OriginTrail announces that their latest updates to the Decentralized Knowledge Graph (DKG) in version 6 as the biggest update in integration and interoperability since its inception in 2018!

The DKG ot-node v6 RC1 (Release Candidate 1) is now fully specified, verified and has reached the final stages of software implementation, bringing new features such as UALs, incentivization, advanced keyword search, Polkadot integration and more. Stage 2 further extends the scope of the v6 bounty program from technical validation to collective population of the Web3 Asset Graph incentivizing asset publishers to the DKG. Stage 2 kicks off with the RC1 release on the OriginTrail DKG v6 testnet. After months of iteration and telemetry analysis, the core development team behind OriginTrail has feature-locked and finalized the specification of the biggest update since its inception.

What’s new in OriginTrail version 6?

The upcoming update to v6 introduces a major paradigm shift in the capabilities of the DKG, evolving the knowledge graph to extend from data to Web3 assets. Users of the DKG v6 will now be able to create their unique DKG graphs as Web3-native assets, representing, describing and linking to any physical or digital asset, collectively forming a massive, verifiable, global, decentralized knowledge graph.

In v6, each of the published assets receives a new type of identifier — the Uniform Asset Locator (UAL), a Web3 extension of the URI/URL scheme used in Web2. However, in contrast to URLs which point to Web2 resources (e.g. websites) and are effectively rented from centralized authorities, UALs are Web3 native identifiers in full control by their owners, linking to any asset in existence via their verifiable asset graphs.

A key application enabled by the introduction of UALs is Web3 search — a fully decentralized, verifiable protocol for the discovery of assets indexed in the Decentralized Knowledge Graph. The DKG v6 gives asset owners full control over the way their assets are shown in search results, as well as those searching to find any asset with fully verifiable search results.

Apart from many new features, version 6 of OriginTrail introduces an incredible performance boost, seeing multiple throughput KPIs at 500x improvement from v5.

These new capabilities and performance improvements are enabled by introduction of several key technologies into OriginTrail v6:

• OriginTrail dedicated Polkadot Parachain: a highly scalable, tailored blockchain for the OriginTrail DKG (recently launched on Polkadot) with native interoperability with all of Polkadot, opening way for integrations with Web3 ecosystems such the Acala DeFi hub, Efinity by Enjin, KILT protocol, Moonbeam and others (OriginTrail DKG remains a multichain DKG integrated with Ethereum, Gnosis and Polygon blockchains).
• Native NFT ownership representation: each DKG asset now consists of its own asset graph (as part of the DKG) and a corresponding non-fungible token representing ownership of the graph on a particular blockchain. All asset graphs are therefore natively compatible with all existing NFT tools and services(such as NFT marketplaces), as well as enabling existing NFTs to be extended with asset graphs and indexed in the DKG.
• Native W3C RDF graph representation: asset graphs are natively represented according to the W3C standardized Resource Description Framework (RDF), enabling compatibility with existing KGs (e.g. Google) and standards based semantic technologies (JSON-LD, SPARQL, OWL, SHACL etc).
• UALs as unique asset locators: binding together NFTs and asset graphs, UALs give Web3 assets a unique, verifiable, cross-chain asset ID and locator for asset graph data.
• Decentralized Search index: enabling discovery of assets in Web3 with a fully decentralized search engine, built on open source standardized technologies, starting with keyword search and staking. These Web3 search results are fully controlled by users, built on top of UALs and provide verifiable ranking scores using well known algorithms e.g. Google PageRank.
• Continued support for industry standards such as the new GS1 EPCIS 2.0 and Digital Link, W3C DIDs and Verifiable Credentials and many others, some of which have already been integrated into latest pharmaceutical asset tracking solution AidTrust built on OriginTrail in collaboration with British Standards Institution.

All of the above mentioned features will be available through a plethora of new clients (including a light node client in the near future) in popular programming languages (Javascript, Rust, Python, etc) for Web3 developers across the Polkadot and Ethereum ecosystems.

The road ahead of feature-lock & stage 2 testnet

The OriginTrail version 6 RC1 kickstarts stage two of v6 launch with the feature-locked DKG implementation next week, following the release of EVM support on the OriginTrail Parachain testnet (as indicated in the Parachain roadmap).

Therefore Stage 2 introduces a new v6 testnet launched on the OriginTrail Parachain testnet, which will be the final environment for verification and testing before proceeding with OriginTrail v6 mainnet launch on the OriginTrail Parachain this August.

Following the initial release of v6 on mainnet, further updates will introduce:

• Keyword Staking and Node Delegation — enabling asset owners and token holders to contribute their dormant TRAC tokens to the network utility for a share of the network fees,
• Launch DKG incentives on OriginTrail Parachain via the OTP token, incentivizing system participants for activities contributing to the growth of the OriginTrail DKG,
• DKG Asset marketplace tools, which are under ongoing development,
• Cross-Web3 integrations via Polkadot,
• New interfaces and improvements in associated tooling.

Magnifying interaction with OriginTrail

In order for the new capabilities of OriginTrail to be easily available for users, we are introducing a new core interface aimed at growing the OriginTrail DKG.

As we are approaching the upcoming Metcalfe phase, we will see continuous development of The Magnify project — an application interface that will leverage the v6 capabilities to enable an enhanced, Web3-native, asset ownership experience. It will allow asset publishers to quickly add assets and populate the DKG and at the same time allow asset consumers to easily discover assets.

In Stage 2 of the OriginTrail v6 launch we will see the Magnify project kick-off with the first of the multiple activities ongoing over the course of the following weeks and months (focusing on growing the number of assets on the DKG). The asset publishers will, for the first time ever, have the opportunity to create verifiable and ownable search results for the universe of assets. It will allow them to be among the first to create an ownable search results that will evolve over time, build a defensible position in the search rank and magnify its value!

As we see the OriginTrail DKG get populated with a universe of (Web3 native) assets and search results, the capabilities for asset consumers, including DKG-powered anonymised asset discoverability and a chance to become owners of the found assets.

The interface will also support the upcoming staking functionalities, allowing asset owners to put their tokens to work by staking TRAC to Keywords for discoverability and allow any TRAC holder to delegate TRAC to nodes for a share of rewards.

V6 as an adoption catalyst

Previous versions of OriginTrail (up to including v5) have made it possible for all groups of users (enterprises, government sector, Web3 builders etc.) to connect and verify information thanks to the semantic and linked data technology intertwined with the multi-chain blockchain layer. The v6 now magnifies both the scale and the scope of capabilities given to DKG users as they transform data publishings into the omniverse of assets they will now be able to grow in value.

At Trace Labs — core OriginTrail team, we barely wait to harness the excitement that has been growing throughout the ecosystem of users and see billions of assets transform the future Internet real estate.

Make sure to #TraceON!