DRONE ON

Bryce Bladon

0.0 (0)
TECHNOLOGY

DRONE ON explores how drones are reshaping the world. Hosted by Bryce Bladon, the podcast documents the tech, economics and people piloting the world's largest standardized drone imagery network.

15 DEC

LayerDrone: From Trusted Alpha to First Autonomous Aerial Data Network

How do you build the world's largest drone imagery network from scratch? Graham Anderson, Operations Manager at Spexi Geospatial, reveals the untold story of LayerDrone's journey from 230 test missions in a single Canadian town to covering over 200 municipalities across North America. Discover how consumer drones, blockchain incentives, and a community of pioneering pilots transformed a vision into reality—starting with test flights off a garage’s roof in Vernon, BC. How the network started with 230 missions in Cochrane, Alberta with color-coded Google MapsScaling from 4 pilots to 5,000+ across North America in 18 monthsWhy standardization was the key to rapid growth (00:00) - The History of the World's First Autonomous Drone Network (00:53) - Meet Graham: Ops Manager for the World's Largest Drone Network (02:36) - Spexi seeds LayerDrone when Bill wants bite-sized pieces of the earth mapped (04:46) - The Trusted Alpha and First Flights on the Network (08:29) - Today's flights vs. the trusted alpha (09:10) - The Known User Alpha (15:55) - The network's private beta (19:31) - The network's public beta (21:03) - The network's testnet (22:02) - Launching LayerDrone in 2025 (26:15) - The big unlock for drones: standardization (27:21) - How pilots built the network (29:04) - Innovation or Idiotic? Hosted by Bryce Bladon | Edited by AJ Fillari | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org

32 min
8 DEC

How LayerDrone Became the World's Largest Standardized Drone Network

Alec Wilson, COO of Spexi, explains how LayerDrone became the world’s largest standardized drone imagery network, and why Spexi made the decision to spin LayerDrone out into a public-good, crypto-economic protocol. He goes on to share: his journey from helicopter pilot to building one of the most ambitious aerial data networks in the world, the regulatory evolution of drones in Canadian airspace, how LayerDrone standardizes imagery from thousands of pilots, and why spatial AI, world models, and next-gen robotics companies are hungry for ultra-high-resolution, frequently updated aerial data.Discussed How to go from flying helicopters to co-founding a drone training company that certified 10,000+ pilotsThe founding vision behind LayerDrone as an open-source, crypto-economic protocol for standardized drone imageryWhy Spexi spun out LayerDrone and their role as the founding core contributorHow the network balances pilot agency with safety requirements and regulatory complianceThe relationship between Spexi (demand) and LayerDrone (supply)Timecodes (00:00) - LayerDrone: the World’s Largest Standardized Drone (00:20) - Alec Wilson: Helicopter Pilot to Drone COO (01:51) - Alec co-founds Coastal Drone (04:17) - LayerDrone's founding vision (06:37) - Spexi's relationship with LayerDrone (07:47) - LayerDrone standardizes and coordinates thousands of drones (09:57) - Why take the risk of creating LayerDrone? (16:32) - Innovation or Idiotic? Hosted by Bryce Bladon | Edited by AJ Fillari | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org

20 min
1 DEC

Becoming the DePIN Drone Ambassador with Mapster

Bryce welcomes Mapster (Sony), LayerDrone's top community contributor and the DePIN ambassador for drones and spatial data. As someone uniquely positioned between the crypto and drone communities, Mapster shares his decade-long journey from recreational drone pilot to DePIN enthusiast, explaining how his passion for hardware engineering led him to discover the convergence of blockchain technology and physical infrastructure. Discussed: What DePIN really means for drone pilots (and why understanding DePIN isn't necessarily required to benefit from it)How Spexi is the perfect way to start flying dronesBuilding a DePIN-mobile with a Tesla, Hivemapper, DIMO, and GEODNET devices (00:00) - Today: Becoming a DePIN and Drone Ambassador (01:04) - Mapster, Drones, and DePIN (05:54) - Why we keep discussing DePIN (08:52) - ...but why DePIN? (13:39) - How to join the network (14:51) - Innovation or Idiotic? (18:14) - The Bryce is Wrong!? Hosted by Bryce Bladon | Edited by AJ Fillari | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org

22 min
24 NOV

How Tokens Solve the Drone Industry's Scalability Problem

Graham Anderson, Operations Manager at Spexi, explains how cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are solving the drone industry's scalability challenge. He discusses how DePINs (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) are revolutionizing drone operations, how standardized data products unlock global networks, and why tokens enable coordination at scale that traditional payment methods cannot match. Discussed: The $50B DePIN market and its path to $3.5T by 2028Why traditional drone services can't scale across geographiesWhat crypto actually does (and doesn’t do) for a drone network (00:00) - How Crypto Empowers Drone Ops with Graham from Spexi_2025-11-10 11_32_35 (00:47) - Guest Introduction: Graham Anderson, Ops Manager @ Spexi (04:06) - Today's episode: why do drones benefit from the blockchain or crypto? (09:42) - What does crypto "do" for the network? For pilots? (12:06) - The DePIN challenge Spexi overcame: hardware makes things harder (15:24) - Technologies like drones and crypto go through waves (23:09) - "Fight or Flight" Segment (25:59) - Segment: The Bryce is Wrong Hosted by Bryce Bladon | Edited by AJ Fillari | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org

28 min
17 NOV

How Crypto Can Enable the Future of Drone Services

What if Uber paid their drivers with tokens? This episode explores how tokenization and decentralization are creating new economic models for drone-based businesses and the pilots who power them. Matt Chwierut brings over a decade of experience to break down complex concepts like tokens, token-powered networks, and how they differ from traditional platform models. He explains why LayerDrone chose to build on blockchain, what it means for drone pilots to be paid in tokens rather than cash, and how this approach creates a fundamentally different relationship between contributors and the networks they help build. From the evolution of open-source protocols to the limitations of platform-based models like Uber, Matt explains how tokens offer a third path—one that combines the openness of protocols with aligned financial incentives for all participants. Guest: Matt Chwierut, Head of Crypto, Spexi Geospatial, Inc. Discussed: What is a token? Understanding provably scarce digital assets and how they differ from traditional digital currenciesToken-powered networks: The third way between open-source protocols and centralized platformsWhy LayerDrone chose blockchain: Moving beyond the "Uber for drones" model to give pilots a stake in the networkDePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks): How physical infrastructure meets blockchain incentivesPilot empowerment: Why paying pilots in tokens creates fundamentally different economics than cash-based platformsThe future of decentralized work: Coordinating skilled human contributors in non-fungible work through tokenizationTimestamps: [00:00] Introduction to DRONE ON[01:00] Guest introduction: Matt Chwierut's decade in Web3[03:00] What is a token? Breaking down the basics[05:00] Token-powered networks: A third path for digital infrastructure[08:00] The problems with traditional platform models[11:00] What is DePIN and why it matters for drones[15:00] Why LayerDrone chose to build on blockchain[18:00] How paying pilots in tokens is different from paying in cash[23:00] Where to learn more about LayerDrone[23:30] "Bryce is Wrong" segment: Blockchain stories from 2018 Hosted by Bryce Bladon (brycebladon.com) | Edited by AJ Fillari (ajfillari.online) | Sponsored by Spexi.com & LayerDrone.org

26 min
10 NOV

Becoming a Drone First Responder: From Hobby to Paid Pilot

Daniel shares his journey from building DIY drones in 2014 to becoming a professional Drone First Responder. With roughly 1,000 missions flown with Spexi for the LayerDrone network, Daniel discusses the competitive nature of drone work, the importance of staying calm under pressure, and how fly-to-earn opportunities reignited his passion for aviation. 00:38 Introduction to Daniel Whitfield, Drone First Responder05:27 A DFR's Work Week09:49 Special Segment: The Bryce is Wrong Discussed: Breaking into professional drone work through SpexiLife as a Drone First Responder (DFR) supporting police and emergency servicesOptimizing flight strategies for maximum efficiency on the Spexi appBalancing emergency response work with mapping missionsHighlights "Spexi motivated me to get my Part 107, which eventually elevated me to this job where I get to be on top of the world.""You gotta have kind of a spirit of wonder. You wanna just push for what hasn't been done before."Connect with Daniel YouTube: Aerial CinemaThe rest of the internet: CloudyConnexHosted by Bryce Bladon (brycebladon.com) | Edited by AJ Fillari (ajfillari.online) Sponsored by Spexi.com | LayerDrone.org

13 min
3 NOV

How Does a Drone App Use Blockchain Tech?

Rowan Weismiller discusses how the Spexi app uses blockchain technology, and what that means for LayerDrone, a decentralized protocol for drone imagery collection. Learn about NFT flight receipts, smart contracts, and building a pilot-owned data network that sets world-scale standards for aerial imagery. Key Topics: How Spexi integrates blockchain technology into drone imagery collectionThe transition from centralized to decentralized systems and smart contract challengesNFTs as flight receipts and mission verification toolsCreating a world-scale standard for aerial imagery collectionThe LayerDrone Foundation's approach to decentralizing the tech stackHighlights: Spexi maintains flight receipt NFTs as an immutable record of pilot activities“If drone manufacturers want to give pilots a good reason to buy their drone, they would create an app on this network and allow people to participate.”0:00 - Meet Rowan Weismiller 1:45 - How Spexi Uses Blockchain Technology 8:00 - Building a World-Scale Standard for Aerial Imagery 13:00 - Innovation or Idiotic? Game Segment Hosted by Bryce Bladon (brycebladon.com) | Edited by AJ Fillari (ajfillari.online) | Sponsored by Spexi.com | LayerDrone.org

16 min
27 OCT

Mapping 3.0 - Locate, Navigate, Understand

Just as the internet evolved from Web1 to Web2 to Web3, mapping technology is experiencing its own paradigm shift. This episode explores how we've progressed from static maps to real-time navigation to contextual spatial understanding—and why this convergence of technologies represents a foundational shift that most people haven't recognized yet. Mapping 1.0 (3000 BCE - 1990s): Locate Fixed coordinates, static maps, survey-basedKey milestone: GPS consumer access (1995)Mapping 2.0 (1996 - 2010s): Navigate Interactive wayfinding, real-time updates, universal smartphone accessKey examples: MapQuest (1996), Google Maps (2005), Waze (2013)Mapping 3.0 (2010s - Present): Understand Temporal intelligence, predictive insights, contextual interpretationMultidimensional data layers (environmental, social, economic)Key capabilities: ML traffic prediction, AR overlay, computer visionHighlights: Just as internet evolved from Read (Web1) → Read/Write (Web2) → Read/Write/Own (Web3), maps evolved from Locate → Navigate → UnderstandMapping 1.0 lasted millennia, 2.0 lasted ~20 years, 3.0 is evolving rapidly as a foundational layer rather than distinct domainHost: Bryce Bladon | Editor: AJ Fillari | Sponsors: Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

14 min
27 OCT

Spexi: Why the Uber for Drone Data is Upgrading the World Map

Bill Lakeland, CEO of Spexi Geospatial, explains how his company is revolutionizing spatial data collection through a decentralized drone network. From flying aerial mapping cameras in airplanes to building the world's largest standardized drone imagery network, Bill discusses why current imagery solutions are broken, how distributed drone operators can capture better data at 50x less cost than satellites, and why blockchain technology became the missing piece for global scale. Topics: How Spexi's decentralized drone network collects imagery at 3cm resolution (10x better than traditional aerial mapping, 50x cheaper than satellites)The evolution from expensive airplane-based aerial photography to accessible consumer drone mappingHow blockchain technology enables "proof of capture" and authentication for decentralized data collectionReal-world applications: insurance underwriting, 911 emergency response, last-mile delivery optimization, city operationsNotable Quotes: "This is all for computer and robot interactions... to make minute by minute operational decisions""The last hundred meter problem" - solving hyperlocal spatial data needs that Google Maps can't addressGuest: Bill Lakeland, CEO & Co-founder of Spexi GeospatialHosted by Bryce Bladon Edited by AJ Fillari Sponsored by Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

22 min
27 OCT

From WIRED's Mascot to Drones - The Story of DRONE ON

Host Bryce Bladon shares his journey from co-founding CryptoKitties—the blockchain game that became WIRED's mascot and catalyzed the NFT movement—to discovering the transformative potential of drone infrastructure. Bryce explains his career in identifying emerging technologies, why the drone industry represents a fundamental infrastructure upgrade, and how a conversation about blockchain led him to join Spexi Geospatial.Topics: How CryptoKitties (2017) pioneered NFTs and became WIRED's mascotWhy the drone industry (~$90B) is worth 2x the video game industryPattern recognition: infrastructure + underestimated demand = transformative opportunityWhy blockchain makes sense for global drone networks (frictionless payments, standardization)Highlights: Technological maturity: consumer drones now match $100K+ equipmentRegulatory clarity: aviation authorities establishing commercial frameworksDemand explosion: agriculture, insurance, urban planning need high-resolution spatial data fasterHosted by Bryce Bladon. Edited by AJ Fillari. Sponsored by Spexi.com / LayerDrone.org

12 min
21 OCT

Introducing DRONE ON

Introducing the DRONE ON podcast: mapping the tech, economics, and people building the world’s largest drone imagery network. Hosted by Bryce Bladon. Edited by AJ Fillari. Sponsored by Spexi.com and LayerDrone.org

1 min

TRAILER

Introducing DRONE ON

Introducing the DRONE ON podcast: mapping the tech, economics, and people building the world’s largest drone imagery network. Hosted by Bryce Bladon. Edited by AJ Fillari. Sponsored by Spexi.com and LayerDrone.org

21 Oct

•

1 min

DRONE ON explores how drones are reshaping the world. Hosted by Bryce Bladon, the podcast documents the tech, economics and people piloting the world's largest standardized drone imagery network.

Creator

Bryce Bladon
Years Active

2K
Episodes

11
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 Bryce Bladon
Provider