Brent van der Heiden
Brent van der Heiden is the founder and chief executive behind MapMetrics, a Web3 “drive to earn” navigation and mapping project that applies decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) principles to mobility and traffic data. Through MapMetrics, he focuses on giving drivers a way to monetize their location and usage data while contributing to community owned navigation infrastructure that competes with traditional, centralized mapping platforms.
Overview
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of MapMetrics, van der Heiden oversees product strategy, technical direction and ecosystem partnerships for the project. MapMetrics positions itself as a Web3 navigation app where users contribute real time location and traffic information by driving with the app, and in return receive token rewards. This model aims to align incentives between individual drivers, data buyers and the broader network by tokenizing the value of high quality mobility data and distributing that value back to contributors.
Van der Heiden’s work sits at the intersection of crypto, mapping and data economy innovation. By combining DePIN design with token incentives, MapMetrics attempts to build a crowdsourced mapping network that can be more transparent, auditable and community aligned than traditional Web2 services, while still offering familiar navigation features to everyday drivers.
History and Background
Publicly available information describes van der Heiden as an entrepreneur focused on applying blockchain technology to practical, day to day applications rather than purely financial use cases. He founded MapMetrics with the goal of addressing what he viewed as an imbalance in the data economy, where large platforms capture most of the value from user generated data while individuals receive little direct benefit. By designing a system in which traffic and location data are treated as on chain assets, he aims to create a more direct relationship between data generation and data rewards.
Under his leadership, MapMetrics has been developed as a mobile first navigation experience that embeds tokenized rewards into a conventional driving app. This approach is intended to make participation accessible to non technical users while still integrating with blockchain based infrastructure in the background.
MapMetrics and Core Products
MapMetrics is built around a drive to earn model. Drivers use the navigation app in their everyday routines and, by keeping it active while they move, contribute anonymized GPS and traffic data to the network. In return, they can earn the project’s native MMAPS token, which is designed to reflect the utility and demand for high quality geospatial data within the ecosystem.
- Drive to earn navigation: Users run the MapMetrics app while driving, contributing live traffic, speed and route data.
- Tokenized data rewards: Data contributions are rewarded in MMAPS tokens, which are intended to be used within the ecosystem for access to services or participation in governance, as determined by the project’s tokenomics.
- DePIN based mapping: The project treats navigation and traffic infrastructure as decentralized physical infrastructure, where network participants collectively build and maintain the data layer.
- Data marketplace potential: Over time, the project aims to make crowdsourced mobility data available to third parties under transparent terms, while returning value to data originators.
MapMetrics initially launched on Solana, leveraging that network’s low transaction costs and high throughput. In 2024 the project began transitioning core components to the peaq ecosystem in order to integrate more closely with DePIN oriented infrastructure, while continuing to explore a multi chain strategy.
Role in the DePIN and Web3 Data Ecosystem
Van der Heiden is closely associated with the DePIN segment of the crypto industry, where projects attempt to coordinate real world infrastructure and hardware using blockchains and tokens. Through MapMetrics, he advocates an owner user model in which individuals who supply data or hardware capacity receive a measurable share of the network’s value. This contrasts with legacy mapping platforms where drivers and commuters are treated primarily as passive data sources.
His work with MapMetrics also includes collaborating with other DePIN and mobility focused projects, particularly within the peaq ecosystem, to explore shared data standards and interoperability. The goal is to allow multiple applications to benefit from a common pool of high quality, user generated infrastructure data, while still respecting privacy and access controls.
Funding, Team and Governance
MapMetrics is presented publicly as a founder led project, with van der Heiden serving as the primary executive and product lead. The team includes contributors across software development, mapping, community management and business development. While detailed funding disclosures are limited, the project has emphasized gradual ecosystem building, technical integration with partner networks and community adoption of the drive to earn model over highly publicized fundraising events.
Token governance and the long term role of MMAPS in protocol decision making remain areas of ongoing development. Van der Heiden has highlighted the importance of aligning token incentives with sustainable network usage, rather than short term speculative activity, as MapMetrics scales to more drivers and data buyers.
Risks and Considerations
As with many early stage DePIN and data economy projects, MapMetrics and van der Heiden’s work face several risks. The project depends on continued user growth so that the navigation data remains comprehensive and competitive with established mapping providers. The value of token rewards is also tied to demand for MMAPS and the utility of the associated services, which can be volatile in the broader crypto market.
In addition, handling location and mobility data requires careful attention to privacy standards, regulation and technical safeguards. MapMetrics’ ability to protect user identities while still producing commercially useful datasets will be a key factor in its long term adoption. Van der Heiden’s role will likely continue to focus on balancing these regulatory, technical and economic considerations as the project matures within the evolving DePIN and Web3 data landscape.
