Interesting presentation related to a next generation data sharing system applicable within the humanitarian supply chain and logistics sector.
Surely, still lots of obstacles but with limitless impact.
Blockchain Technology and Decentralized Governance: Is the State Still Necess...eraser Juan José Calderón
Blockchain Technology and Decentralized Governance: Is the State Still Necessary?
Marcella Atzori, Ph. D.*
ABSTRACT
The core technology of Bitcoin, the blockchain, has recently emerged as a disruptive innovation with a wide range of applications, potentially able to redesign our interactions in business, politics and society at large. Although scholarly interest in this subject is growing, a comprehensive analysis of blockchain applications from a political perspective is severely lacking to date. This paper aims to fill this gap and it discusses the key points of blockchain-based decentralized governance, which challenges to varying degrees the traditional mechanisms of State authority, citizenship and democracy. In particular, the paper verifies to which extent blockchain and decentralized platforms can be considered as hyper-political tools, capable to manage social interactions on large scale and dismiss traditional central authorities. The analysis highlights risks related to a dominant position of private powers in distributed ecosystems, which may lead to a general disempowerment of citizens and to the emergence of a stateless global society. While technological utopians urge the demise of any centralized institution, this paper advocates the role of the State as a necessary central point of coordination in society, showing that decentralization through algorithm-based consensus is an organizational theory, not a stand-alone political theory.
Keywords: Bitcoin, blockchain, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, decentralization, democracy, Ethereum, encryption, governance, politics, State, peer-to-peer networks
Blockchain Smartnetworks: Bitcoin and Blockchain ExplainedMelanie Swan
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, and governance, smart property and smart contracts, blockchains secure automated fleet coordination
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich digital smartnetwork societies of the future
This course covers in detail the technical principles & concepts behind blockchain. In addition, it seeks to provide you with the insights and deep understanding of the various components of blockchain technology, and enables you to determine for yourself how to best leverage and exploit blockchain for your project, organisation or start-up.
Link - https://www.experfy.com/training/courses/blockchain-technology-fundamentals
A blockchain is essentially a distributed database of records or public ledger of all transactions or digital events that have been executed and shared among participating parties. Each transaction in the public ledger is verified by consensus of a majority of the participants in the system. And, once entered, information can never be erased. The blockchain contains a certain and verifiable record of every single transaction ever made. To use a basic analogy, it is easy to steal a cookie from a cookie jar, kept in a secluded place than stealing the cookie from a cookie jar kept in a marketplace, being observed by thousands of people. In the report, it distinguishes between multiple types of blockchains and explains the two biggest platforms, namely Bitcoin and Ethereum. While introducing those two platforms we explain the most important technology and algorithms used such as proof of work concept. Some of the security issues and solutions are also covered. We conclude with some concrete Ethereum based applications that demonstrate the usage of blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrency and illustrate current developments in this field.
Blockchain: a Singularity-class technology - No other technology has the power to
pull 2 billion people out of poverty overnight (with intermediary-free international remittances), produce a safe and orderly transition to the automation economy (with humans and machines in collaboration, and enacting friendly artificial intelligence), and fundamentally transform the only remaining sectors not yet re-engineered for the Internet era: economics and politics. There are growing classes of activities for smartnetwork execution, moving up the stack, pushing different qualitative states through the Internet pipes, building future smartnetworks. The smartnetworks thesis is that complex future operations will involve automated fleet coordination of “quantized” items via smartnetworks, using some kind of technology like blockchains with algorithmically-derived trust.
Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for educationeraser Juan José Calderón
Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for education
Guang Chen1,2, Bing Xu1
, Manli Lu1 and Nian-Shing Chen3*
Abstract
Blockchain is the core technology used to create the cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin. As part of the fourth industrial revolution since the invention of steam engine, electricity, and information technology, blockchain technology has been
applied in many areas such as finance, judiciary, and commerce. The current paper focused on its potential educational applications and explored how blockchain technology can be used to solve some education problems. This article first introduced the features and advantages of blockchain technology following by exploring some of the current blockchain applications for education. Some innovative applications of using blockchain technology were proposed, and the benefits and challenges of using blockchain technology for education were also discussed.
Keywords: Blockchain, Educational evaluation, Instructional design, Learning is earning
Blockchain Technology and Decentralized Governance: Is the State Still Necess...eraser Juan José Calderón
Blockchain Technology and Decentralized Governance: Is the State Still Necessary?
Marcella Atzori, Ph. D.*
ABSTRACT
The core technology of Bitcoin, the blockchain, has recently emerged as a disruptive innovation with a wide range of applications, potentially able to redesign our interactions in business, politics and society at large. Although scholarly interest in this subject is growing, a comprehensive analysis of blockchain applications from a political perspective is severely lacking to date. This paper aims to fill this gap and it discusses the key points of blockchain-based decentralized governance, which challenges to varying degrees the traditional mechanisms of State authority, citizenship and democracy. In particular, the paper verifies to which extent blockchain and decentralized platforms can be considered as hyper-political tools, capable to manage social interactions on large scale and dismiss traditional central authorities. The analysis highlights risks related to a dominant position of private powers in distributed ecosystems, which may lead to a general disempowerment of citizens and to the emergence of a stateless global society. While technological utopians urge the demise of any centralized institution, this paper advocates the role of the State as a necessary central point of coordination in society, showing that decentralization through algorithm-based consensus is an organizational theory, not a stand-alone political theory.
Keywords: Bitcoin, blockchain, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, decentralization, democracy, Ethereum, encryption, governance, politics, State, peer-to-peer networks
Blockchain Smartnetworks: Bitcoin and Blockchain ExplainedMelanie Swan
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, and governance, smart property and smart contracts, blockchains secure automated fleet coordination
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich digital smartnetwork societies of the future
This course covers in detail the technical principles & concepts behind blockchain. In addition, it seeks to provide you with the insights and deep understanding of the various components of blockchain technology, and enables you to determine for yourself how to best leverage and exploit blockchain for your project, organisation or start-up.
Link - https://www.experfy.com/training/courses/blockchain-technology-fundamentals
A blockchain is essentially a distributed database of records or public ledger of all transactions or digital events that have been executed and shared among participating parties. Each transaction in the public ledger is verified by consensus of a majority of the participants in the system. And, once entered, information can never be erased. The blockchain contains a certain and verifiable record of every single transaction ever made. To use a basic analogy, it is easy to steal a cookie from a cookie jar, kept in a secluded place than stealing the cookie from a cookie jar kept in a marketplace, being observed by thousands of people. In the report, it distinguishes between multiple types of blockchains and explains the two biggest platforms, namely Bitcoin and Ethereum. While introducing those two platforms we explain the most important technology and algorithms used such as proof of work concept. Some of the security issues and solutions are also covered. We conclude with some concrete Ethereum based applications that demonstrate the usage of blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrency and illustrate current developments in this field.
Blockchain: a Singularity-class technology - No other technology has the power to
pull 2 billion people out of poverty overnight (with intermediary-free international remittances), produce a safe and orderly transition to the automation economy (with humans and machines in collaboration, and enacting friendly artificial intelligence), and fundamentally transform the only remaining sectors not yet re-engineered for the Internet era: economics and politics. There are growing classes of activities for smartnetwork execution, moving up the stack, pushing different qualitative states through the Internet pipes, building future smartnetworks. The smartnetworks thesis is that complex future operations will involve automated fleet coordination of “quantized” items via smartnetworks, using some kind of technology like blockchains with algorithmically-derived trust.
Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for educationeraser Juan José Calderón
Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for education
Guang Chen1,2, Bing Xu1
, Manli Lu1 and Nian-Shing Chen3*
Abstract
Blockchain is the core technology used to create the cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin. As part of the fourth industrial revolution since the invention of steam engine, electricity, and information technology, blockchain technology has been
applied in many areas such as finance, judiciary, and commerce. The current paper focused on its potential educational applications and explored how blockchain technology can be used to solve some education problems. This article first introduced the features and advantages of blockchain technology following by exploring some of the current blockchain applications for education. Some innovative applications of using blockchain technology were proposed, and the benefits and challenges of using blockchain technology for education were also discussed.
Keywords: Blockchain, Educational evaluation, Instructional design, Learning is earning
Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep LearningMelanie Swan
The Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep Learning
First point: considering blockchain and deep learning together suggests the emergence of a new class of global network computing system. These systems are self-operating computation graphs that make probabilistic guesses about reality states of the world.
Second point: blockchain and deep learning are facilitating each other’s development. This includes using deep learning algorithms for setting fees and detecting fraudulent activity, and using blockchains for secure registry, tracking, and remuneration of deep learning nets as they go onto the open Internet (in autonomous driving applications for example). Blockchain peer-to-peer nodes might provide deep learning services as they already provide transaction hosting and confirmation, news hosting, and banking (payment, credit flow-through) services. Further, there are similar functional emergences within the systems, for example LSTM (long-short term memory in RNNs) are like payment channels.
Third point: AI smart network thesis. We are starting to run more complicated operations through our networks: information (past), money (present), and brains (future). There are two fundamental eras of network computing: simple networks for the transfer of information (all computing to date from mainframe to mobile) and now smart networks for the transfer of value and intelligence. Blockchain and deep learning are built directly into smart networks so that they may automatically confirm authenticity and transfer value (blockchain) and predictively identify individual items and patterns.
Future of AI: Blockchain & Deep LearningMelanie Swan
Future of AI: intelligence “baked in” to smart networks, blockchains to confirm authenticity and transfer value, and Deep Learning algorithms for predictive identification. This talk presents two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies: big data and deep learning algorithms, and blockchain distributed ledgers, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, blockchains are a singularity-class technology that enables the secure, trackable, automated coordination of very large-scale projects, fleets, and swarms
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich human-machine collaboration in the digital smartnetwork societies of the future
Understanding Blockchain: Distributed Ledger TechnologySuraj Kumar Jana
A complete introduction to Distributed Ledger Technology and Blockchain. Also, get introduced to Hyperledger, an open source permissioned blockchain framework by The Linux Foundation.
Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology Explained: Not just Cryptocurrencies, Econo...Melanie Swan
The blockchain concept may be one of the most transformative ideas to impact the world since the Internet. It represents a new organizing paradigm for all activity and integrates humans and technology. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are merely one application of the blockchain concept. The blockchain is a public transaction ledger built in a network structure based on cryptographic principles so there does not need to be a centralized intermediary. Any kind of asset (art, car, home, financial contract) may be encoded into the blockchain and transacted, validated, or preserved in a much more efficient manner than at present including ideas, health data, financial assets, automobiles, and government documents. Blockchain technology applies well beyond cryptocurrencies, economics, and markets to all venues of human information processing, collaboration, and interaction including art, health, and literacy.
Blockchain: it's much more than BitcoinKuba Tymula
In this brief presentation (originally from an event that Harris Partners has run with Bank of America Merril Lynch in March 2016) we cover the basics of blockchain and bitcoin, incl. consensus in a blockchain, public key cryptography, public vs. private blockchains, permissionless vs. permissioned blockchains, advantages of blockchain, and some current case studies
A primer on Blockchain, Semantic Web and Ricardian Contracts.
Semantic Blockchain is a proposal where the Semantic Web meets the Blockchain. Combining these two technologies could provide the Semantic web with a transparent proof of work and trust mechanism while conversely disambiguating data stored on the blockchain, solving one of the key challenges with Riccardian/Smart contracts. This presentation will explore how these two technologies might be combine using the example of a smart contract. However the potential application is much bigger and could provide a key back bone underlying the Internet of Things.
Blockchain beyond fintech by ridgelift.ioUdayan Modhe
A comprehensive paper on blockchain technology. It covers blockchain technological aspects, blockchain evolution, future trends in blockchain implementation and reference architecture.
Agriculture is one of the areas where blockchain technology could bring a revolution by solving the
existing problem of Agri-product fraud, its traceability, price manipulation, and lack of customer trust in
the product. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential application of blockchain technology in the
agriculture industry and how it could address the existing issues by surveying the existing paper and
following case studies of the blockchain start-up companies. Blockchain technology shows a promising
approach to fostering a safer, better, more sustainable, and dependable agri-foods system in the future.
While the application of blockchain in agriculture is in the initial phase and faces various issues like cost
of implementation, privacy, security scalability, performance, and infancy, it can bring a revolution in the
agriculture industry.
A Primer on Blockchain and its Potential, with a Focus on the GCCZeyad T. Al Mudhaf
During my summer internship at BECO Capital, a technology-focused Venture Capital firm based in Dubai, I put together this primer on blockchain that demystifies this hyped up technology, covers key investment trends in the space both globally and regionally within the GCC*, and highlights both the barriers and enablers for wider blockchain adoption in the region. *The GCC is the Gulf Cooperation Council - comprised of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
Real estate plays a significant role in the Indian Government’s stated goal of transforming India into a $5 trillion economy and blockchain can play a major role in realising this goal.
A Blockchain is a type of diary or spreadsheet containing information about transactions. Each transaction generates a hash. If a transaction is approved by a majority of the nodes then it is written into a block. Each block refers to the previous block and together make the Blockchain. And I am sharing this to help everyone to learn about blockchain technology.
Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep LearningMelanie Swan
The Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep Learning
First point: considering blockchain and deep learning together suggests the emergence of a new class of global network computing system. These systems are self-operating computation graphs that make probabilistic guesses about reality states of the world.
Second point: blockchain and deep learning are facilitating each other’s development. This includes using deep learning algorithms for setting fees and detecting fraudulent activity, and using blockchains for secure registry, tracking, and remuneration of deep learning nets as they go onto the open Internet (in autonomous driving applications for example). Blockchain peer-to-peer nodes might provide deep learning services as they already provide transaction hosting and confirmation, news hosting, and banking (payment, credit flow-through) services. Further, there are similar functional emergences within the systems, for example LSTM (long-short term memory in RNNs) are like payment channels.
Third point: AI smart network thesis. We are starting to run more complicated operations through our networks: information (past), money (present), and brains (future). There are two fundamental eras of network computing: simple networks for the transfer of information (all computing to date from mainframe to mobile) and now smart networks for the transfer of value and intelligence. Blockchain and deep learning are built directly into smart networks so that they may automatically confirm authenticity and transfer value (blockchain) and predictively identify individual items and patterns.
Future of AI: Blockchain & Deep LearningMelanie Swan
Future of AI: intelligence “baked in” to smart networks, blockchains to confirm authenticity and transfer value, and Deep Learning algorithms for predictive identification. This talk presents two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies: big data and deep learning algorithms, and blockchain distributed ledgers, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, blockchains are a singularity-class technology that enables the secure, trackable, automated coordination of very large-scale projects, fleets, and swarms
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich human-machine collaboration in the digital smartnetwork societies of the future
Understanding Blockchain: Distributed Ledger TechnologySuraj Kumar Jana
A complete introduction to Distributed Ledger Technology and Blockchain. Also, get introduced to Hyperledger, an open source permissioned blockchain framework by The Linux Foundation.
Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology Explained: Not just Cryptocurrencies, Econo...Melanie Swan
The blockchain concept may be one of the most transformative ideas to impact the world since the Internet. It represents a new organizing paradigm for all activity and integrates humans and technology. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are merely one application of the blockchain concept. The blockchain is a public transaction ledger built in a network structure based on cryptographic principles so there does not need to be a centralized intermediary. Any kind of asset (art, car, home, financial contract) may be encoded into the blockchain and transacted, validated, or preserved in a much more efficient manner than at present including ideas, health data, financial assets, automobiles, and government documents. Blockchain technology applies well beyond cryptocurrencies, economics, and markets to all venues of human information processing, collaboration, and interaction including art, health, and literacy.
Blockchain: it's much more than BitcoinKuba Tymula
In this brief presentation (originally from an event that Harris Partners has run with Bank of America Merril Lynch in March 2016) we cover the basics of blockchain and bitcoin, incl. consensus in a blockchain, public key cryptography, public vs. private blockchains, permissionless vs. permissioned blockchains, advantages of blockchain, and some current case studies
A primer on Blockchain, Semantic Web and Ricardian Contracts.
Semantic Blockchain is a proposal where the Semantic Web meets the Blockchain. Combining these two technologies could provide the Semantic web with a transparent proof of work and trust mechanism while conversely disambiguating data stored on the blockchain, solving one of the key challenges with Riccardian/Smart contracts. This presentation will explore how these two technologies might be combine using the example of a smart contract. However the potential application is much bigger and could provide a key back bone underlying the Internet of Things.
Blockchain beyond fintech by ridgelift.ioUdayan Modhe
A comprehensive paper on blockchain technology. It covers blockchain technological aspects, blockchain evolution, future trends in blockchain implementation and reference architecture.
Agriculture is one of the areas where blockchain technology could bring a revolution by solving the
existing problem of Agri-product fraud, its traceability, price manipulation, and lack of customer trust in
the product. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential application of blockchain technology in the
agriculture industry and how it could address the existing issues by surveying the existing paper and
following case studies of the blockchain start-up companies. Blockchain technology shows a promising
approach to fostering a safer, better, more sustainable, and dependable agri-foods system in the future.
While the application of blockchain in agriculture is in the initial phase and faces various issues like cost
of implementation, privacy, security scalability, performance, and infancy, it can bring a revolution in the
agriculture industry.
A Primer on Blockchain and its Potential, with a Focus on the GCCZeyad T. Al Mudhaf
During my summer internship at BECO Capital, a technology-focused Venture Capital firm based in Dubai, I put together this primer on blockchain that demystifies this hyped up technology, covers key investment trends in the space both globally and regionally within the GCC*, and highlights both the barriers and enablers for wider blockchain adoption in the region. *The GCC is the Gulf Cooperation Council - comprised of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
Real estate plays a significant role in the Indian Government’s stated goal of transforming India into a $5 trillion economy and blockchain can play a major role in realising this goal.
A Blockchain is a type of diary or spreadsheet containing information about transactions. Each transaction generates a hash. If a transaction is approved by a majority of the nodes then it is written into a block. Each block refers to the previous block and together make the Blockchain. And I am sharing this to help everyone to learn about blockchain technology.
Foreword
This paper is the result of a research project carried out by Labs
in EVRY Financial Services during the fall of 2015. The content of
this report is the result of a comprehensive study, featuring online
sources, literary works, as well as recordings of financial
conferences such as Consensus 2015 and Fintech Week 2015.
We aim to provide a comprehensive report detailing the
opportunities, challenges and key success factors for financial
institutions looking to leverage the opportunities presented by
blockchain technology.
We hope you enjoy this study and that it helps give you greater
understanding.
Blockchain-Based Internet of Things: Review, Current Trends, Applications, an...AlAtfat
Advances in technology always had an impact on our lives. Several emerging technologies, most notably the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain, present transformative opportunities. The blockchain is a decentralized, transparent ledger for storing transaction data. By effectively establishing trust between nodes, it has the remarkable potential to design unique architectures for most enterprise applications. When it first appeared as a platform for anonymous cryptocurrency trading, such as Bitcoin, on a public network platform, blockchain piqued the interest of researchers. The chain is completed when each block connects to the previous block. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of networked devices that can exchange data and be managed and controlled via unique identifiers. Automation, wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, and control systems are just a few of the well-known technologies that power the IoT. Converging advancements in real-time analytics, machine learning, commodity sensors, and embedded systems demonstrate the rapid expansion of the IoT paradigm. The Internet of Things refers to the global networking of millions of networked smart gadgets that gather and exchange data. Integrating the IoT and blockchain technology would be a significant step toward developing a reliable, secure, and comprehensive method of storing data collected by smart devices. Internet-enabled devices in the IoT can send data to private blockchain networks, creating immutable records of all transaction history. As a result, these networks produce unchangeable logs of all transactions. This research looks at how blockchain technology and the Internet of Things interact to understand better how devices can communicate with one another. The blockchain-enabled Internet of Things architecture proposed in this article is a useful framework for integrating blockchain technology and the Internet of Things using the most cutting-edge tools and methods currently available. This article discusses the principles of blockchain-based IoT, consensus methods, reviews, difficulties, prospects, applications, trends, and communication between IoT nodes in an integrated framework.
Blockchain-Based Internet of Things: Review, Current Trends, Applications, an...AlAtfat
Advances in technology always had an impact on our lives. Several emerging technologies, most notably the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain, present transformative opportunities. The blockchain is a decentralized, transparent ledger for storing transaction data. By effectively establishing trust between nodes, it has the remarkable potential to design unique architectures for most enterprise applications. When it first appeared as a platform for anonymous cryptocurrency trading, such as Bitcoin, on a public network platform, blockchain piqued the interest of researchers. The chain is completed when each block connects to the previous block. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of networked devices that can exchange data and be managed and controlled via unique identifiers. Automation, wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, and control systems are just a few of the well-known technologies that power the IoT. Converging advancements in real-time analytics, machine learning, commodity sensors, and embedded systems demonstrate the rapid expansion of the IoT paradigm. The Internet of Things refers to the global networking of millions of networked smart gadgets that gather and exchange data. Integrating the IoT and blockchain technology would be a significant step toward developing a reliable, secure, and comprehensive method of storing data collected by smart devices. Internet-enabled devices in the IoT can send data to private blockchain networks, creating immutable records of all transaction history. As a result, these networks produce unchangeable logs of all transactions. This research looks at how blockchain technology and the Internet of Things interact to understand better how devices can communicate with one another. The blockchain-enabled Internet of Things architecture proposed in this article is a useful framework for integrating blockchain technology and the Internet of Things using the most cutting-edge tools and methods currently available. This article discusses the principles of blockchain-based IoT, consensus methods, reviews, difficulties, prospects, applications, trends, and communication between IoT nodes in an integrated framework.
Running head BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY BEYOND CRYPTOCURRENCY1B.docxtoddr4
Running head: BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY: BEYOND CRYPTOCURRENCY
1
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY: BEYOND CRYPTOCURRENCY
7
Block-chain Technology: Beyond Crypto-currency
Christophe Bassono
University of Nebraska Omaha
CYBR-4360-860-Foundation of IA
Assignment: Semester Project Presentation
Block-chain Technology: Beyond the Crypto-currency
Contents
Contents
2
Abstract
3
Introduction
3
Fundamentals of Block-chain Technology
4
Application of Block-chain Beyond Crypto-currency
5
Future of Block-chain
8
Conclusion
8
Abstract
Block-chain is relatively new; therefore, a representative research sample is presented that spans over the last couple of years from the earlier literature addressing the field. The different usage types of Block-chain, as well as the digital ledger methods, applications, challenges privacy, and security issues, are examined. The technology constitutes two distinct components including block and transaction. Block refers to the collection of data, transaction recording, as well as other related details such as the creation of timestamp, correct sequence, et cetera. Blockchain which is the digital technology fundamental for crypto-currency has managed to bring forth a novel revolution through the provision of a mechanism that can be used for peer-to-peer transactions (P2P). The blockchain is a globally accepted ledger that is capable of achieving numerous new applications beyond transaction verification. Bitcoin that is progressively gaining awareness around the world is a vital example of Blockchain in practice. The block-chain technology is still at the stage of building up and is expected to be full-blown in the next few years. Introduction
The predominant goal of this proposal is to outline the literature on the functionality of Block-chain and other techniques of the digital ledger in several different spheres of influence beyond its use to crypto-currency and to come up with an appropriate conclusion. The technology of block-chain is relatively new; therefore, a representative research sample is presented that spans over the last couple of years from the earlier literature addressing the field. The different usage types of Block-chain, as well as the digital ledger methods, applications, challenges privacy, and security issues, are examined. However, the main focus of this proposal is to determine the most auspicious for future application of Block-chain beyond crypto-currency.
Block-chain is the technology that facilitates the system of Bitcoin crypto-currency, which is also regarded to be important in the formation of the backbone that guarantees privacy and security of several applications in different areas such as the eco-system of the Internet of Things. The block-chain technology has also been successfully applied in the industrial and the educational sectors (Pilkington, 2016). A Proof-of-Work, which is a mathematical challenge, guarantees the security of the chain-block by maintaining the transactions of the digital le.
The blockchain is the technology the underpins digital currency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and the like). The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. ... You may hear it described as a “digital ledger” stored in a distributed network.
Concept of Blockchain Technology - How Does It Work (1).pdfcoingabbar
There are lots of adverse effects of the Covad-19 Pandemic but the pandemic also spurred positive transformations in life sciences: the digitization of everything. This also exacerbated-existing concerns about how to handle data and track providence between partners in the value chain.
Additionally, social distancing and virtualization of work created new challenges in collecting, managing, and sharing data. Blockchain appears to be one of many solutions experts are keeping eye on. Blockchain seems to be the most prominent solution as it can play a significant role in supporting digitization.
Blockchain is a technology and not cryptocurrency that’s why even banks are ready to adopt it in their system but before going through all the adoption processes we all need to understand the concept of Blockchain technology.
What is a Blockchain?
A blockchain is referred to as a dispensed database that is shared among the nodes of a computer network. Being stored in the database, a blockchain keeps the information electronically in digital format. Basically, Blockchains are best known for their important role in cryptocurrency systems, like bitcoin, for balancing secure and decentralized record transactions. However, the variation under a blockchain is that it assures the fidelity and security of a record of data and executes trust without the requirement for a trusted third party.
Usually, a database structures its data into tables, whereas a blockchain, such as its name suggests, structures its data into chunks (blocks) that are powerful together. This data structure naturally makes an immutable timeline of data when performed in a decentralized behavior. Once a block is filled, it is set in stone and becomes a part of this timeline. So, each block in the chain is given a correct timestamp when it is added to the chain.
How does a Blockchain Work?
The aim of blockchain is to enable digital information to be stored and distributed, however, not edited. This is how a blockchain is a foundation for continualledgers or records of transactions that cannot be modified, deleted, or damaged. This is the reason blockchains are also known as distributed ledger technology (DLT).
The very was first proposed as a research project in 1991, where the blockchain concept predated its first widespread application in use: Bitcoin, in 2009. From the past years, the use of blockchains has exploded through the creation of several cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (Defi) applications, non -fungible tokens (NFTs), and smart contacts.
Blockchain Decentralization
Blockchain gives access to the data held in the database to be laid out among several network nodes at multiple places. It not only builds monotony, however, also maintains the dedication of the data stored therein - In case someone tries to fix a record on an occasion of the database, whereas the other nodes would not be adjusted and this is how it prevents a bad actor from doing so.
Blockchain and its Use in the Public Sector - OECDOECD Governance
Presentation on the OECD Working Paper "Blockchains Unchained: Blockchain Technology and its use in the Public Sector". This guide aims to equip public servants with the necessary knowledge to understand what the Blockchain architecture is, the implications it could have on government services, and the opportunities and challenges governments may face as a result. For more information see oe.cd/blockchain
Blockchain Technology Explained
You must have heard about the term “blockchain,” in reference to Bitcoin and othercryptocurrencies.
https://www.leewayhertz.com/blockchain-technology-explained/
blockchain, Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, blockchain developers
#blockchain #Bitcoin #cryptocurrencies #blockchaintechnology #blockchaindevelopers
How Blockchain Technology Is Evolving In The CloudShikhaKonda
https://go-dgtl.com/whitepaper/how-blockchain-technology-is-evolving-in-the-cloud/?utm_source=offpage&utm_medium=thirdparty&utm_campaign=alo-seo - Cloud and blockchain are increasingly becoming the most valuable combinations to enhance the security of enterprise data living on the cloud. Learn more
How Blockchain Technology Is Evolving In The Cloud - GoDgtl.pdfPeeterParkar
Blockchain is famous for its use as the technology behind cryptocurrencies. However, it has many other applications. One such application is in cloud computing, providing additional security and several other benefits. Cloud and blockchain are increasingly becoming the most valuable combinations to enhance the security of enterprise data living on the cloud
Similar to Block chain for the humanitarian sector - future opportunities (20)
In software engineering, the right architecture is essential for robust, scalable platforms. Wix has undergone a pivotal shift from event sourcing to a CRUD-based model for its microservices. This talk will chart the course of this pivotal journey.
Event sourcing, which records state changes as immutable events, provided robust auditing and "time travel" debugging for Wix Stores' microservices. Despite its benefits, the complexity it introduced in state management slowed development. Wix responded by adopting a simpler, unified CRUD model. This talk will explore the challenges of event sourcing and the advantages of Wix's new "CRUD on steroids" approach, which streamlines API integration and domain event management while preserving data integrity and system resilience.
Participants will gain valuable insights into Wix's strategies for ensuring atomicity in database updates and event production, as well as caching, materialization, and performance optimization techniques within a distributed system.
Join us to discover how Wix has mastered the art of balancing simplicity and extensibility, and learn how the re-adoption of the modest CRUD has turbocharged their development velocity, resilience, and scalability in a high-growth environment.
Enhancing Research Orchestration Capabilities at ORNL.pdfGlobus
Cross-facility research orchestration comes with ever-changing constraints regarding the availability and suitability of various compute and data resources. In short, a flexible data and processing fabric is needed to enable the dynamic redirection of data and compute tasks throughout the lifecycle of an experiment. In this talk, we illustrate how we easily leveraged Globus services to instrument the ACE research testbed at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility with flexible data and task orchestration capabilities.
Climate Science Flows: Enabling Petabyte-Scale Climate Analysis with the Eart...Globus
The Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) is a global network of data servers that archives and distributes the planet’s largest collection of Earth system model output for thousands of climate and environmental scientists worldwide. Many of these petabyte-scale data archives are located in proximity to large high-performance computing (HPC) or cloud computing resources, but the primary workflow for data users consists of transferring data, and applying computations on a different system. As a part of the ESGF 2.0 US project (funded by the United States Department of Energy Office of Science), we developed pre-defined data workflows, which can be run on-demand, capable of applying many data reduction and data analysis to the large ESGF data archives, transferring only the resultant analysis (ex. visualizations, smaller data files). In this talk, we will showcase a few of these workflows, highlighting how Globus Flows can be used for petabyte-scale climate analysis.
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3. Licensing Information
“Blockchain for the Humanitarian Sector: Future Opportunities”
by Vanessa Ko and Andrej Verity, is licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported.
All photographs are copyright UN-OCHA
More information about reproducing this work can be found at
www.digitalhumanitarians.com
4. MADE POSSIBLE BY AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OCHA
This paper was written by
Vanessa Koand Andrej Verity (OCHA).
Graphic design by Vilmar Luiz.
Essential advice and support were provided by Alex Tapscott,
Trent McConaghy (Ascribe.io and BigChainDB), Lilian Barajas,
Andrew Billo, Juliet Lang, Sophie Tholstrup and Roxanne
Moore (OCHA), Mike Fabrikant (UNICEF), Lily Frey (ELAN), Steve
Ehrlich and Nick Vani (Spitzberg Partners), Sarah Martin (Digital
Currency Council), Paul Currion (Start Network)
and Brett Scott.
With the support of UN-OCHA, this document was created as
part of the Digital Humanitarian Network’s effort to continually
understand and prepare for new technologies that could
improve the way that we support people affected by crisis
around the world.
5. BLOCKCHAIN FOR THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR: FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
KEY MESSAGES 04
INTRODUCTION 05
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 05
WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY? 05
HOW DOES THE BLOCKCHAIN WORK? 06
SMART CONTRACTS 07
BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES 08
BENEFITS 08
CHALLENGES 09
APPLYING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY TO THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR 10
PROTECTED DATA SHARING 10
IDENTITY 12
SUPPLY CHAIN 12
DONOR FINANCING 13
CASH PROGRAMMES 13
CROWDFUNDING AND MICROFINANCING 14
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR 15
CONCLUSION 16
APPENDIX: WHAT IS DIGITAL CURRENCY? 17
CONTENTS
6. 04
KEY MESSAGES
• The blockchain is a type of distributed database hosted across a network of multiple participants. Moreover, the
blockchain provides a way to share information and transfer digital assets in a fast, tracked and secure way.
• The blockchain has the potential to transform the humanitarian sector by providing cost savings and traceability of
information flows, and by reducing transaction times.
• Originally created to transfer financial value, the blockchain is now viewed as having the potential to be an efficient and
secure way to transfer or share any type of information or asset.
• Humanitarian practitioners should understand that blockchain technology can be applied to humanitarian challenges,
but it is not a separate humanitarian innovation in itself.
• When layering applications, such as smart contracts, on top of the blockchain, its full potential can be realized.
• In the humanitarian sector, some potential use cases for blockchain technology are in information management,
identification, supply chain tracking, cash programming and humanitarian financing.
• Since blockchain technology can offer solutions to existing humanitarian challenges, it may be wise to begin studying its
impact and experimenting with future implementation.
7. 05
1 Nakamoto, S. (2009). Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.
Retrieved from: bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
2 Only in traditional blockchains does every participant have a full copy of
the ledger. That doesn’t scale, of course. The solution is “sharding”, where
each participant holds a fraction of the overall data. So that no data is
lost, there are at least a few copies of each chunk of data.
3 United Kingdom Government Office for Science (2016). Distributed
Ledger Technology: Beyond Blockchain. Retrieved from: www.gov.uk/
government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492972/gs-
16-1-distributed-ledger-technology.pdf
4 The signatures are critical to ensure that only the rightful owners of Bitcoin
or any currency/asset can transact them. When discussing the security of
the overall network, it is important to mention a concept known as proof
of work. For example, in the Bitcoin network, the security of the overall
network is achieved through concepts known as proof of work or proof of
stake, depending on which blockchain you are referring to.
5 McKinsey & Company (May 2016). How blockchains could change the
world. Retrieved 26 May 2016 from: www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-
tech/our-insights/how-blockchains-could-change-the-world
INTRODUCTION
The blockchain is a type of distributed database hosted
across a network of multiple participants. Moreover, the
blockchain provides a way to share information and trans-
fer digital assets in a fast, tracked and secure way. Origi-
nally created to enable the digital currency Bitcoin, blockchain
technology has garnered attention by creating new opportuni-
ties beyond currency for organizations in all sectors, including
the humanitarian sector. The blockchain has the potential to
transform the humanitarian sector by providing cost savings
and traceability of information flows, and by reducing transac-
tion times.
There has been tremendous interest in blockchain technology
around the world and across sectors. DARPA is investigating the
blockchain for a messaging service. National and local Govern-
ments, such as the United Kingdom, Estonia, Russia and Del-
aware in the United States, have been researching blockchain
applications for public record-keeping, commercial vendors
and voting systems. In the financial sector, banks have already
formed consortiums and research labs centred on the block-
chain and its potential.
This Think Brief explores blockchain technology and its poten-
tial application to the humanitarian sector. It provides a primer
on blockchain technology, and it highlights applications in the
humanitarian sector, potential use cases and recommendations
for implementation. This is meant to serve as guidance for po-
tential use within the humanitarian community, and it outlines
future areas of research and exploration.
“The blockchain ... is the biggest innovation in
computer science—the idea of a distributed
database where trust is established through
mass collaboration and clever code rather
than through a powerful institution that does
the authentication and the settlement.”
Don Tapscott for the McKinsey Global Institute5
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
What is blockchain technology?
The blockchain is a type of decentralized database that
records transactions shared across a network of multiple
participants. The first and most well-known use of blockchain
technology was to exchange the digital currency Bitcoin.1
The blockchain maintains a continually growing list of data
records, with all participants within a network having their
own identical copy of the ledger. Any changes to the ledger
are reflected in all copies close to real time.2
The security and
accuracy of the assets stored in the ledger are maintained cryp-
tographically through the use of digital signatures.3/4
Information or assets on the blockchain are distributed, ac-
countable and tamper-proof. What is stored on a blockchain
can be any token of value or shared data value, and it can mean
anything from monetary payments to intellectual property to
personal data.
8. 06
The transaction is
represented in a “block”.
Person A wants to send
information to person B.
The block is copied to
every actor in the network.
The new block, or transaction,
is then added to the “chain”
of transactions. This chain is
an indelible and transparent
record of every transaction
ever made in the network.
Those in the network approve
that the transaction is valid.
The information is then
sent from person A to B.
How does the blockchain work?
The blockchain groups data into time-stamped “blocks”
and stores them in an immutable chain of transactions,
linked by “headers”. Given the latest block, it is possible
to trace all previous blocks linked together. This way, the
blockchain contains the entire history of all assets and his-
tory from the very first block. This makes the blockchain’s
data verifiable and auditable.
One of the blockchain’s main features is that it eliminates the
need for a central intermediary, which enables users to interact
with each other directly. The blockchain uses the participants in
a network to authenticate and verify each new block, for exam-
ple, to ensure non-duplicate transactions. Since every change to
the blockchain must be replicated and verified by every person
in a network, information stored on the blockchain grows in-
creasingly more tamper-proof as more participants are added
to the network.
HOWDOES
THE
BLOCKCHAIN
WORK?
9. 07
6 This may not be true for all blockchains. For example, on the Bitcoin
blockchain, all information is public. However, it is pseudonymized,
making it difficult to determine the owner, though it may be possible
through things such as graph analysis: blockchain.info/block/0000 000
000000000011eb70a82a16f9e044eedaee22d34c88ad55412ddc362bb
7 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (2011). Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future
of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies. Washington, D.C.
and Berkshire, UK: UN Foundation & Vodafone Foundation Technology
Partnership.
8 Smart Contracts - Everledger.io. Retrieved from: www.everledger.io/
smart_contracts
9 Buterin, V. (7 August 2015). On Public and Private Blockchains - Ethereum
Blog. Retrieved from: blog.ethereum.org/2015/08/07/on-public-and-
private-blockchains/
10 What is Blockstack? Retrieved 4 July 2016 from: blockstack.org/docs/
what-is-blockstack
11 Del Castillo, M. (5 April 2016). R3 Announces New Distributed Ledger
Technology Corda. Retrieved from: www.coindesk.com/r3cev-blockchain-
regulated-businesses/
Smart contracts
A key aspect of the blockchain includes the potential to inte-
grate with programmable smart contracts. Smart contracts
are computer protocols that facilitate, verify and enforce
the performance or negotiation of a contract. In the context
of the blockchain, they are automated and self-executing,
meaning that no one controls smart contracts. In the human-
itarian sector, smart contracts could be used to tie funding or
transactions based on agreed rules to ensure all parties are
held accountable.
For example, person A and person B agree that the owner-
ship of some asset is transferred only if a certain amount of
money is sent from A to B. If person A pays in time, a smart
“We need to fundamentally rethink how the
humanitarian system manages information
in light of the increasingly complex system
of networks and dataflows.”7
Disaster Relief 2.0
The blockchain stores data in the block and the header, with
only the header being public.6
When storing personal data,
for instance, anyone can verify information added to the
blockchain due to individual signatures, but only the owner
can unlock the underlying information with his or her cryp-
tographic signature. Public visibility; private usage.
To understand how the blockchain works, consider the
example of a home address versus its contents: the home
address can be listed publicly in a street directory, but only
the owner can access the house with his/her private key. In
the context of blockchain, the address is public information.
However, what is inside the house is private and only those
with keys can access the house and its contents. Therefore,
despite enabling public accessibility and transparency, the
blockchain can also store sensitive or personal data.
contract transfers that ownership automatically, otherwise, it
will decline the transfer of ownership.8
Types of blockchain platforms
The Bitcoin blockchain was originally designed for
one thing only: moving Bitcoin from one owner to
another. Anyone who has access to a computer can
join and write to the Bitcoin blockchain, and the
system is completely public and fully decentralized.
After the Bitcoin blockchain, the technology was
adapted to create many next-generation public
blockchains. For instance, the Ethereum platform is
a public blockchain that supports smart contracts,
while other platforms include Nxt, Bitshares and
Stellar.
A private blockchain is a blockchain system
with controlled access. Participants are limited
to those who are known and trusted (e.g., people
in a particular industry).9
Various institutions or
companies that are part of a blockchain agree on
pre-specified rules and use it to exchange assets
between each other. Each blockchain has a different
set of features, as decided by its actors. In the
financial services industry, for instance, private
blockchains are used for settlement and clearing of
payments.10
A prominent example of this is R3CEV.11
10. 08
BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES
Benefits
1. Distributed: The blockchain’s main innovation enables
actors to engage directly with each other on a peer-to-peer
basis and eliminates the need for a third-party intermediary
to oversee interactions.
2. Lower transaction costs: Through the blockchain, ac-
tors are able to transmit value without an intermediary by
“linking users and organizations directly together through
a shared ledger and distributed processing across a net-
work.”12
This removes many of the costs involved in facilitat-
ing exchanges through a third party.
3. Faster transaction times: Compared to the existing tech-
nology of financial transactions in the banking system, the
blockchain offers a much faster route. Smart contracts run
on a blockchain are nearly instantaneous.
STEP 3
Other parties in the blockchain,
such as regulators, can use the
blockchain to understand activity
while still maintaining the privacy
of individual parties.
STEP 2
A triggering event, such as a deadline,
is reached, and the contract executes
itself according to agreed-upon rules.
This contract runs automatically if the
conditions are fulfilled, without the
need for a third-party overseeing
the transaction.
STEP 1
A contract between parties is
written into code in the blockchain.
The individuals involved are anonymous,
but the public ledger is the contract.
For instance, person A and person B
agree that ownership of an asset is
transferred only if a certain amount of
money is sent from person A to person B.
HOWDO
SMART
CONTRACS
WORK?
13 Forde, B., & Carey, M. (January 2016). The blockchain will become our
new signature (Wired UK). Retrieved from: www.wired.co.uk/news/
archive/2016-01/05/blockchain-is-the-new-signature
12 Blockchain POV|Deloitte UK (2015). Retrieved from: www2.deloitte.com/
uk/en/pages/innovation/articles/blockchain.html
4. Transparency and accountability: The blockchain pro-
vides an unalterable public ledger. This facilitates the avail-
ability of open and transparent data.
5. Usage information and traceability: Since the block-
chain records, verifies and time stamps every action made
on the network, actors can see exactly the source and time
of each action. This feature can be used not only to trace
usage, but also to enable tracking population movements
in aggregate. This helps share and understand patterns and
trends found in transaction data, such as equality of usage
and access among affected population groups.
6. Data security through encryption: “Like the internet,
anyone can post anything to the blockchain, but the credi-
bility and veracity of that information can be determined by
whomever’s digital signature was used.”13
11. 09
14 Swan, M. (2015). Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy. O’Reilly Media.
Retrieved from: https://ahkyee.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/swan-2015-
blockchain-blueprint-for-a-new-economy.pdf
15 McConaughey, T. et al (2016). BigChainDB: A Scalable Blockchain Database
(Tech.). Berlin: Ascribe GmbH.
16 Wilson, M., & Yelowitz, A. (2015). Characteristics of Bitcoin Users: An
Analysis of Google Search Data. SSRN Electronic Journal
17 Blockchain: Understanding the potential (2015). Retrieved from: www.
barclayscorporate.com/content/dam/corppublic/corporate/Documents/
insight/blockchain_understanding_the_potential.pdf
Challenges
1. Internetaccessandinfrastructure:Usingblockchaintech-
nologyrequiresaccesstotheInternet;areaswithinadequate
infrastructureorcapacitywouldnotbeappropriateusecases
forblockchain.Thisdigitaldividealsoextendstotechnological
understandingbetweenthosewhoknowhowto“operatese-
curelyontheInternet,andthosewhodonot.”14
2. Relativelynewtechnology:Thetechnologyisstillinitsin-
fancy.Itishardtorecognizeitsfullpotentialandimplications,
asexistingapplicationsarelimitedanduntested.Moreover,as
mostusesoftheblockchainarecurrentlylargelyvendordriv-
en,furtherdevelopmentisnecessaryatthisformativestage.
3. Scalabilitylimitations:Similarly,astheblockchainisstillin
itsinfancy,thetechnologycanonlybescaledwithinitscurrent
uses,asnecessaryalgorithmsandotherdevelopmentshave
notyetbeencreatedforfurtherapplications.However,new
developments,suchasBigChainDB,15
havestartedtosolvethis
problembydevelopingnewalgorithms.
WHENIS
BLOCKCHAIN
THERIGHT
FIT?
As with any new technology, blockchain technology has its own advantages and
limitations. Practitioners need to determine whether blockchain technology is the
right tool to use for a particular issue or topic area, or whether another tool may be
more appropriate.
Blockchains are most valuable when:
• They are used to track ownership of complex things over time.
• There are multiple groups or actors involved.
• There is no well-established or effective central authority in place.
• Groups or actors involved need to work collaboratively.
• A record or proof of transactions is desired.18
Crucially, if your particular issue area does not fall within one of these sets of criteria,
a centralized database may be a better solution.
4. Reputational risk of Bitcoin: There is a misconception
that blockchain technology is fundamentally tied to
Bitcoin and digital currencies, rather than being seen as
two separate innovations. Moreover, Bitcoin’s image has
become associated with speculators, profit-driven entre-
preneurs and libertarians.16/17
5. Technical barriers in understanding blockchain
technology: The technology is new, intricate and difficult
to understand. More appropriate and user-friendly
applications still need to be developed for blockchain
solutions.
6. Social, legal and regulatory challenges: The social,
legal and regulatory frameworks, including applicable
privacy norms, for blockchain are developing at a relative-
ly slower pace than the technology. Practitioners using
blockchain should continue to monitor these develop-
ments and stay on top of changes.
12. 10
18 Accenture (2016). Blockchain Technology: Preparing for Change. Available
at: www.accenture.com/cn-en/~/media/Accenture/next-gen/top-ten-
challenges/challenge4/pdfs/Accenture-2016-Top-10-Challenges-04-
Blockchain-Technology.pdf
19 Humanitarian Information Management Failures: Survey Report (2016)
20 Altay, N., & Labonte, M. (2014). Challenges in humanitarian information
management and exchange: Evidence from Haiti. Disasters, 38(S1).
doi:10.1111/disa.12052
21 Whipkey, K., & Verity, A. (2015). Guidance for Incorporating Big
Data into Humanitarian Operations(Rep.). DHN. Retrieved from:
digitalhumanitarians.com/sites/default/files/resource-field_media/
IncorporatingBigDataintoHumanitarianOps-2015.pdf
22 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. (2011). Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future
of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies. Washington, D.C.
and Berkshire, UK: UN Foundation & Vodafone Foundation Technology
Partnership.
23 Swan, M. (2015). Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy. O’Reilly Media.
Retrieved from: https://ahkyee.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/swan-2015-
blockchain-blueprint-for-a-new-economy.pdf
24 McConaughey, T. et al (2016). BigChainDB: A Scalable Blockchain Database
(Tech.). Berlin: Ascribe GmbH
APPLYING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
TO THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR
Blockchain technology has the potential to provide sub-
stantial benefits in the humanitarian sector, such as pro-
tected data sharing, supply chain, donor financing, cash
programmes and crowdfunding. By providing a decentral-
ized, verifiable source of data, blockchain technology can
enable a more transparent, efficient form of information
and data management.
Practitioners should understand that blockchain tech-
nology can be applied to humanitarian challenges, but
it is not a separate humanitarian innovation in itself.
Furthermore, when distributed ledgers have other applica-
tions, such as smart contracts, layered on top of them, their
full potential can be realized.
The following section looks at potential use cases for
blockchain technology in the humanitarian sector. These
use cases are not meant to be prescriptive, but rather to
prompt exploration into potential applications of block-
chain technology.
Protected data sharing
Unreliable information and information silos between dif-
ferent humanitarian actors is often cited as a key barrier in
humanitarian information management.19/20
This will con-
tinue growing with the advent of big data in humanitarian
response “becoming more prominent and important.”21
The blockchain can overcome these barriers to data sharing
by providing an information marketplace that is publicly
accessible to all users while ensuring information security.
In particular, the blockchain lends itself well to being “a uni-
versal, permanent, searchable, irrevocable public records
“The reality is that in a disaster cycle, everyone
has a piece of information, everyone has a piece
of that picture. The more that people are able
to share information data across ecosystems,
and the more information that people have
to utilize, then we’ll really see disaster response
really be able to be more effective.”
Kate Chapman, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team22
repository.”23
A combination of time-stamped and digitally
verified information hosted on an accessible ledger could
play an important role in reducing costs and increasing trans-
parency with humanitarian data. Projects such as Ascribe.io’s
BigChainDB are making use of this concept to build block-
chain-enabled databases.24
Due to the blockchain’s distributed nature, it is possible to
have different humanitarian agencies being able to collect
and share data on the same network. By reducing cost for
protected data while enabling data sharing between entities,
this allows for the creation of information marketplaces in the
humanitarian sector. Companies such as Stampery already
use the technology to notarize information and ensure proof
of ownership by providing time-stamped data in an unalter-
able state.
Additionally, the use of blockchain will help ensure greater
data security while increasing coordination and transparency.
The use of digital signatures increases privacy by protecting
the person posting the data. Moreover, compartments within
the blockchain protect data by only allowing those with the
necessary permissions to access it. Then, through the digi-
tal signatures, it is possible to trace owners of different data
compartments in the blockchain for accountability. A block-
chain-based information-sharing platform can potentially be
built upon existing database systems in the humanitarian sec-
tor, such as OCHA’s Humanitarian Data Exchange.
13. 11
INFORMATION AND
DATA COLLECTION
AND SHARING:
Unreliable information
and information silos can
be overcome through
blockchain-enabled
data sharing.
Blockchain can
provide an
information
marketplace
that is publicly
accessible to
all users while
ensuring
information
security
SUPPLY TRAIN TRACKING
& TRANSPARENCY
Blockchain can be used
as a data platform that
traces the origins, use,
and destination of
humanitarian supplies
HUMANITARIAN
FINANCING
Transparency and
effective financial
management: using
the blockchain to trace
the distribution
of aid and
enable better
coordination
among
humanitarian
actors
IDENTIFICATION &
DOCUMENTATION
Blockchain makes it
possible for an individual
to prove their existence
and identity through
a distributed public ledger.
This enables a personal
data management system
that individuals own and
control themselves CROWDFUNDING
Blockchain can provide
a platform that ensures
rapid disbursement of
funds, transparency and
a lower cost of transactions
CASH
PROGRAMMING
Beneficiary data
and payments made
can be stored on
the blockchain
while ensuring secure
data protection of
personally identifiable
information
Blockchain is a distributed database shared
across multiple participants. Information on
the blockchain is distributed, transparent,
tamper-proof, traceable, and secure.
Applying blockchain technology to the
humanitarian sector can address
existing challenges and create
new opportunities.
BLOCKCHAIN
USEINTHE
HUMANITARIAN
SECTOR
14. 12
30 vipid.herokuapp.com/
31 Nikbakhsh, E., & Farahani, R. Z. (2011). Humanitarian Logistics Planning in
Disaster Relief Operations.Logistics Operations and Management, 291-
332. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-385202-1.00015-3
32 Privett, N. (24 February 2014). Improving visibility in humanitarian supply
chains - ODI HPN. Retrieved from: odihpn.org/blog/improving-visibility-
in-humanitarian-supply-chains/
33 Ibid
34 Williams, R. (31 May 2015). How Bitcoin Tech Could Make Supply Chains
More Transparent. Retrieved from: www.coindesk.com/how-bitcoins-
technology-could-make-supply-chains-more-transparent/
35 Everledger.io. www.everledger.io/
Humanitarian actors could also use the blockchain for their
staff to prove affiliation without showing documentation. A
UNICEF innovation project prototype that outlines this spe-
cific use case is available online.30
This could remove ineffi-
ciencies when working with multiple humanitarian agencies
and staff members in conflict zones. Shocard and Blockstack
are also working on using blockchain for identification, and
The World Citizen Project aims to build a decentralized digi-
tal passport.
Supply chain
Logistics efforts account for 80 per cent of disaster relief.31
Moreover, humanitarian supply chains are extremely dynam-
ic. As a result, supply chain visibility and data tracing can
often be poor.32
Increasing supply chain transparency can
“greatly improve humanitarian operations by providing data
to inform more effective and accurate decisions, enabling
evidence-based interventions and management, exposing
issues for effective remedy and increasing accountability.”33
Blockchain technology offers a way to introduce transpar-
ency in humanitarian supply chains. By providing a publicly
visible ledger, the blockchain can be used as a data platform
that traces the origins, use and destination of humanitarian
supplies. As a shared, secure record of exchange, blockchains
can “track what went into a product and who handled it
along the way, breaking supply chain data out of silos, and
revealing the provenance of a product to everyone involved
from originator to end user.”34
Several companies are already using the blockchain for
supply chain management, such as Provenance, Wave
and Fluent. Other companies focus on specific product
tracing, such as Everledger, which uses the blockchain to
track diamonds.35
These companies enable every physical
product to “come with a digital ‘passport’ that proves au-
25 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
(2014). Humanitarianism in the Age of Cyber-warfare (OCHA Policy and
Studies Series, Policy Think Brief).
26 ICRC Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law. Means of
Personal Identification. Retrieved from: www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/
other/means_of_personal_id_eng.pdf
27 King, J., & Ardis, D. (2015). Identity crisis? Documentation for the displaced
in Iraq – Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Humanitarian Practice
Network. Retrieved from: http://odihpn.org/magazine/identity-crisis-
documentation-for-the-displaced-in-iraq/
28 Rhodes III, Y. (31 May 2016). What does identity mean in today’s physical
and digital world? Retrieved from: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/what-
does-identity-mean-in-today-s-physical-and-digital-world/
29 Zyskind, G., Nathan, O., & Pentland, A. (2015). Decentralizing Privacy: Using
Blockchain to Protect Personal Data. 2015 IEEE Security and Privacy
Workshops. doi:10.1109/spw.2015.27
Identity
A lack of identity documentation is a key challenge in human-
itarian response and early recovery systems.26
Holding basic
documentation to verify one’s identity is fundamental to sur-
vival and security, as they are essential in order to obtain basic
humanitarian assistance and reach areas of safety.27
The blockchain can provide accessible and verifiable iden-
tification in humanitarian and disaster situations. For in-
stance, a recent project by Microsoft, Blockstack Labs and
ConsenSys is working on an “open source, self-sovereign,
blockchain-based identity system”.28
With this, it is possible
for a person to prove their existence and identity through
a distributed public ledger, akin to an international public
notary. This enables a decentralized personal data-manage-
ment system that individuals own and control themselves.29
Since the blockchain protects information using encryption,
the technology can protect the personal data of those who
are most vulnerable. BitNation and OneName are also work-
ing in this space.
“Humanitarian organizations are handling increasing
volumes of detailed and sensitive information...
Due to an increased focus on accountability and
transparency to donors, information previously used
only for implementation is now stored or reported
as evidence. Many of these new technologies
raise difficult thical questions about how much
information should be collected or retained and who
has the right to access it”.25
OCHA “Humanitarianism in the Age of Cyber-warfare”
15. 13
36 Provenance|Blockchain: The solution for transparency in product.
Retrieved from: www.provenance.org/whitepaper
37 Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian financing gap
(2016). High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing Report to the
Secretary-General.
38 Ibid
39 IASC Task Team on Humanitarian Financing, Background document
for the Future of Humanitarian Financing dialogues, October 2014.
interagencystandingcommittee.org/system/files/fhf_looking_beyond_
the_crisis_report.pdf
thenticity and origin, creating an auditable record of the
journey behind all physical products.”36
Therefore, rath-
er than wait for reports to be created after the fact, the
blockchain can ensure a real-time record of all activities
and products. This ensures stronger collaboration, less
duplication of resources, more accountability and more
efficient use of time.
Donor financing
The High Level Panel report “Addressing the Gap in Human-
itarian Financing” highlighted that “companies need to be
encouraged—from insurance and digital cash to logistics and
telecommunications—to get involved in providing their rele-
vant skills and capacity for delivering life-saving assistance.”37
Furthermore, more open and transparent data, published on
a single global platform, “could help reduce transaction costs
and increase effectiveness.”38
Other reports echo these challenges. There are calls for
“more research on online peer-to-peer financing and the
potential for scaling up finance models that cut out the
traditional ‘middleman’, and instead go directly to com-
munities in need to reduce the usual transaction costs asso-
ciated with international humanitarian financing.”39
These recommendations point to the need for more flexible,
efficient, transparent and effective donor financing. This is
coupled with a call for greater visibility and transparency
of financing, not only to address issues of corruption and
misuse of funds, but also to enable actors to better identify
funding gaps based on impact rather than institutional
requirements.
The blockchain could enable humanitarian actors to better
control the distribution of aid, and ensure that funds reach the
intended recipients by lowering transaction cost (no interme-
diaries) and publicly tracking commitments made, distribution
“Technological advancements that could help
strengthen prevention efforts would be beneficial
for the wider aid system. Fraud and corruption
reduces opportunities for poverty alleviation, reduces
inward investment, and is strongly linked to lower
educational achievement. There is, therefore, a
great opportunity to apply DLT in international aid
in order to provide transparency and traceability of
funds. Proving that money is being well spent could
encourage nations to give more, and also all funders
to target key outcomes more effectively.”
UK Government on blockchain40
40 United Kingdom, Government Office for Science. (19 January 2016).
Distributed Ledger Technology: Beyond Blockchain. Retrieved from:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/
file/492972/gs-16-1-distributed-ledger-technology.pdf
41 Currion, P. (2015) AidCoin: a revolution in humanitarian financing.
Retrieved from https://medium.com/@paulcurrion/introduction-
513f86ed92df#.2dz4l3166 (20 June 2016)
42 ODI (2015). Doing cash differently: How cash transfers can transform
humanitarian aid (Rep.). Report of the High-Level Panel on
Humanitarian Cash Transfers.
43 Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian financing gap
(2016). High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing Report to the
Secretary-General.
44 ODI (2015). Doing cash differently: How cash transfers can transform
humanitarian aid (Rep.). Report of the High-Level Panel on
Humanitarian Cash Transfers.
and use (transparency). The Start Network is already devel-
oping a blockchain-based humanitarian financing prototype
based on its early research into blockchain applications in
the humanitarian sector.41
Finally, the blockchain enables
flexible and responsive financing. Since it works on a peer-to-
peer basis, this feature can facilitate localization efforts.
Cash programmes
Cash-based programming is a widely employed technology
among humanitarian actors and is expected to rise in the
future.42
Blockchain technology can be leveraged to support
and address challenges in using centralized databases, en-
suring data security and sharing information across multiple
actors.
Digital cash has been highlighted as a key recommendation
for cash-programme practitioners.43/44
The Overseas Devel-
opment Institute High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Cash
Transfers recommends “where possible, deliver cash digitally
16. 14
50 United Nations OCHA (2015). Crowdfunding for Emergencies. (OCHA
Policy and Studies Series, Issue brief)
51 Currion, P. (2015). AidCoin: a revolution in humanitarian financing.
Retrieved from: medium.com/@paulcurrion/introduction-
513f86ed92df#.2dz4l3166 (20 June 2016)
increases trust in the project and ensures continued donor
engagement.”50
Harnessing the blockchain can increase this
transparency, accountability and trust by providing a verifi-
able platform.
Existing crowdfunding programs already use Bitcoin and oth-
er cryptocurrencies to fund humanitarian emergencies. Ex-
amples include Colu, BTC Funding, CoinFunder and BitPesa.
These platforms have lower transaction costs, which ensures
transparent and rapid disbursement of funds during crises.
Moreover, these crowdfunding initiatives can go beyond
digital currencies, such as Bitcoin. Where previously a cen-
tralized service, such as Indiegogo, was needed to enable a
crowdfunding campaign, crowdfunding platforms powered
by blockchain technology remove the need for an inter-
mediary third party to monitor and disburse funds. These
platforms use blockchain technology to reduce transaction
costs and enable rapid disbursement of micropayments. As
funds are processed on a peer-to-peer basis, funds raised can
be approved and transferred directly to the recipients. The
humanitarian sector could establish its own dedicated cryp-
tocurrency, such as AidCoin, to reduce transaction times and
exchange-rate losses while maintaining transparency and
traceability of funds.51
“The transparency and tracking of digital
payments also offers opportunities to address
donor government concerns about potential
corruption and diversion”.
Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian
financing gap (2016). High-Level Panel on Humanitarian
Financing Report to the Secretary-General.47
As cash transfers often rely on digital technology, consider-
ations on data-exchange standards, data security, privacy
and encryption are critical to the process.48
The use of cen-
tralized databases is another challenge, as cash program-
ming allows for more connected programming. The block-
chain may address these considerations. A shared platform
based on the blockchain can allow humanitarian actors to
easily and responsibly share population and usage trends
and anonymized transaction data. Digital cash payments
can be made traceable, interoperable across multiple actors,
more secure and at a lower cost through blockchain technol-
ogy, with the possibility of tracking funds from original donor
to final recipient while still ensuring privacy and security.49
Crowdfunding and microfinancing
Blockchain technology can be used for crowdfunding and
microfinancing in emergencies in two ways: through using
existing digital currencies and by providing a decentralized
funding platform.
OCHA’s Crowdfunding for Emergencies Think Brief reports
that “increasing transparency, accountability and reporting
among donors, project initiators and funding recipients
45 Ibid.
46 Ibid.
47 Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian financing gap
(2016). High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing Report to the
Secretary-General.
48 United Nations World Food Programme. Information technology for
cash-based transfers. Retrieved from: www.wfp.org/node/649700
49 Currion, P. (2015). AidCoin: a revolution in humanitarian financing.
Retrieved from: medium.com/@paulcurrion/introduction-
513f86ed92df#.2dz4l3166 (20 June 2016)
and in a manner that enhances further financial inclusion.”45
Digital cash and payments are recommended as they en-
sure greater transparency around how much aid reaches
affected populations, make payments cheaper, increase
security and accelerate financial inclusion.46
17. 15
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR
Capitalize on existing research and development: Block-
chain technology is already having a profound impact on
how private companies manage data, interact with custom-
ers and pursue innovation.52
The humanitarian sector can
leverage this existing knowledge to adapt the technology for
humanitarian needs. This also involves creating incentives
for the private sector to invest in research and development
that benefits the humanitarian space. The humanitarian
community can also partner with Governments and com-
panies already working in this area (Estonia, Delaware, UK),
as well as with the blockchain open-source community and
non-profits in the blockchain space, such as COALA, IPDB
and Blockstack.
Build on existing infrastructure: There are several differ-
ent blockchain platforms that can be adapted to humanitari-
an use cases. The sector can partner with existing blockchain
platforms, such as Ethereum, to build pilot projects for small-
er and specific test applications.
Similarly, those interested in implementing blockchain can
look to previous instances of new technology being adopted
in the humanitarian sector. For instance, humanitarian actors
can look to the adoption of mobile banking as an example of
how the blockchain and digital currencies can be adapted to
humanitarian needs. Actors could also investigate leveraging
existing infrastructure, such as mobile banking infrastructure,
to enable blockchain applications.
Research the humanitarian applications of blockchain
technology: The humanitarian sector needs research and
development to further investigate how blockchain technol-
ogy can be adapted to address humanitarian challenges. The
above use cases are just some of the potential applications
of blockchain technology in the sector. More careful research
into the benefits, challenges and consequences of using the
technology should be pursued. Furthermore, additional re-
search and evidence are needed to translate these potential
52 United Kingdom, Government Office for Science (19 January 2016).
Distributed Ledger Technology: Beyond Blockchain. Retrieved from:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/
file/492972/gs-16-1-distributed-ledger-technology.pdf
use cases to actual implementation. Once clear use cases are
established in other sectors, the humanitarian sector should
adapt best practices and lessons learned from other sec-
tors to translate the blockchain to humanitarian purposes.
Research organizations, such as the Overseas Development
Institute, can build and test prototypes of humanitarian-spe-
cific blockchain applications.
Create basic frameworks for understanding and using
blockchain technology: If blockchain technology is to
be implemented in the humanitarian sector, guidelines for
safety, security and data sharing must be established. Best
practices and guidance for using data responsibly must be
adopted, which can then be used to develop a framework
to use the blockchain responsibly. These policies must be
developed and agreed on by all actors using the technology.
For instance, this may involve creating minimum data-usage
standards for blockchain-enabled information sharing. The
Humanitarian Data Centre may be one space well suited for
further exploration of this.
18. 16
CONCLUSION
As blockchain technology continues to gain momentum
across sectors, the humanitarian community can look to this
new technology to help address ongoing challenges. The
technology alone cannot solve fundamental issues within
the sector, but it can offer new insights and provide a new
tool for solving some of these challenges. Further research
and development are necessary into which applications and
use cases are most appropriate for the blockchain, and care-
ful consideration of the benefits, impacts, risks and required
resources must be taken into account.
19. 17
Appendix: What is digital currency?
There is a difference between virtual currency, digital currency and cryptocurrency.
Virtual currency: This medium of exchange is issued and controlled by its developers, and used and accepted
among the members of a specific online community.53
In particular, virtual currency does not have legal tender
status in any jurisdiction. It either has an equivalent value in real currency or acts as a substitute for real currency.54
Digital currency: This form of virtual currency is electronically created and stored. Digital currency operates on a
decentralized peer-to-peer network, without a third-party intermediary monitoring transactions.
Cryptocurrency: A type of digital currency that uses cryptography for security, making the currency difficult o
counterfeit. Bitcoin is one example.
The characteristics of digital currency that are relevant to this report: non-hierarchical, immediate, collaborative,
peer-driven, transparent and accountable.
53 European Central Bank. (October 2012). Virtual Currency
Schemes. Retrieved from: www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/
virtualcurrencyschemes201210en.pdf
54 United States Department of the Treasury. (18 March 2013). Application
of FinCEN’s Regulations to Persons Administering, Exchanging, or Using
Virtual Currencies. Retrieved from: https://www.fincen.gov/statutes_
regs/guidance/html/FIN-2013-G001.html