Diego Di Tommaso, OVER - Building the Real-World Metaverse: How to Scale 3D Mapping (#58)
June 19, 2025 | 55:44 | Episode 58
In a world racing toward spatial computing and augmented reality, Over has quietly become a powerhouse. Founded in 2020 as a metaverse project, Over has since evolved into one of the most ambitious builders in the DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) space. Its mission? To map the world in 3D, one hexagon at a time.
In a recent episode of the #DePINedPodcast, co-founder Diego Di Tommaso shared the arc of Over’s journey: selling virtual land and creating a decentralized visual positioning system (VPS) infrastructure that rivals even Web2 giants.
Digital Land and Global VPS
Over’s early vision was Web3-native: sell NFT-based digital land that mirrors physical locations, allowing users to publish AR content anchored in the real world. Think of them like spatial domains: if you own the digital twin of a Manhattan street corner, you control what AR content appears there. But there was a problem: GPS wasn’t precise enough.
To overcome that, Over transitioned from relying on GPS to building a computer vision-based visual positioning system. Unlike GPS, VPS uses the device camera stream to locate a device in space with centimeter-level accuracy. But VPS only works when you have highly detailed 3D maps. So Over pivoted again—toward building the maps themselves.
The 3D Map Race
Since 2022, Over has focused on mapping the physical world. In just over a year, they’ve built 128,000 maps, with a goal to reach half a million. These maps are not just data points—they’re the backbone for decentralized AR, and they position Over as one of the few real competitors to Web2 players like Niantic.
Mapping is done by users with smartphones. A single map, covering 300 square meters, can be created in under five minutes and earns the mapper $0.90 to $3 in Over’s native token. The images are processed into point clouds and Gaussian splats using a GPU-powered pipeline. A job that took 6 hours in 2022 now takes just 35 minutes.
Who Needs a 3D World?
This data isn’t just for AR enthusiasts. Over is seeing demand from three emerging markets:
AR platforms that want contextualized experiences tied to specific locations.
Robotics and autonomous agents that need precise spatial understanding.
AI companies training large spatial models (akin to LLMs) that require real-world 3D inputs.
The implications are huge. Over’s datasets power not only immersive AR, but also the future of AI-driven perception.
DePIN Flywheel and Token Economics
Over’s decentralized architecture aligns with DePIN values. Landowners earn a share of revenue from businesses publishing AR content on their locations. The team also redistributes earnings and burns tokens to maintain a deflationary economy. Over has already burned 2M tokens out of its 96M supply and distributed 1.3M in mapping rewards.
Collaboration over Competition
Over works closely with other DePIN players, including partnerships with NATIX for automotive mapping and potential integrations with drone and audio data projects like Spexi and Silencio. Their ambition? To become the interoperable layer for all things spatial, building the largest 3D map infrastructure on-chain.
The Road Ahead
With 840,000 parcels of digital land sold and smart glasses adoption on the horizon, Over is building toward a future where AR content is as ubiquitous as websites are today. They believe whoever controls the 3D maps controls the spatial web.
As Diego notes, “Software can be replicated. Data can’t. Maps are the moat”
About DePINed Podcast
DePINed is a podcast exploring the frontier of decentralized physical infrastructure, hosted by Tom Trowbridge, co-founder of Fluence. Each episode features in-depth conversations with founders, builders, and investors who are shaping the future of real-world Web3 networks.
🎙️ Want to be a guest? Fill out the form here
📡 Catch 50+ episodes featuring top DePIN founders and trailblazing protocols on:
