The Future of Geopositioning: How Chirp’s Kage App Built the World’s Largest DePIN Database

The World’s First DePIN Game With Real-World Utility

The Kage App by Chirp is more than just another Web3 game — it’s a revolution. As the world’s first DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) game with real-world utility, Kage allows users to earn rewards by contributing to a crowdsourced geopositioning database.

The scale of what Chirp has accomplished in just three months (November 24, 2024 — February 24, 2025) is mind-blowing — users have already scanned over 2 billion unique networks, 481 million Wi-Fi hotspots, and 25 million cell towers. To put that into perspective, Web2 competitor WiGLE took 19 years to reach just 551 million total networks — and Kage has obliterated that record in just 90 days.

What Is Wardriving, and Why Does It Matter?

The concept behind Kage is based on an old technique known as wardriving — the act of scanning for wireless networks while moving through an area. Traditionally, wardriving was used by security researchers and tech enthusiasts to map out Wi-Fi signals in cities, but Kage has taken it to the next level. Instead of remaining a niche activity, Chirp has gamified wardriving, allowing anyone to contribute to a decentralized, crowdsourced location database that can replace GPS in many applications.

The Real-World Utility of Chirp’s Geolocation Database

Unlike many Play-to-Earn games that offer nothing beyond speculation, Kage is building a geolocation system with real utility. The database created by Chirp’s community enables geopositioning without dependence on GPS

How Geopositioning Works With GPS vs. Chirp’s Database

• Traditional GPS: Uses satellites to determine location but fails indoors, underground, in tunnels, and during GPS jamming (caused by military conflicts, bad weather, or interference).
• Chirp’s Database: Uses scanned Wi-Fi, cell towers, and BLE signals to estimate a device’s position, even when GPS is unavailable.

How Chirp’s Geolocation Works: The Power of Wireless Signals & LoRa TDOA

We are surrounded by wireless signals every day — Wi-Fi routers in homes and businesses, cell towers that keep our phones connected, and Bluetooth devices that link our gadgets together. These signals are more than just a way to access the internet or make calls — they can be used for geolocation and wayfinding, even without GPS.

1. Wi-Fi Positioning: Every Wi-Fi router has a unique identifier (MAC address), and its signal strength decreases as you move further away. By scanning nearby Wi-Fi networks and matching them against Chirp’s growing database of GPS-tagged MAC addresses and signal strengths (RSSI), a device can estimate its location. Users build this database by logging networks along with their GPS coordinates, allowing future queries to determine location based on detected signals., a device can estimate its position even indoors where GPS fails.
2. Cell Tower Triangulation: When a device connects to multiple cell towers, it can measure the strength and timing of signals to determine its approximate location. Chirp’s database enhances this by storing millions of cell tower locations for better accuracy.
3. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons: BLE signals are commonly used in smart buildings, malls, and airports. Chirp can integrate these signals into its database to enable precise indoor navigation without needing GPS.
4. LoRa TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival): Chirp is the only network that can locate LoRaWAN devices that do not have built-in GPS by using TDOA. This method measures the difference in time it takes for signals to reach multiple Blackbird gateways, allowing for fairly accurate positioning even for low-power IoT devices.

This is a breakthrough for navigation. We’ve been using GPS-based systems for years, but they still don’t work indoors, in parking garages, or underground. Chirp is changing that by enabling navigation in places where traditional systems fail. This has the potential to redefine how we navigate the world, making indoor mapping, logistics, and emergency response significantly more effective.

Where Chirp’s Geolocation Database Can Be Used

Where Chirp’s Geolocation Database Can Be Used

1. Indoor & Underground Positioning — GPS doesn’t work in malls, underground parking, subway stations, or large buildings. Chirp’s database provides an alternative for navigation.
2. Military & High-Security Applications — GPS signals can be jammed during warfare or restricted in certain areas, but Chirp’s system continues to function.
3. Low-Power IoT Devices — Traditional GPS consumes a lot of battery power. A DoG (Device-on-Guard) tracker using Chirp’s database instead of GPS could last weeks longer on a single charge.
4. Child Safety & Anti-Kidnapping Solutions — Many missing persons cases happen indoors, where GPS is useless. A Chirp-powered tracking app could greatly improve recovery chances by detecting known Wi-Fi signals nearby.
5. Treasure Hunt & Gamification — Chirp is working on turning Kage into a Pokémon GO-style game, where players hunt for valuable digital rewards while scanning networks. This blends gaming, real-world exploration, and valuable data collection into one experience.

Chirp vs. WiGLE: The Power of DePIN

Chirp has achieved something no centralized Web2 project ever could — in just two months, it has surpassed what WiGLE took nearly 20 years to build.

WiGLE (Since 2001)

• Total Networks Scanned — 551M (by 2019)
• Wi-Fi Networks — 345M (by 2017)
• Cell Towers — 7.8M (by 2017)

Kage (3 Month: Nov 2024–Feb 2025)

• Total Networks Scanned — 2 Billion
• Wi-Fi Networks — 482M
• Cell Towers — 25M

This is the power of DePIN — instead of a small group of people collecting data, Chirp incentivizes an entire community to contribute, making it the largest decentralized geopositioning database in the world.

Chirp is building real infrastructure with direct applications in IoT, security, logistics, and beyond. The global GPS market is projected to reach $472 billion by 2034, and Chirp is positioned to capture a massive share of that market by offering a decentralized, scalable, and more power-efficient alternative to traditional GPS.

Kage is not just a game — it’s the beginning of a new decentralized movement in location technology.

The question isn’t if Chirp will be massive — it’s when.