Introduction: Keeping a station online takes time, care and commitment. As MastChain grows, that contribution should continue to count.
On 1 March, we opened a Request for Comment (RFC) on Reward Mechanism 2.0: Performance & Seniority. Your feedback helped shape the updated reward model, scheduled to take effect on 25 September. It recognises reliable operators while encouraging new deployments that strengthen the network’s coverage.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the discussion. Here is what is changing and what it means for your station.
Why the model is changing: A growing maritime data network needs receivers in useful locations and operators who keep them running. As coverage expands, the reward model needs to recognise both.
Early operators have helped build the network by installing stations, maintaining their equipment and contributing data while coverage was still taking shape. That history should carry weight when a new station starts providing the same level of coverage nearby.
New operators also need a clear opportunity to contribute. Reward Mechanism 2.0 balances those needs by recognising sustained participation when top contributions are equal, rewarding stronger reception, and making useful coverage in quieter areas eligible for rewards.
1. Useful coverage remains the priority
MastChain measures coverage using hexes: hexagonal areas on the map. A station can contribute to several hexes by receiving AIS messages, the radio broadcasts vessels use to share information such as their position.
Under the updated model, stations are ranked within each hex by the amount of valid AIS data they contribute from that area. If multiple stations contribute the same amount at the top level, seniority determines their order.
The highest-ranked station receives the full reward for that hex. The next receives half, the third a quarter, the fourth an eighth, and so on.
For example, three stations receive messages from the same hex:
- Station A receives the most valid AIS messages and earns the full reward.
- Station B receives significantly fewer messages than Station A and earns half the reward.
- Station C receives fewer messages than Station B and earns a quarter of the reward.
Additional stations can still provide useful overlapping coverage. The reward structure gives operators a reason to improve reception or cover areas where their station can add more value.
2. Seniority recognises long-term contribution
Seniority gives a station’s operating history a role in its rewards. Each day a station meets the qualifying requirements (80% uptime), it adds a day of seniority.
When stations provide the same top level of contribution in a hex, the station with more seniority ranks higher. An established operator’s reliable service therefore continues to count when new hardware arrives nearby.
Return to the example above. Station A has seven days of seniority. A new Station D has one day of seniority and now contributes the same number of valid messages from that hex as Station A.
Their ranking becomes:
- Station A: joint highest contribution, seven days of seniority, full reward.
- Station D: joint highest contribution, one day of seniority, half the reward.
- Station B: fewer messages than A and D, a quarter of the reward.
- Station C: fewer messages than B, an eighth of the reward.
Station A keeps the higher position because of its established contribution. Station D can still earn rewards and build its own seniority by continuing to participate.
Performance remains central: seniority decides the order when contributions are equal at the top level. A new station that provides a stronger contribution can rank higher. This keeps an incentive to improve coverage while recognising the operators who have kept it reliable.
3. Seniority Protection helps with temporary downtime
Physical infrastructure needs maintenance. Internet connections fail, power can go out, and repairs sometimes take time. Seniority Protection gives operators a way to preserve the history they have built through a short interruption.
If a station does not meet the 80% uptime for a qualifying day and has no protection in place, its accumulated seniority is reduced by half.
Operators can purchase protection for up to three consecutive days, with the cost increasing each day:
- One day: 100 tMAST.
- Two consecutive days: 100 + 400 = 500 tokens total.
- Three consecutive days: 100 + 400 + 900 = 1,400 tokens total.
For example, Station A has built 30 days of seniority when its internet connection fails. Two consecutive days of protection cost 500 tokens and preserve those 30 days while the operator restores the connection. Once the station meets the qualifying requirements again, it can resume building seniority.
The increasing cost makes protection useful for occasional interruptions while maintaining the incentive to keep stations reliably online.
4. Smaller contributions can now qualify
Previously, a station needed at least 500 validated AIS messages from a hex in a day for that hex to qualify for rewards. Reward Mechanism 2.0 removes this minimum.
Even one valid AIS message from a hex can now qualify for rewards, provided the station meets the other eligibility requirements.
For example, Station E receives thousands of messages from a busy shipping route. Station F receives one valid message from a different hex in a quieter coastal area. Both can qualify. Station F is no longer excluded simply because traffic in its area does not reach the old 500-message threshold.
Where stations overlap, their contributions still determine the ranking. Removing the threshold allows smaller contributions to count and gives operators more opportunities to extend useful coverage.
What operators need to know before activation
Reward Mechanism 2.0 is scheduled to ship on 25 September.
If you already operate a station, check that it is connected and reporting consistently. Keeping it running reliably builds the seniority that recognises your continued contribution.
If your MastNode is waiting to be deployed, now is the time to get connected and report ahead of the change. If you are considering a new location, look for places where your station can add coverage or improve reception.
Check your station in the dashboard, read the reward documentation, or bring your questions to the community on Discord.
The network grows through the people who keep it running. This update gives that ongoing commitment a clearer place in how rewards are calculated.
Check out the docs here