The Spatial Web by Gabriel Rene and Dan Mapes

If the future Web continues to develop as it has in the past, there is a new dimension coming. Web 3.0 will see a combining of digital and physical lives. Pages on the Web are connected now on computers. In the future people will be connected to people, places, and things in the real world. Imagery will dominate. We watch a movie now. Imagine a future where one would “experience” a movie, being blown by the wind or being bounced by an earthquake.

The authors wonder if the new technologies will be aligned with our core values. There are dire implications if they are not. Now we worry about someone hacking our social media account. In the future someone might gain access to a replica of our face or voice. (99) Now we have fake news. Imagine a future where there is fake reality. (100)

The right decisions regarding Web 3.0 need to be made now. The authors and their associates have established the VERSES Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to a free and secure Spatial Web. (189) They have proposed a set of universal standards and lay out the protocols needed.

The authors do note even though it seems the Web 3.0 they have envisioned is inevitable, much dialogue, development and commitment would be required from those involved, from creators to governments and all in between. (189) The authors and their associates hope to facilitate the development, securing a future we will want to live in.

I'm a technology lay person. Much of what the authors wrote about and explained were beyond my comprehension. Nonetheless, having seen the misuse of the Web as it is, I share their concern for the Spatial Web of the future. I found this book to be very informative and forward looking. I recommend it to those involved in designing the stage for the next development of the Web, the Spatial Web.

You can watch the book trailer here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Gabriel Rene is the executive director of VERSES Foundation. You can find out more at https://www.verses.io/ .

Dan Mapes is the founder of Verses.io, spatial intelligence systems integrating mixed reality, artificial intelligence and blockchains. He is the founder and ceo of Cyberlab. He lives in the greater Los Angeles area. You can find out more at https://www.verses.io/ .

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through The Spatial Web launch team. My comments are an independent and honest review.