Jul 1, 2018·2018 IEEE International Conference on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData)
This article explores the potential probability of blockchain technology in assisting enhanced application for ridesharing services. The development of the sharing economy brings numerous novel ideas and generates many innovative businesses. However, the wide range of the sharing economy also causes disputes and questions, including labor, organizations, and regulations. Blockchain technology (hereafter blockchain) can facilitate virtual and physical networking symbiosis. This situation would motivate a new model of governance, namely, the bottom-up organization. Therefore, the blockchain would push governances and citizens to reorganize current complicated systems. In this work, we demonstrate SmaRi to achieve a decentralized transaction system combined with the blockchain as our case. Our proposed system provides users with automated execution and immutable record and distributes more decision-making power from centralized organization to users. These measures may fulfill the core value of the sharing economy through peer-to-peer exchanges. Furthermore, we illustrate how SmaRi can be combined with current management systems. By linking with the original system, SmaRi can establish comprehensive functions quickly. In this work, we can expect modern society to become closer to future smart cities.
Apostolos C. Tsolakis, Ioannis Moschos, Konstantinos Votis, Dimosthenis Ioannidis · 9 authors
The aim of the proposed work is to introduce a secure and interoperable Demand Response (DR) management platform that will assist Aggregators (or other relevant Stakeholders involved in DR business scenarios) in their decision making mechanisms over their portfolios of prosumers. This novel architecture incorporates multiple strategies and policies provided from energy market stakeholders, establishing a more modular and future-proof DR solution. By employing an innovative multi-agent decision making system and self-learning algorithms to enable aggregation, segmentation and coordination of several diverse clusters, consisting of supply and demand assets, a fully autonomous design will be delivered. This DR framework is further fortified in terms of data security by not only implementing cutting-edge blockchain infrastructure, but also by making use of Smart Contracts and Decentralized Applications (dApps) which will further secure and facilitate Aggregators-to-Prosumers transactions. The blockchain technologies will be combined with well-known open protocols (i.e. OpenADR) towards also supporting interoperability in terms of information exchange.
Distributed Ledger Technologies have triggered business model innovation activities among firms. While the available design choices are limited by the unique properties of any protocol, management research so far has neglected the architectural differences between the dominant protocol types. In this study, I analyse the business model design elements of firms seeking to utilise the IOTA Tangle as their underlying DLT protocol for innovation. I identify two potential business model patterns the IOTA Tangle facilitates that is a by-demand logic and the monetisation of data stream. I further find that the IOTA protocol is integrated into open or closed platforms.
Jul 1, 2018·2018 IEEE International Conference on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing (CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData)
Mass penetration and market dominance of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are expected in the upcoming years. Due to their frequent charging needs, not only public and private charging stations are being built, but also V2V charging options are considered. This forms a charging network with various suppliers and EV customers which can communicate to schedule charging operations. While an app can be designed to develop matching algorithms for charging schedules, the system also needs a convenient payment method that will enable privacy-preserving transactions among the suppliers and EVs. In this paper, we adopt a Bitcoin-based payment system for the EV charging network payments. However, Bitcoin has a transaction fee which would be comparable to the price of the charging service most of the time and thus may not be attractive to users. High transaction fees can be eliminated by building a payment network in parallel to main ledger, with permission and signatures. In this paper, we design and implement such a network among charging stations and mobile EVs with flow, connectivity and fairness constraints, and demonstrate results for the feasibility of the scheme under different circumstances. More specifically, we propose a payment network optimization model for determining payment channels among charging stations. We present numerical results on the characteristics of the network model by using realistic use cases.
In the future, ecosystems for managing travel and all the associated services will be more diverse and innovative. These Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystems will combine services in an unforeseen way to enable fluent travel experiences. However, to succeed, MaaS ecosystems require integrators and enablers. Blockchains can serve as an technology enabler, but to reach their best potential blockchains need to tackle new business needs. MaaS ecosystems form an excellent arena for this. We present a model of a MaaS ecosystem, enabling easy, quick and trusted transactions taking advantage of artificial intelligence and blockchain-enabled smart contracts. We also present a subset demonstration of this model, TravelToken, which utilizes QR code that stores and uses travel information in smart contract over Ethereum. The benefits are that all travel data can be stored in one ticket, information stays unaltered in blockchain, and value-share as well as compensations in case of delays will be automatic.
Blockchains and sensors installed on a vehicle could be combined to semiautomatically activate/deactivate car insurance coverage in an envisaged on-demand insurance scenario. We present a prototype that includes a mobile application (app) and a portable electronic device to be installed onboard. The mobile app lets the driver dynamically change the status of specific insurance coverage (in some cases, after pictures of the vehicle have been taken to attest to its conditions). Each modification and picture hash (a fixed-length alphanumeric summary of data content) are saved on the blockchain within a smart contract to certify changes made as well as the vehicle's status. Sensors embedded in the electronic device are used to collect passengers' and the vehicle?s data. Data are then used to automatically modify insurance coverage based on car/environment conditions and the preferences set. The proposed solution could help lower policy modification costs and limit insurance fraud.
Jun 1, 2018·2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe)
This paper proposes a demand response framework for near-real time autonomous demand response management combined with a democratic market driven pricing scheme. The approach aims to aggregate groups of prosumers and develop new financial/business models for maximizing the prosumer's benefits in terms of: renewable energy usage maximization, cost minimization, etc. The framework will feature a blockchain based near-real time closed-loop semand response validation, fully autonomous, secured and decentralized. This will enact each prosumer with the possibility to verify the authenticity and integrity of all DR events and bid notifications.
This paper makes the case for the use of blockchains in emerging intelligent transportation systems applications. Specifically, we argue for the use of blockchains to settle contracts and transactions in a variety of intelligent transportation scenarios. We argue that mainstream blockchains such as Ethereum have the foundations to sustain transactions with fine tunable granularity at large scale and in a near-realtime manner. The paper analyzes the refueling scenario for autonomous electric vehicles and proposes an algorithm to guarantee the execution of energy recharges.
Roberto Tonelli, Andrea Pinna, Gavina Baralla, Simona Ibba
We propose a model of software architecture where microservices are implemented by mean of Smart Contracts deployed in a blockchain, discussing similarities among the two paradigms and presenting an example of the implementation of an e-commerce platform.
Abstract Access to housing is a crucial issue worldwide. It is still under discussion whether collaborative economy is enhancing or, on the contrary, constraining access. In this context, the concept of ‘collaborative housing’ (collaborative economy applied to the funding, access and organisation of housing) arises to address a range of situations that might potentially help people to access housing, such as co-housing or the so-called ‘intermediate tenures’. Disintermediation through blockchain technology, and the resultant effect of a reduction in the transaction costs of access to housing, is one of those trends regarding collaborative housing. Accordingly, the adaptation of the disintermediation mechanism to the real estate conveyance and land registry, as in many other sectors of the collaborative economy, is timely. This can be achieved by exploring the potential of this mechanism in enhancing traditional methods of this sector through possible technological solutions. This paper presents a preliminary discussion on the different types of collaborative housing and the potentials of the blockchain technology to facilitate access to housing in relation to real estate conveyancing and registration.
Open-access blockchains based on proof-of-work protocols have gained tremendous popularity for their capabilities of providing decentralized tamper-proof ledgers and platforms for data-driven autonomous organization. Nevertheless, the proof-of-work based consensus protocols are vulnerable to cyber-attacks such as double-spending. In this paper, we propose a novel approach of cyber risk management for blockchain-based service. In particular, we adopt the cyber-insurance as an economic tool for neutralizing cyber risks due to attacks in blockchain networks. We consider a blockchain service market, which is composed of the infrastructure provider, the blockchain provider, the cyber-insurer, and the users. The blockchain provider purchases from the infrastructure provider, e.g., a cloud, the computing resources to maintain the blockchain consensus, and then offers blockchain services to the users. The blockchain provider strategizes its investment in the infrastructure and the service price charged to the users, in order to improve the security of the blockchain and thus optimize its profit. Meanwhile, the blockchain provider also purchases a cyber-insurance from the cyber-insurer to protect itself from the potential damage due to the attacks. In return, the cyber-insurer adjusts the insurance premium according to the perceived risk level of the blockchain service. Based on the assumption of rationality for the market entities, we model the interaction among the blockchain provider, the users, and the cyber-insurer as a two-level Stackelberg game. Namely, the blockchain provider and the cyber-insurer lead to set their pricing/investment strategies, and then the users follow to determine their demand of the blockchain service. Specifically, we consider the scenario of double-spending attacks and provide a series of analytical results about the Stackelberg equilibrium in the market game.
The proliferation of electric vehicles has spurred the research interest in technologies associated with it, for instance, batteries, and charging mechanisms. Moreover, the recent advancements in autonomous cars also encourage the enabling technologies to integrate and provide holistic applications. To this end, one key requirement for electric vehicles is to have an efficient, secure, and scalable infrastructure and framework for charging, billing, and auditing. However, the current manual charging systems for EVs may not be applicable to the autonomous cars that demand new, automatic, secure, efficient, and scalable billing and auditing mechanism. Owing to the distributed systems such as blockchain technology, in this paper, we propose a new charging and billing mechanism for electric vehicles that charge their batteries in a charging-on-the-move fashion. To meet the requirements of billing in electric vehicles, we leverage distributed ledger technology (DLT), a distributed peer-to-peer technology for micro-transactions. Our proof-of-concept implementation of the billing framework demonstrates the feasibility of such system in electric vehicles. It is also worth noting that the solution can easily be extended to the electric autonomous cars (EACs).
Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour, Unal Tatar, Adrian Gheorghe
Sand is a key ingredient for many industries, including concrete, glass, and electronics. Sand extraction is now exceeding fossil fuels and biomass. The absence of data on aggregates sand mining makes assessments difficult and has contributed to the lack of awareness about this issue. A sand governance business framework is developed applying the blockchain technology as the main goal of this study to regulate the sand extraction and trade. Blockchain technology provides a distributed concurrency monitoring system for the supply management. Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) as an effective bottom-up tool is applied to demonstrate the application of the model. The sand providers and users are modeled as a collection of autonomous decision-making entities called agents. The agents interact with each other, the regulators participate in making decisions on the basis of a set of rules that are defined within the blockchain network.
Electric Autonomous Vehicles (EAVs) promise to be an effective way to solve\ntransportation issues such as accidents, emissions and congestion, and aim at\nestablishing the foundation of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) economy. For this to be\npossible, the market should be able to offer appropriate charging services\nwithout involving humans. The state-of-the-art mechanisms of charging and\nbilling do not meet this requirement, and often impose service fees for value\ntransactions that may also endanger users and their location privacy. This\npaper aims at filling this gap and envisions a new charging architecture and a\nbilling framework for EAV which would enable M2M transactions via the use of\nDistributed Ledger Technology (DLT).\n
Electric Autonomous Vehicles (EAVs) promise to be an effective way to solve transportation issues such as accidents, emissions and congestion, and aim at establishing the foundation of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) economy. For this to be possible, the market should be able to offer appropriate charging services without involving humans. The state-of-the-art mechanisms of charging and billing do not meet this requirement, and often impose service fees for value transactions that may also endanger users and their location privacy. This paper aims at filling this gap and envisions a new charging architecture and a billing framework for EAV which would enable M2M transactions via the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).
This article studies the emergence of Share&Charge, a German platform that organizes the sharing of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) and the billing for the energy transactions. Share&Charge follows a peer-to-peer fashion, enabling direct transactions between charging station owners and EV drivers. On the demand side, the platform, with its interactive map, makes it possible for EV owners to find a charging station in the most suitable location, for instance, at their place of work or where they live. On the offer side, Share&Charge enables station operators (private individuals or companies) to rent their charging stations and eventually to sell the electricity they produce. Charging tariffs within the charging station network are determined by the charging station operators themselves, but the platform provides indicative tariffs. Launched in September 2017, Share&Charge follows other initiatives, such as the French platforms Wattpop and ChargeMap, and the Swedish Elbnb. Share&Charge’s network is already proven to be successful with German citizens. Share&Charge adds certain elements of value at different stages of EV utilization. First, this model allows for a co-financing of charging infrastructures by individuals and businesses in the private sector by sharing the infrastructure costs among EV drivers. Besides the purchase price of EVs, the implementation of charging infrastructures and their financing represent a significant barrier to the rise of e-mobility. Share&Charge helps remove this obstacle without adding a further burden on the governmental budget. In addition, this approach follows the “user pays principle,” which engages in fair and effective financing. Second, the platform increases decentralized production value and facilitates its expansion. It also helps in avoiding grid congestion and energy loss, as well as increasing flexibility within the electricity market. Third, data use enables the optimization of energy demand and supply, and the optimal determination of tariffs, although these remain facultative. Models like Share&Charge could thus positively impact energy policy by tackling several upcoming obstacles associated with the development of EVs and decentralized energy production capacities. However, new forms of network structures (decentralized networks, sharing economy) and new actors (prosumers, platforms, etc.) also raise regulatory challenges. This article presents some of the legal issues associated with the development of models like Share&Charge. In particular, we study the tax framework applicable to this model, assuming that as such, it would be introduced into the Belgian market.
This paper explores the design of a robot and interaction model that enables a robot to engage in human-like financial transactions, and to enter into agreements with a human counterpart. More explicitly, (1) we bestow the agent with a cryptocurrency wallet and (2) define bilateral and multilateral agreements that can be automated as smart contracts in a distributed ledger. As a use case of a robot with such features, we describe roBU - a traveling robot, that can enter into financial agreements in exchange for assistance in traveling the world. With this effort, we expect to validate the idea of near-future scenarios where autonomous or semi-autonomous agents are endowed with, a type of, social autonomy and the ability to engage in financial transactions. We believe the latter can improve task completion and enable further exploration of robot-human relationships, dependencies and trust.
In recent years, with the growth of international trade and development of economies, the volume of container throughput at China's ports has grown rapidly. Yet, the business process for the Less Container Load (LCL) transport industry in most ports of China still remain complicated and inefficient. In this article, the authors see numerous opportunities for process improvement by integrating the information among the various actors using the blockchain concept. In this paper, the authors propose to build a LCL Export Platform (LEP) using the blockchain concept to optimize the LCL operations for international trading, by integrating and sharing information among forwarder agencies and their clients.
Hanyue Guo, Jiting Zhou, Jiaqi Wang, Xiaodong Wang
Leakage of user privacy and vandalism of the sharing bike have been the most serious problem since sharing bike came on the scene. Accordingly, it is very urgent to rebuild the underlying trust mechanism. Most bike sharing systems are centralized, leading to overpressure on the central server. This paper proposes a bike sharing system based on blockchain service platform and a shared operation mode of C2C. The system uses the blockchain system as the trust guarantee. The extra chain payment - lightning network is used to improve the efficiency of the blockchain system and the smart contract is used to provide the rights and interests of the two parties.