We’re excited to announce a strategic partnership with Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super app for transportation, deliveries, and financial services. Together, we’re reshaping the mapping industry by combining NATIX’s crowdsourced, blockchain-powered mapping data with Grab’s cutting-edge camera hardware and AI-powered mapmaking technology. This partnership brings together the best of both worlds.

Grab is a pioneer of crowdsourced mapping with millions of drivers and award-winning camera hardware, and with its state-of-the-art AI-based mapmaking software stack, it is already leading the mapping market in Southeast Asia. NATIX, on the other hand, is the world’s largest decentralized mapping network that rewards users for the data contributed through its unique DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) model. By joining forces, we’re making high-resolution, freshly updated maps a global reality.

Advanced Technology and Mapmaking Capabilities

Grab is no stranger to maps. For years, Grab has been building maps to power its proprietary navigation, ridesharing, and food services, all using crowdsourced data from its network of drivers. Think of it as an early centralized prototype of DePIN with fiat incentivization. The necessity for better coverage and better maps to power their services in Southeast Asia led to this experience with maps.

Two factors make Grab a leader in mapmaking and an ideal partner for NATIX:

Quality Hardware

Grab’s experience in manufacturing state-of-the-art cameras places it as one of the top manufacturers of mapping-focused hardware and a valuable partner for NATIX’s Internet of Cameras. Grab’s entire data collection stack, from smartphone to 360° imagery and Tesla devices, includes:

• KartaCam – Small action cameras mounted on bike helmets or car windshields by driver-partners while they’re ferrying passengers or delivering goods, used to collect high-quality SLI for mapmaking.
• 360° Standalone Camera – The 2024 Red Dot Design Award winner, KartaCam 2, is a lightweight and compact 360° camera used for mapping purposes. With built-in image sensors and powerful GPS capabilities, the device is equipped with AI-based image optimization to analyze images in real time and perform advanced object recognition.
• Dashcam – A front-facing dashcam for video recording of the driver’s journey, used to enhance safety and help improve Grab maps.
• Tesla Plugin – Powered by KartaView, this device for Tesla vehicles streamlines video on-device storage. This is the foundation for the VX360.
• Smartphone App – Similar to the NATIX app, KartaView relies on the smartphone camera as an open platform for street-level imagery where anyone can contribute images and videos.

Powerful AI Software

With years of operational experience, crowdsourced data collection, and optimization of its mapping capabilities, Grab built one of the best technologies for street-level imagery (SLI) processing, developed by the KartaView project (formerly OpenStreetView and OpenStreetCam). Leveraging its vast collection of SLI, Grab trained and developed an AI-based technology that turns imagery into maps.

NATIX - Mapping the Real World in Real Time

Traditional mapping methods are inefficient and costly, often operating with limited coverage and update frequency. Relying on centralized approaches to mapping means even having to invest trillions of dollars to keep every map updated on a daily basis. For that reason, companies focus their efforts on frequently updating densely populated areas, while urban and remote regions can often go years without accounting for change.

That’s where NATIX comes in. 

At NATIX, we’ve built the world’s largest on-street camera network, enabling drivers worldwide to monetize their driving data while contributing to the next generation of maps. We started with smartphones, leveraging our AI-powered Drive& app to crowdsource map attributes, and with the VX360, we’re giving Tesla drivers access and storage for their vehicle’s camera feed — while earning rewards for contributing 360° imagery that will be used for better mapping solutions and to power Physical AI (autonomous driving and robots), thus contributing to DePAI.

The Perfect Partnership for a New Era

Grab is not just a data customer but a partner for global mapping. Together, we will provide more updated maps globally. NATIX provides Grab with inexpensive, targeted, and fresh global mapping data to improve its mapping pipeline. Meanwhile, NATIX will use Grab’s hardware and software technology to expand our Internet of Cameras and the ability to process the data we collect and provide enterprise-grade maps and map services.  

This partnership is not just about maps—it’s about the future of mobility and AI-driven infrastructure. By integrating NATIX’s decentralized data collection with Grab’s AI-based mapping pipeline, we’re saving years of R&D efforts to build better maps for everyone with fresh, real-time updates from drivers worldwide.

NATIX’s DePIN model ensures our global data collection is more scalable than ever, and with our incentive-based mechanism, we’re unmatched when it comes to network mobility. With NATIX’s constant stream of high-quality worldwide data with Grab’s superior camera-focused hardware, advanced SLI image processing powers, and its AI-based mapping solutions, we can offer one of the best value propositions in the world of mapping.

Stay tuned as we expand this partnership, and join us in shaping the future of mapping.