Ludwig Trotter, Mike Harding, Chris Elsden, Nigel Davies · 5 authors
We demonstrate Smart Donations, a blockchain powered mobile platform and application that facilitates a novel model for real-time, condition-based donations using smart contracts. By leveraging the benefits of blockchain technology, Smart Donations empower donors to (i) attach conditions dependent on real-world phenomena to a donation, (ii) store funds in a secure, transparent and decentralised escrow, and (iii) automatically release funds to charitable organisations or particular projects once the donor's conditions have been met. We believe this mobile prototype demonstrates a compelling new approach to charitable giving that leverages dynamic pledge controls and considers new trust relationships between donors and NGOs.
The achievements of west and central Africa in producing more than 60% of the world's cocoa, and sub-Saharan Africa's achievement in producing 13% of the world's cotton, hide child labor. These significant levels of production often involve child exposure to issues such as a lack of education; pesticides; dangerous farming tools; work accidents; human trafficking; etc. Blockchain offers an immutable register that allows for digital transactions, smart contract creation, as well as end-to-end product traceability. The main aim of this article is to provide an intelligent contract framework that protects child labor in farming while further enlightening understandings of adoption-related challenges. This framework considers conditions that farmer associations need to satisfy and gives them a tool to improve children's welfare. A research model for the adoption of this tool has been proposed and validated through surveys in the cotton and cacao sectors.
Aleksandar Erceg, Jovanka Damoska Sekuloska, Ivan Kelić
As one of the most interactive economic activities, tourism has improved significantly since the Internet allowed customers (travelers) to look for and create their trips without the need to go to a travel agency. Through the development of Internet marketing, tourists are able to receive information in real-time and view them on the screens of their devices (computers, laptops, mobile phones or tablets), and consequently they can create their own content and share it with others. Due to this development, we are witnessing a new phenomenon, so-called app capitalism, in which companies like Uber and Airbnb make money on services and goods they do not own and finding new business models in the tourism sector which enable customer-to-customer models. To be able to respond to these changes, the tourism industry needs to bring together knowledge, money, and technology for the purpose of creating new business models. The development of technology in all social spheres, including tourism, has provided a strong tool for consumers in terms of both acquiring and disclosing information to others. One of the rapidly growing technologies which is also one of the cutting-edge technologies entering tourism is blockchain. Blockchain technology captured worldwide attention in 2017 and its implementation has been revolutionizing various industries (e.g., retail, healthcare, tourism). The aim of this paper is to analyze the potential of the tourism industry in terms of blockchain implementation. Blockchain technology provides significant benefits to the tourism industry since its implementation can help increase competitive advantage, improve customer satisfaction and enhance performance. In this paper, the authors present the current situation in the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia regarding the use of blockchain technology in the tourism industry. The main findings of this paper comprise the detection of key areas regarding why blockchain technology is not implemented in the tourist industry, and what processes should be handled. By presenting a case study of the implementation of blockchain technology in tourism, the authors analyze the potential of using blockchain technology in the tourism industry and discuss topics for further research.
Yueyue Dai, Du Xu, Ke Zhang, Sabita Maharjan · 5 authors
Vehicular Edge Computing (VEC) is a promising paradigm to enable huge amount of data and multimedia content to be cached in proximity to vehicles. However, high mobility of vehicles and dynamic wireless channel condition make it challenge to design an optimal content caching policy. Further, with much sensitive personal information, vehicles may be not willing to caching their contents to an untrusted caching provider. Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is an emerging technique to solve the problem with high-dimensional and time-varying features. Permission blockchain is able to establish a secure and decentralized peer-to-peer transaction environment. In this paper, we integrate DRL and permissioned blockchain into vehicular networks for intelligent and secure content caching. We first propose a blockchain empowered distributed content caching framework where vehicles perform content caching and base stations maintain the permissioned blockchain. Then, we exploit the advanced DRL approach to design an optimal content caching scheme with taking mobility into account. Finally, we propose a new block verifier selection method, Proof-of-Utility (PoU), to accelerate block verification process. Security analysis shows that our proposed blockchain empowered content caching can achieve security and privacy protection. Numerical results based on a real dataset from Uber indicate that the DRL-inspired content caching scheme significantly outperforms two benchmark policies.
A rating assessment of supporting elements in tourism destinations used to provide information for tourists before making a tour. Along with the development of communication technology, each traveler shares data about the ranking of travel destinations through their mobile devices. The commonly used data sharing architecture is the centralized model. However, this architecture still has some weaknesses, so it needs to be improved, for example, through decentralized architecture as developed in this research in a Tourism Destination Rating System (TDRS). This system is a combination of 6AsTD as a framework for assessing the success level of tourism destinations and blockchain as the data-sharing architecture between tourists. The 6AsTD frameworks use six variables as a reference for assessing tourism destinations. The rating results distributed to each traveler's mobile device connected to the blockchain network. Furthermore, the system built-in this study was tested on several tourists in Batu Tourism City. The TDRS can generate assessments that can be quickly submitted to other users using applications connected to the Blockchain network.
This paper proposes a token based economy for carbon trading using blockchain as a means of ensuring decentralization and transparency at a global level. It explores digital tracking of carbon emission permits. It also proposes a safeguard against the hoarding of carbon credits.
Murat Kuzlu, Salih Sarp, Manisa Pipattanasomporn, Ümit Cali
Blockchain - a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) - has emerged as one of the leading technologies during the past several years. The objective of this paper is to discuss potential use of blockchain technology to support different smart grid applications.
Although the current ride hailing services have revolutionized the transportation industry in today's world, they are extremely centralized. Central authority has all the control and maintains data about the users. Such platforms raise concerns about the service policies and data reliability. In case the central server faces data tampering or ransomware attacks, all the records of data is either lost or compromised. Blockchain has gained exceptional recognition while addressing aforementioned issues because of its decentralized data auditability, anonymity and immutability. Research on blockchain technology explores the possibility of implementing decentralized application in ride hailing service. Blockchain based ride hailing architecture gives us the opportunity to deviate from centralized platforms to decentralized ones. In this paper we propose our system PEBERS: Practical Ethereum Blockchain based Efficient Ride Hailing Service, in which we demonstrate how decentralized system based on consortium blockchain can be developed to keep track of ride data. In this context we explore smart contracts to build and deploy functionalities such as create ride, auto deposit transfer, cancel and complete ride methods of our decentralized ride hailing application. Our experiments show the driver smart contracts proposed in our system consume less Gas and hence prove that its an efficient system than many other existing systems with respect to the expenses of passengers and profitability of drivers. This is an effort towards providing smarter transportation for a society moving towards smart city concept.
Purpose Blockchain, which was originally created to enable peer-to-peer digital payment systems (bitcoin), is considered to have several benefits for different sectors, such as the real estate one. In a standard European-wide real estate transaction, several intermediaries are involved. As a consequence, these agreements are usually time-consuming and involve extra difficulties to cross-border operations. As blockchain, combined with smart contracts, may have an important role in these transactions, this paper aims to explore its prospective challenges, limitations and opportunities in the real estate sector and discover how the traditional intermediaries have to face a possible implementation of this technology. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses the current intermediaries in the real estate sector in European Union (EU), their functions and how can blockchain strengthen the security of these transactions while reducing their time. The author uses a legal methodology to approach it. Findings Blockchain, combined with smart contracts, has both challenges and opportunities for the real estate sector. On the one hand, it may improve procedures, allow EU transactions and the interconnection between public administration. However, to not reduce parties rights, this blockchain should have some special features, such as the possibility of being amended. Originality/value This paper provides a valuable overview of all the intermediaries that could be affected by blockchain protocols. It is of interest of blockchain developers, public administrations and researchers who are working on blockchain and property conveyancing.
The Shariʿa Law has a comprehensive vision of all human activities, including commerce. The peculiarities of the commercial legal system that derives from the legal principles of Shariʿa emanates from the concepts of forbidden or Haram and permissible or Halal. These principles are applied today to breakthrough commercial developments such as the Blockchain/Digital Ledger Technologies. On the other hand, there is a growing debate about the possibility of the application of Shariʿa Law in the Member States of the European Union, either for social reasons or for commercial reasons. The controversy and opportunities created in the smallest State of the Union, Malta, serves as a sample.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the disrupting usage and impacts of blockchains and cryptocurrencies and advocate their role as enablers of sustainable tourism development goals. Design/methodology/approach Literature on blockchains and cryptocurrencies is critically synthesized, debated and expanded to identify and discuss their implications toward sustainable tourism futures. Findings As a distributive digital ledger, blockchains have the potential to create a more inclusive tourism future to address debates around tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development that alludes to value accruing to only certain providers and consumers. Blockchains and their cryptocurrencies (as a financial transaction capability) elevate trust and relational capabilities in an expedited and holistic manner, democratize participation in economic systems and re-distribute power and economic relations amongst actors by influencing the way data (the currency of the digital economy and the lifeblood of tourism) is collected, stored, exchange, owned and traded for co-creating value. Research limitations/implications The paper is conceptual and speculative by identifying ways in which blockchain and cryptocurrencies can support sustainable tourism development goals. Directions for future research are provided for further elaborating and collecting primary evidence on whether the premise and applications of these technologies can deliver the acclaimed sustainable impacts. Originality/value The paper contributes to the emerging but controversial literature about the trajectories between technology and sustainability by critically debating on how blockchains, through cryptocurrency economies, can be positioned to facilitate sustainable tourism futures.
Radical changes in the technological environment have been forcing service providers to consider whether, if so, how to automate any aspects of their services with robots and other emerging technologies. Some service providers have been adopting robotic service assistants, and even creating organizations partially or fully automated by robots. However, some service providers have not been able to fully take advantage of RSAs’ benefits in a way that enhances customer service experiences. We review those challenges of RSAs and discuss the potential application of blockchain technology in governing a robotic service organization, the concept we propose in this study. Drawing on transaction cost theory and resource-based theory, we discuss theoretical implications of the impact of blockchain technology on the governance of a robotic service organization. Our study represents one of the first theoretical research to evaluate the impact of blockchain technology in a robotic service economy.
An online review system is an important part of almost every e-commerce platform, especially a tourism e-commerce. However, various problems exist in the current online review systems. The review content is stored in a centralized database of each individual platform. Each platform differs in review management methods. In some cases, the review score of the same product disagrees across different platforms. Moreover, a centralized system has low transparency because it is difficult to trace individual actions within the system. As a result, some users are skeptical of the reliability of online reviews in centralized systems. This work proposes a global travel review framework based-on the blockchain technology. The incorporation of blockchain helps improve an online review system. The best practices for online review management from popular platforms, and the guidelines from trusted sources are used to develop the new system. The use of blockchain improves an online review system through its unique features of high transparency, security, and reliability. Additionally, the proposed framework relies on a community-driven environment. The accessibility level of users is controlled by using the smart contract. There is no single authoritative owner of the system. All participants in the system can exert controls on the system equally. This work illustrates the details of a blockchain-based global travel review framework. The advantages and disadvantages of such a system are discussed. The proposed framework can be easily integrated with any existing platforms since it can be accessed publicly.
The vehicle information in used-car transactions is always asymmetric and disputes always happen in China. In order to reduce such disputes caused by the lack of transparency in a transaction, Blockchain technology is adopted to construct a trust mechanism for vehicle information storage and sharing in a transparent manner. In this work, a Blockchain-based vehicle history storing and tracking service, named BCVehis, is proposed. BCVehis allows vehicle owners, vehicle authority, mechanic workshops, insurance brokers and other related individuals/organizations to upload vehicle historical records via simple manners (i.e. mobile app or application programming interfaces). The system provides trustworthy vehicle history to used-car dealers, potential buyers, and other business-related parties. The design rationale and functional implementation of the BCVehis are introduced, and the increased deal volume in a local used-car dealer X is presented, which integrated BCVehis to its online dealing system.
espanolEl objeto del presente trabajo consiste en el analisis del potencial de la tecnologia de registros distribuidos —Distributed Ledger Tecnology (DLT)— en los procesos de adquisicion de empresas. Habida cuenta la complejidad de las negociaciones y de sus elevados costes, tanto temporales como economicos, cabe plantearse si los servicios de plataformas basadas en blockchain y smart contracts seran de utilidad en este tipo de operaciones. EnglishThe aim of this paper is to analyze the potential of distributed ledger technology —DLT— in company acquisition processes. Due to the complexity of the negotiations, and their high costs, both temporary and economic, it is worth considering if the services of platforms based on blockchain and smart contracts will be useful in this type of operations.
espanolEn este trabajo el autor propone la implementacion de un nuevo modelo de Registro de la Propiedad que funcionaria exclusivamente mediante procedimientos automaticos de naturaleza algoritmica, y sin necesidad de ningun tipo de intervencion humana. El sistema propuesto requiere la existencia de un sistema contractual de naturaleza abstracta y de un ordenamiento juridico-real basado en el numerus clausus. La implementacion de este sistema tendria lugar dentro de una blockchain privada regida por el protocolo Ethereum, o una version modificada del mismo. EnglishIn this paper the author proposes the implementation of a new model of Land Registry, which would run through automatic procedures of algorithmic character exclusively, and without any kind of human intervention. The system requires a property law based on an exhaustive list of rights in rem (numerus clausus) and an abstract system of title transfer, like the German one. The system would be implemented within a private blockchain governed by the Ethereum protocol, or a modified version of the same.