As the AdEx project evolves, so does our concept and timeline for its development. Below is the revised and updated roadmap for AdEx.
Stage 1: Research [Completed]
June 2016 — June 2017
During this stage we researched the feasibility of the vision to create a decentralized and transparent ad network. We worked closely with the WINGS Foundation and other advisors to arrive at the current concept and assemble a suitable team.
Stage 2: Token Crowdsale [Completed]
June 2017 — July 2017
This stage marks the deployment of the first AdEx smart contract and the announcement of ADX token. The ADX token will launch with the help of WINGS.
There will be a crowdsale in which 80% of the ADX token will be offered and the rest will be distributed to the team, advisors, bounty program and WINGS DA.
The crowdsale is necessary to fund the development of the prototype and the business development required to drive initial adoption.
Stage 3: Prototype/AdEx Dapp Beta [Completed]
July 2017 — February 2018
The first AdEx prototype will be delivered as early as February 2018, and it will include a basic ad bidding system with a front-end for advertisers and a front-end for publishers, as well as an SDK for publishers.
This prototype will focus on native advertising and display advertising.
It will be completely open-source and independently audited.
Stage 4: Adoption and Improvement
February 2018 — July 2019
This stage includes heavy business development. The software development is driven by the market needs and feedback as we increase the adoption rate of the AdEx system.
We will continue to bring new functionalities and enhance the user experience within the AdEx dapp.
Additionally, during this stage we are bringing other forms of advertising to the dapp — for example video advertising.
Stage 5: Rolling Out the AdEx Protocol
July 2018 — September 2018
At this stage, we are releasing the AdEx protocol. It is a generalized advertising infrastructure that includes smart contracts and our node (i.e. a scaling solution). This protocol aims at fully bridging the advertising and blockchain industries in order to allow for more and better blockchain-based advertising solutions.
During this stage, we will experiment with various scaling solutions like Plasma. We will also test options for reward systems for attention monetization.
Stage 6: Dapp Improvements
July 2018 — September 2018
During Q3 2018, we are introducing new functionalities to the AdEx dapp.
This stage brings massive improvements to the user targeting and reporting.
We also plan to enhance the user experience — most importantly, we will work towards making the integration of the publisher SDK as easy as possible.