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Hooon

Astar Admin

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Astar Network

&nbsp;TL;DR 
Townhall has been instrumental in developing Astar&rsquo;s governance structure, from off-chain tools to transitioning toward a fully decentralised on-chain model. This journey includes the research and implementation of Governance V1, an interactive governance UI, and the successful engagement of the Astar community with over 25 proposals, numerous discussions, and votes. Our recent proposal, which received community approval, outlines the scope of upcoming governance initiatives. Moving forward, Townhall will be adopting a community first approach by building as needed. We would be actively participating in astar governance , user feedback and community events to understand needs and ship features. This is to establish direct communication with the community and operate with the DAO.
Summary of Work Done 
&mdash; Governance V1 Research and Implementation
Timeline: January to April 2024
Details: Townhall initiated research and prototyping of the initial governance framework in collaboration with Hoon(ex-CTO, Astar Network), integrating voting mechanisms with dApp staking and govASTR tokens. This included thorough research with knowledgeable partners to ensure good understanding of ecosystem and community expertise. This step was crucial in establishing the foundation for Astar&rsquo;s on-chain governance model.
Outcome: The Astar Governance Whitepaper , initial discussions and research findings were shared on forum for discussion and feedback from the community.
 Reference:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://forum.astar.network/t/setting-astar-network-community-and-governance-culture/6601">Setting Astar Network Community and governance</a></li>
<li><a href="https://forum.astar.network/t/astar-governance-technical-specification-proposal/6692">Astar Governance Technical Specification Proposal</a></li>
</ul>
&mdash; Townhall Governance UI:
Timeline: Launched in May 2024, with ongoing updates
Details: Townhall developed a user-friendly Governance UI, incorporating:
<ul>
<li>A snapshot database for on-chain governance tracking</li>
<li>Integration with Discourse forums</li>
<li>Communication tools to foster community engagement</li>
<li>Ink and EVM support</li>
</ul>
Outcome: This interface significantly enhanced community participation, making governance processes more transparent and accessible. The team has been actively working to add more features, fix bugs and improve product experience.
Reference: <a href="0x7ed0a09061750a32b2d3b6c80d5d3b4eae6d90217963e7ca170395b39a6d0766">Astar Governance Migration : June </a>
&mdash; Townhall Governance Infrastructure V2 and improvements
 Timeline: June 2024 - Ongoing
Details: Townhall developed multiple features including activity feed , ecosystem houses and DAO platform , custom voting strategies , Voting Power logics and many more.
<ul>
<li>A activity feed and ecosystem overview to catch up with ecosystem</li>
<li>AI summary feature to effectively summarise Proposals for quick action</li>
<li>Integration for treasury analytics</li>
<li>User Profiles and Notifications</li>
</ul>
Outcome: This interface significantly enhanced community participation, making governance processes more transparent and accessible.
 Reference: <a href="0x7ed0a09061750a32b2d3b6c80d5d3b4eae6d90217963e7ca170395b39a6d0766">Retroactive Funding Proposal by Townhall covering to date scope of work</a>
&mdash; Community Engagement Metrics: 
Activity Since Launch:
<img src="https://i.ibb.co/7KBtvVZ/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-11-05-29-AM.png" alt="" width="640" height="203" />
These metrics underscore Townhall&rsquo;s success in creating a dynamic, engaged community around Astar's governance.
Key Achievements and Milestones 
<ul>
<li>April 2024: Initiation of discussions on Astar's governance culture.</li>
<li>May 2024: Launch of the Governance UI and establishment of working groups.</li>
<li>June 2024: Increased engagement through proposal submissions and discussions.</li>
<li>July 2024: Enhancement of Infrastructure and platform for voting and feedback collection.</li>
<li>August 2024: Upgrade and Maintenance of features with work on new governance logical requirements ( treasury proposals and council )</li>
<li>September 2024: Preparation for council formation and Gov1 implementation.</li>
</ul>
Proposal and Scope of Work 
Summarising Recent Proposal: Townhall's Recent Proposal on Astar Governance Our recent proposal, which was passed with strong community support, covered the following scope of work:
<ul>
<li>Implementation of Governance V2: Transitioning towards more advanced governance structures, integrating real-time voting and decision-making functionalities.</li>
<li>Enhanced Communication Channels: Introducing features like notifications, reminders, and alerts for ongoing proposals and governance activities.</li>
<li>Development of DAO-like Functionalities: Building a system that allows the community to manage funds, make decisions, and execute actions in a decentralised manner.</li>
</ul>
Next Steps for Astar's Governance Development
&mdash; Ongoing Implementations: 
<ul>
<li>Objective: We're actively integrating the Gov1 structure with both EVM and Substrate support, ensuring interoperability and seamless governance interaction across different environments&mdash;this is already live and functional. The full integration of govASTR tokens is in progress, which will enable on-chain governance participation, allowing community members to directly influence proposals and decision-making processes. Additionally, we are implementing a treasury proposal system with automated requests routed to the sudo multisig, ensuring a more secure and efficient management of treasury funds.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://i.ibb.co/pWzVXnS/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-12-20-16-PM.png" alt="" width="533" height="269" />
Ref : Treasury Proposals with Request for Funds
&mdash; Advanced Features and Roadmap: 
<ul>
<li>Plan: The advanced features on our roadmap include implementing delegation mechanisms that allow for more flexible representation in governance decisions, and providing comprehensive analytics across all governance activities. Interactive dashboards will be introduced, offering detailed insights into governance metrics and proposal statuses. To enhance user engagement, we&rsquo;re adding a social feed that captures real-time updates, along with a leaderboard and follower system that will reflect active participation. Product walkthroughs and nudge notifications will be incorporated using guided UI elements, improving user onboarding and platform accessibility.</li>
</ul>
&mdash; Community Tools:
<ul>
<li> Plan: We're developing a set of robust community tools, including advanced voting delegation features that support multi-layer decision-making, real-time notifications for governance activities, dynamic leaderboards to showcase top contributors, and improved proposal visibility for better transparency. These tools will be integrated with the platform's existing architecture, leveraging event-driven updates to keep the community informed and engaged.</li>
</ul>
&mdash; Governance Testing on Shibuya and Shiden: 
<ul>
<li>Plan: Our approach includes rigorous testing of these governance features on Shibuya and Shiden networks, simulating real-world conditions to gather critical feedback and refine the system architecture before a mainnet deployment. This testing phase ensures that the governance model is both scalable and resilient, addressing any potential challenges in a controlled environment.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://i.ibb.co/db9GPJG/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-12-22-57-PM.png" alt="" width="563" height="419" />
Ref : Gov1 setup and testing live for Shiden 
By incorporating these advanced features, technical integrations, and rigorous testing procedures, we&rsquo;re building a more robust and dynamic governance ecosystem for Astar that not only supports but also enhances community-driven decision-making and platform scalability.
Funding and Budget for Future Work
Looking ahead, Townhall seeks to secure upfront funding for future initiatives, ensuring sustained efficiency and quality in our work. This proactive approach addresses the challenges and uncertainties that often arise with retroactive funding. Our aim is to collaborate with the community by fostering open, decentralized communication channels and feedback mechanisms
 Estimated Budget for Continued Operations: 
<ul>
<li>UI/UX Updates and Maintenance : $10000</li>
<li>New Feature Development for Community Engagement Tools : $25000</li>
<li>Dev Tooling Costs : $5000</li>
</ul>
Estimated Cost: Approximately $40000 over a 6-month period, covering team salaries and infrastructure costs. Townhall will ensure full transparency in managing these funds and will request additional funding only upon achieving key milestones.
We invite the community to share their thoughts, feedback, and suggestions on these next steps. Let&rsquo;s continue working together to build a more decentralised and effective governance model for Astar!
&nbsp;
Note :&nbsp;The above proposed budget is for maintainance and offchain feature development and is seperate from the advanced on-chain governance proposed previously&nbsp; in the whitepaper.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Future On-Chain Governance Development:
In addition to the current governance initiatives, we at Townhall are eager to hear the community&rsquo;s perspective on the development of advanced on-chain governance, as outlined in the Astar Governance Whitepaper. We are open to collaborating with the community on how to proceed with the on-chain implementation and are prepared to share a detailed budget for its development at Townhall.
Alternatively, if the Astar Foundation takes the lead in developing this governance structure independently, we are ready to integrate and support it within the Townhall platform. Currently, we have successfully implemented the treasury proposal system via multisig on the Shiden network, marking an important milestone for on-chain governance.
We look forward to working with the community to advance Astar&rsquo;s governance model, ensuring both innovation and inclusivity in the decision-making process.

- **Problem Statement:** 
  - Townhall aims to enhance Astar's governance structure through interactive UI and community engagement, transitioning to a decentralized on-chain model.

- **Significance:** 
  - The proposed solutions aim to improve transparency, community participation, and decision-making processes within Astar's governance.

- **Proposed Solution:** 
  - Implementing Governance V2, enhancing communication channels, developing DAO functionalities, and integrating advanced features like delegation mechanisms and analytics.

- **Expected Outcomes:** 
  - Increased community engagement, improved governance transparency, and a more robust and dynamic governance ecosystem for Astar.