More data for better funding decisions in RetroRounds
tl;dr-
We have launched Impact Garden to generate reputable, standardized onchain data on the impact of contributions to the Collective.- We host a directory with all 309 projects eligible for R4 and R5, and will be automatically supporting projects in R6 (Governance) and R7 (Dev Tooling) to receive onchain reviews. Go write a review!
We are using this qualitative data to generate impact metrics voters can leverage to inform their votes.
Find all reviews on our website, along with information on the reviewers role within the Collective (if they have one), and (soon™) an analytics dashboard.
Join the conversation in this TG group if you found any issues, need support in using the data, or have questions!
Intro:
Impact Garden is solving for the lack of comparable data to understand the impact of contributions to the Optimism Collective, particularly for non-OSS contributions.
We believe it is critical to understand the impact non-OSS contributions (and OSS) have had in the growth of the Optimism Collective and the Superchain. We are excited to increase the robustness of funding allocation by enabling the creation of new impact metrics through verifiable, standardized, qualitative data.
Why do we need this?
- In Retro3, we realized how the lack of standardized data limited our ability to evaluate and reward impactful contributions
- About 50% of all projects in R3 were not OSS, which means that a shift to Github-based or onchain metrics do not cover them. The Collective needs more data to understand and reward the impact of meaningful contributions to Optimism and the Superchain
- Through thorough research, we identified this is a widespread problem in the Ethereum ecosystem, particularly affecting Public Goods
- Leveraging qualitative data requires standardization to lead to the creation of impact metrics
- Reputation based to avoid popularity contexts and sybil attacks. We don’t only care about what the insights are, but who they are coming from and their role in the ecosystem
Platform:
So far…
We have developed and launched a reputation based platform to enable the collection of standardized qualitative data that can be transformed into comparable impact metrics for project evaluation in Optimim’s RetroRounds and beyond
We developed 5 standards for data collection for R5 and R6. These standards are mapped against the Collective intents and designed to distill information gathered from reviewers
Mapped appointed and elected stakeholders in the Collective through Seasons 2 to 6 to enable weighting of their evaluations, if desired- For the 79 projects in R5, we have gathered over 70 reviews which are available in the Retro voting interface to support voters in the process
- Created over 16 Frames to ensure we get more data! Reducing barriers to reviewing, has led to over 94 users interacting with our platform
- Leveraged Farcaster’s social graph to increase the information each review provides based on the reviewers role within the Collective
- Developed impact metrics based on this qualitative data
Using Impact Garden (and it’s data):
Analyze the data! All of our data is generated using EAS and stored onchain (permissionless, decentralized access!)- Leave a review! Tell the rest of the collective what impact you have derived from a contribution to increase awareness for voters.
- Register or claim your own project, and contributions, and start receiving reviews!
Create new impact metrics based on the data we’ve collected. We have developed a set of metrics but the data can be sliced and analyzed through multiple lenses!
Our roadmap 
:
In the coming weeks we’re focused in increasing the generation of data and the adoption of it by:
- Developing an API to enable direct querying of our data, removing the need to index the information from EAS
- Developing a dashboard on our platform to enable a simplified analysis of the impact metrics we have developed for R6 and onwards
- Developing an SDK so projects can easily include the review process into their user flows
- If you’ve used OSO, we’re currently collaborating with the team to include our data to their data warehouse for future rounds. Stay tuned!
Sustainability:
Impact Garden is the first product designed and developed by Metrics Garden, a web3 Impact Studio founded by LauNaMu. After developing the Impact Evaluation Framework and the Metrics Garden database, we’re excited for this new adventure. The initial concept for Impact Garden was developed by our team as part of the EAS Launchpad.
In terms of funding, Metrics Garden has been primarily self-funded, with some minor additional funding obtained through Gitcoin. We have been approved for a Builders Grant that covers some of this work (in addition to research unrelated to Impact Garden), which will unlock in May of 2025.
The long-term sustainability of our project is something we’re currently exploring within the Octant Accelerator, as we collaborate with partners interested in leveraging our platform to inform their allocation strategies and governance design.
Community:
The Collective and its contributors need you! The data being generated is contributed by members of the Collective like you, ensure the projects you benefit from are able to demonstrate their impact (or understand their areas for improvement) by giving them a review.
We’d love to hear from you 
, explore new metrics, and share updates on our progress. Join our Telegram group here! If you want to use/share our data on your platform we’d love to support you!