellites, and why blockchain technology became the missing piece for global scale.

Topics:

• How Spexi's decentralized drone network collects imagery at 3cm resolution (10x better than traditional aerial mapping, 50x cheaper than satellites)
• The evolution from expensive airplane-based aerial photography to accessible consumer drone mapping
• How blockchain technology enables "proof of capture" and authentication for decentralized data collection
• Real-world applications: insurance underwriting, 911 emergency response, last-mile delivery optimization, city operations

Notable Quotes:

• "This is all for computer and robot interactions... to make minute by minute operational decisions"
• "The last hundred meter problem" - solving hyperlocal spatial data needs that Google Maps can't address

Guest: Bill Lakeland, CEO & Co-founder of Spexi Geospatial
Hosted by Bryce Bladon
Edited by AJ Fillari
Sponsored by Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

Host Bryce Bladon shares his journey from co-founding CryptoKitties—the blockchain game that became WIRED's mascot and catalyzed the NFT movement—to discovering the transformative potential of drone infrastructure. Bryce explains his career in identifying emerging technologies, why the drone industry represents a fundamental infrastructure upgrade, and how a conversation about blockchain led him to join Spexi Geospatial.

Topics:

• How CryptoKitties (2017) pioneered NFTs and became WIRED's mascot
• Why the drone industry (~$90B) is worth 2x the video game industry
• Pattern recognition: infrastructure + underestimated demand = transformative opportunity
• Why blockchain makes sense for global drone networks (frictionless payments, standardization)

Highlights:

• Technological maturity: consumer drones now match $100K+ equipment
• Regulatory clarity: aviation authorities establishing commercial frameworks
• Demand explosion: agriculture, insurance, urban planning need high-resolution spatial data faster

Hosted by Bryce Bladon.
Edited by AJ Fillari.
Sponsored by Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

Introducing the DRONE ON podcast: mapping the tech, economics, and people building the world’s largest drone imagery network.

Hosted by Bryce Bladon.
Edited by AJ Fillari.
Sponsored by Spexi.com and LayerDrone.org