Gabriel Kamau, Caroline Boore, Elizaphan Maina, Stephen Njenga
The burden of disease is higher by far in developing countries than in the developed world. Developing countries today are turning to technology as the silver bullet or remedy. Indeed, Information and Communication Technology has turned into a key-enabling tool in the enhanced healthcare management. The electronic health records or electronic medical records (EMR) a key component of medical informatics symbolize potential solutions for enhanced healthcare. However, interoperability and security of EMR systems has been the two main challenges of EMR in the healthcare industry. By analyzing existing literature using scoping review research approach this paper explored the potential use of blockchain technology in improving the interoperability and security of EMR systems for the benefit of different stakeholders in health sector in developing countries such as Kenya. To achieve our main objective, five databases were searched and 204 papers screened for inclusion. As a result of the search and screen process, we identified 25 relevant articles.
James R. Maddison, Dr Jared Robert Keller, Jamie Fawcett, Caley Dewhurst · 8 authors
Part 1: Smart contracts and uses for business 7Blockchains, distributed ledgers and trust 8Key properties of distributed ledgers 8Part 1: Are smart contracts useful for me and my business?The original blockchain was designed to enable financial transactions without the need for any trusted third party.The design of the system relies on storing records of all transactions on a new kind of database, with a unique set of properties, that engender trust between members of the network in those transactions.In particular, this trust resides in the distributed nature of the database -with every member of the peer network having a copy of the blockchain and equal authority to add to it.With no central copy, every member of the network, or node, can add to the database, though they must reach consensus before doing so -a process typically handled through the use of cryptography and economic incentive.Blockchain databases can be public, so anyone can join, or can have restricted permissions to read or write to the database, depending on the design chosen.Distributed ledgers such as these can arguably underpin trusted exchange of cryptocurrencies or other financial assets in the absence of trusted third parties rather effectively.However, many people are excited by their potential application to other use cases -typically using the immutable and distributed nature of the database to create a verifiable, single, trusted record of particular events.This can open up the possibility of answering some of the challenges that cannot be solved with a centralised database -primarily because businesses would no longer need to trust a single third party to operate the system or database.Examples of how distributed ledgers could be applied include creating a single register for art and collectibles (Codex protocol), guaranteeing the integrity of digital archives (ARCHANGEL) or managing digital music rights (Blokur).When asked to identify the most promising use cases for distributed ledgers and smart contracts, many of the people we spoke to immediately reached for the Open Data Institute 2018 / Technical report How can smart contracts be useful for businesses? 3Open Data Institute 2018 / Technical report How can smart contracts be useful for businesses? 4iii) Identify how the system will be funded and governed, and how value will be transferredAll technology systems and business processes create setup and operational costs.How these costs are administered and by whom will have a big impact on not only trust in the system but incentive to participate.Businesses need to make decisions about the extent to which they can use the technology and the extent to which they can use existing industry mechanisms to tackle these three challenges.In this choice between idealism and pragmatism is the implicit challenge of designing solutions that fit the needs of the business and the industry without losing all the potential benefits of this technological approach.Such a balance is difficult, and businesses need to be mindful about the different approaches that can be taken.Given the reliance on industry context, many systems will require different approaches in response to different challenges, and often these will be a mixture of the ideal and pragmatic. Key takeawaysDaily interactions between people, businesses, and other organisations are all underpinned by trust.Distributed ledgers are an emerging set of database technologies that have the potential to play a part in informing this trust -using their unique properties of immutability and distributed maintenance to create a verifiable, single, trusted record of particular events.Smart contracts are pieces of executable computer code stored on a distributed ledger that, when certain conditions are met, can automatically modify data on that ledger -potentially providing the means to automate different processes within the database.Distributed ledgers and smart contracts are potentially useful for businesses but only if there is a clearly defined use case where there is lack of trust between multiple actors and no central authority is trusted to administer the entire system.Having identified a clear use case, businesses looking to implement distributed ledger and smart contract approaches to tackle challenges need to remain pragmatic about the capabilities of the technology and the existing industry context.Specifically, businesses should be prepared to make decisions about: i) how to get data into the ledger in a trustworthy manner ii) how to handle edge cases and resolve disputes iii) how to fund, govern and administer the system effectively Open Data Institute 2018 / Technical report How can smart contracts be useful for businesses? 5 Open Data Institute 2018 / Technical report How can smart contracts be useful for businesses?6 3 technologies that store data, it is important to understand what role blockchains and distributed ledgers might play in creating a robust data infrastructure. 1Geofrey T Mills (1994), 'Early Accounting in Northern Italy: The Role of Commercial Development and the Printing Press in the Expansion of Double-Entry From Genoa, Florence, and Venice', http://www.accountingin.com/accounting-historians-journal/volume-21-number-1/ear ly-accounting-in-northern-italy-the-role-of-commercial-development
No abstract available.
 Editor’s note: A proposal to implement distributed ledger technology for electronic health records is outlined here. The rationale for integration of distributed ledgers in the healthcare domain is introduced, followed by a discussion of the features enabled by the use of a blockchain. An open source implementation of a distributed ledger is then presented. The article concludes with an examination of opportunities and challenges ahead in deploying blockchains for digital health.
As digital innovations such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, automation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) become more readily usable, energy companies are developing strategies that incorporate these burgeoning systems into their operational infrastructure. Distributed ledger technology—otherwise known as blockchain—may be the backbone of this new infrastructure. Already well-known in the financial sector, blockchain is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network technology that uses advanced computer science techniques to enable trustworthy interactions between parties, even if those parties do not trust each other. It is a shared electronic ledger in which access can be managed by multiple sources, including anonymous ones. Proponents say blockchain is reliable and likely to change the way in which energy companies perform transactions. Operators are already working with various blockchain platforms, but the developers of these platforms are still forging a path that they hope will lead to widespread adoption within the industry. The Mechanics of Blockchain Fig. 1 illustrates the basics of a blockchain platform. An entity requests a transaction, the transaction is broadcast to a P2P network, validated, combined with other transactions to create a block of data within a ledger, and added to a chain of previous transactions in a way that is permanent and unalterable. These transactions can represent anything, from the exchange of numbers of digital assets to the acceptance of a trade of a digital commodity that can be audited by a third party for authenticity without revealing sensitive information. The blockchain ledger can be shared with all members at all times. It is not stored in one place, and there is full transparency—companies can control exactly which information gets shared and with whom. A blockchain entry can include executable computer code that reflects the terms of the contract, creating a smart contract that automatically validates transactions without the need for human intervention. A smart contract selfexecutes code that enables straight-through processing and eliminates the need for manual intervention in the execution of a transaction. Smart contracts can mimic regular contracts and execute the contract automatically if the conditions required to consummate the contract are met. Jerry Bailey, director and president of Petroteq and a former senior executive engineer at Exxon, compared blockchain to traditional means of storing information. “We all have had big file cabinets, big file rooms all through the years,” Bailey said. “You go into a file room and find dozens of file cabinets. Everybody had a key to the file room but not everybody had a key to each of the file cabinets, depending on what their part in the company was. Blockchain is like this to me. It sets up a system where not only the company, but our vendors, our suppliers, and our buyers can look into the appropriate file cabinet, as it were.”
Abstract Cryptocurrencies have experienced an exponential growth trend in the past 24 months, followed by a big crash. In the early years of the Internet, inspired entrepreneurs such as Jeffrey Bezos realized that, when something grows exponentially, it becomes ubiquitous within a short time span. Similarly to the Internet in 1994, cryptocurrencies have recently been growing at a dazzling rate, thus one can expect them to be used on a global scale very soon, in spite of the last bubble which has already burst. Alternative currencies are greeted with great enthusiasm, due to their potential to return financial power back to the people, especially in the context of general dissatisfaction and disappointment with the banking sector. They bring about several advantages, such as financial innovations, lower fees as well as increased availability to developing populations. At the same time, their high volatility and lack of supervision might imply that they only serve as complementary financing and not as a substitute of traditional banking. This article discusses the development of cryptocurrencies, including aspects related to Bitcoin, financial technology and the blockchain. Using historical data from Coinmarketcap.com between April 2013 and February 2018, I run a quantitative analysis of the distributions and evolution over time for all listed cryptocurrencies with known market capitalization. I look at the interplay between number of cryptocurrencies and market value, at growth rates, cumulative shares and volatility. I find a phenomenon of exponential growth and violent volatility, which I explain in light of cryptocurrencies’ strengths and weaknesses, as identified in the literature. I emphasize the importance of cryptocurrencies in the context of the global digital economy and I discuss future implications.
Dirk Andreas Zetzsche, Ross P. Buckley, Douglas W. Arner
One of the oft-noted benefits of distributed ledger technology is its security. Many commentators seem to believe that because the Bitcoin blockchain has not been hacked, somehow this means all blockchains are secure. This paper draws on recent examples to explore how risk persists when financial services are provided via distributed ledgers. We analyse the kinds of risk, how they arise and their possible legal consequences. While some technologists want to believe using blockchain will not give rise to legal liability, we demonstrate how this is not so. These liability consequences raise significant questions about how distributed ledgers should be structured, owned and, ultimately, regulated.
Christopher S. Henry, Huynh, Kim, Nicholls, Gradon
Bitcoin, digital currencies and FinTech have been the subject of vigorous discussion. There has, however, been limited empirical evidence of its adoption and usage. This paper proposes a methodology to collect a nationally representative sample via the Bitcoin Omnibus Survey (BTCOS) in order to track the ubiquity and usage of Bitcoin in Canada. The paper reveals that about 64 per cent of Canadians have heard of Bitcoin, but only 2.9 per cent own it. Awareness of Bitcoin is strongly associated with men, and those with college or university education; additionally, Bitcoin awareness is more concentrated among unemployed individuals. On the other hand, Bitcoin ownership is associated with younger age groups and a high school education. Furthermore, the current authors have constructed a test of Bitcoin characteristics to attempt to gauge the level of knowledge held by respondents who were aware of Bitcoin, including actual owners. Knowledge is positively correlated with Bitcoin adoption. This paper attempts to reconcile the difference in awareness and ownership by deconstructing the transaction and store-of-value motive for holding Bitcoin. The paper concludes with some suggestions to improve future digital currency surveys, in particular to achieve precise estimates from the hard-to-reach population of digital currency users.
Significant technological breakthroughs are often accompanied by articles on the potential impact of these technologies. This article examines blockchain technology and hypothesizes how this technology might create substantial changes to how financial services are delivered and by what types of organizations. Banks and brokerage houses providing custodial and record-keeping services may face a change in the value proposition of these services and thus in their price. Blockchain may also expand the definition of what is a tradable security and consequently expand the investable universe. <b>TOPICS:</b>Quantitative methods, legal/regulatory/public policy
Pradeep Murugan, Suraj Subramanian, Mr. V Pandarinathan Dr. D. Rajinigirinath
A new model for building massively scalable and profitable applications is emerging. Bitcoin paved the way with its cryptographically stored ledger, scarce asset model, and peer-to-peer technology. These features provide a starting point for building a new type of software called decentralized applications, or dapps. They are more flexible, transparent, distributed, resilient, and have a better incentivized structure than current software models. Centralized systems are currently the most widespread model f software applications. Centralized systems directly control the operation of the individual units and flow of information from a single center. Blockchain, a massively replicated database of transactions that's able to avoid Sybil attacks. For the first blockchain lets us achieve decentralized consensus without the use of a centralized server.
Cryptocurrencies’ popularity has surged during the last few years. This isespecially the case of bitcoin, one among cryptocurrencies which price has soaredfrom USD1,000 in the first quarter of 2017 to USD20,000 by the end of 2017. Ithas now being used by merchants as a medium of exchange. Upon realizing itspopularity, the CME Group that owns the Chicago Mercantile Exchange launcheda futures contract on bitcoin. Yet, there are cases where bitcoin is banned bythe country. This article examines the implication of bitcoin on Islamic financeand questions its acceptance as a medium of exchange (money) based on itscompliancy with shari’ah. By analyzing its nature and characteristics, the paperconcludes that, strictly speaking, cryptocurrencies that are not backed with realassets are not shari’ah-compliant. However, the majority of shari’ah scholarsare leaning towards approving bitcoin on maslahah basis. Bitcoin is neither fiatmoney nor real money. The absence of an intrinsic value coupled with lack orzero supervision by the central bank will result in misusing bitcoin. Furthermore,we content that it has the elements of maysir and gharar. This can contributetowards socio-economic injustices, thereby jeopardizing the maqasid al-shari’ah.Hence, based on a thorough analysis, we conclude that fiat cryptocurrencies arenot shari’ah compliant. However, gold-backed cryptocurrencies are argued to bedesirable and consistent with the maqasid al shari’ah.
Blockchain and Distributed ledger Technologies are increasingly becoming key\nenablers for vital innovation in financial services, manufacturing, government\nand other industries. One of the biggest challenges though is the level of\nsupport for semantics by most of the Block Chain and Distributed Ledger\ntechnologies. This paper reviews and categorises common block chain and DLT\napproaches and introduces a new approach to Blockchain / DLT promising to\nresolve the semantic problems inherent in other Blockchain / DLT approaches\n
Arlindo Flávio da Conceição, Flávio Soares Corrêa da Silva, Vladimir Rocha, Angela Locoro · 5 authors
Data privacy refers to ensuring that users keep control over access to information, whereas data accessibility refers to ensuring that information access is unconstrained. Conflicts between privacy and accessibility of data are natural to occur, and healthcare is a domain in which they are particularly relevant. In the present article, we discuss how blockchain technology, and smart contracts, could help in some typical scenarios related to data access, data management and data interoperability for the specific healthcare domain. We then propose the implementation of a large-scale information architecture to access Electronic Health Records (EHRs) based on Smart Contracts as information mediators. Our main contribution is the framing of data privacy and accessibility issues in healthcare and the proposal of an integrated blockchain based architecture.
Blockchain and Distributed ledger Technologies are increasingly becoming key enablers for vital innovation in financial services, manufacturing, government and other industries. One of the biggest challenges though is the level of support for semantics by most of the Block Chain and Distributed Ledger technologies. This paper reviews and categorises common block chain and DLT approaches and introduces a new approach to Blockchain / DLT promising to resolve the semantic problems inherent in other Blockchain / DLT approaches.
Since the invention of internet, identity has become a significant aspect for nearly every interaction that occurs online. In this position paper, we demonstrate and discuss current limitations of centralised Identity Management (IdM) systems by drawing from the cases of two of world’s largest biometric ID systems: India’s Unique Identification System Aadhar and China’s Social Credit system, Sesame Credit. This paper explores self-sovereign identity through innovative application from blockchain 3.0. We then identify some key characteristics of blockchain technologies to address the challenges centralised IdM services face and present opportunities for furthering HCI research around de-centralised IdM services to provoke workshop discussion.
Chris Elsden, Kate Symons, Chris Speed, John Vines · 5 authors
Abstract The OxChain project is investigating the design of blockchain applications in partnership with a large and traditionally trusted institution, Oxfam. We outline some of the potential opportunities that distributed ledger technologies could offer the charity and development sector as a whole, but focus on the challenges of undertaking co-design work in the context of large institutions. We suggest the need to leverage existing trusted relationships and understand the unique value that such institutions offer.
Francesco Parino, Mariano G. Beiró, Laëtitia Gauvin
As the first decentralized digital currency introduced in 2009 together with\nthe blockchain, Bitcoin offers new opportunities both for developed and\ndeveloping countries. Bitcoin peer-to-peer transactions are independent of the\nbanking system, thus facilitating foreign exchanges with low transaction fees\nsuch as remittances, with a high degree of anonymity. These opportunities\ntogether with other key factors led the Bitcoin to become extremely popular and\nmade its price skyrocket during 2017. However, while the Bitcoin blockchain\nattracts a lot of attention, it remains difficult to investigate where this\nattention comes from, due to the pseudo-anonymity of the system, and\nconsequently to appreciate its social impact. Here we make an attempt to\ncharacterize the adoption of the bitcoin blockchain by country. In the first\npart of the work we show that information about the number of Bitcoin software\nclient downloads, the IP addresses that act as relays for the transactions, and\nthe Internet searches about Bitcoin provide together a coherent picture of the\nsystem evolution in different countries. Using these quantities as a proxy for\nuser adoption, we identified several socio-economic indexes such as the GDP per\ncapita, freedom of trade and the Internet penetration as key variables\ncorrelated with the degree of user adoption. In the second part of the work, we\nbuild a network of Bitcoin transactions between countries using the IP\naddresses of nodes relaying transactions and we develop an augmented version of\nthe gravity model of trade in order to identify socio-economic factors linked\nto the flow of bitcoins between countries. In a nutshell our study provides a\nnew insight on the bitcoin adoption by country and on the potential\nsocio-economic drivers of the international bitcoin flow.\n
The Blockchain technology is a disruptive technology that is changing the societal environment at various levels particularly the financial systems creating a new cryto-economy. There is dominant optimistic and praising view of the potentialities of the decentralized public ledgers. However most of the changes and cutting-edge impact of Blockchain technology remains misunderstood or unknown. This paper aims to propose a more critical perspective of the Blockchain implications highlighting the limitations, the controversies and the drawbacks of public distributed ledgers. An illustration from the monetary system is presented to propose an example of socio-economic implication. By presenting a case regarding the central bank digital currency (CBDC) system, which is now being, introduced as a counter policy against the emergence of the private crypto-currency system. We elaborate what CBDC is trying to solve and yet at the same time what potential problems might arise from this system. We conclude that the introduction of the Blockchain technology should be valued and evaluated in a more thorough way.
Purpose This paper aims to solve a mining work centralization problem using a gamification-based approach. Design/methodology/approach The authors have developed a simple blockchain application that incorporates a gamification concept into the mining work. Then, they asked some participants in an experiment to use the application for a week and gathered some insights from the responses on questionnaires. Findings The results show that the gamification-based approach distributed mining work among many participants by increasing their motivation to participate mining work. Originality/value The gamification-based approach solves a mining work centralization problem and opens a new direction for future blockchain technologies.