Blockchain-Enabled Smart Contracts for Secure and Transparent Governance in Smart Cities

Abstract

The communication of one device with another device with the help of the Internet is called the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things, or IoT, can save humans time and effort by automating many tasks. It is developing fully and solidifying as an essential component of the future Internet. With the adaptation of IoT technology and the help of internet access, it is designed to connect physical and digital objects to improve safety, comfort, productivity, and quality of life by addressing several issues connected to the environment, power, urbanisation, business, shipping, and transportation. Public awareness of the IoT is growing daily. This is because the IoT can significantly enhance the condition of our environment. With the help of the IoT, we can connect millions and billions of objects, which will help improve our lives. But we face some obstructions when we adopt IoT in real life, such as scalability, single-point failure, security, and privacy. To address these challenges, there is a technology called the blockchain. A distributed ledger known as a blockchain allows any kind of data transfer to be completed quickly, validated by every participant in the network, and permanently recorded. Blockchain characteristics like irreversibility, clarity, the authenticity of data, encryption techniques, and integrative solutions can help alleviate most architectural inadequacies of the IoT. While blockchain technology offers miraculous answers to the issues associated with the traditional centralised model, it is drawing increasing attention from a variety of businesses and scholars. Blockchain technology has advanced greatly in recent years and is now regarded as a potential way to accomplish objectives. Blockchain technologies shield users from single points of failure, reliance on third parties, and other issues. Outside of cryptocurrencies, this kind of technology is used in risk management, medical facilities, and both the public and financial sectors. It stores data in digital format, which is being seen as a solution that can address many problems like private data, ownership, trust, and decentralisation. Because of the decentralised management of private data, the popularity of this technology has increased, and so much research is going on in different scientific areas. This has motivated experts to look into how the IoT ecosystem might use blockchain technology. The overview and operation of the IoT have been covered in this paper. Next, we presented the IoT model based on a centralised architecture and explained the challenges faced in this centralised architecture. Next, we gave an overview of blockchain technology, discussed the different consensus algorithms, and introduced the characteristics of the technology. Finally, we proposed the architecture for the implementation of blockchain with IoT and examined whether it would work.