Blockchain Applications Research Articles

Blockchain Opportunities for Water Resources Management: A Comprehensive Review

Blockchain technology has been used for the digitalization of physical asset management and data management processes in many areas in the industry and academia, including the water domain. Its potential as an immutable data storage system and smart contract integration has provided a plethora of use cases and utility in the domain of hydrology and water resources. This systematic review critically examines the application of blockchain technology in the field of water resources and hydrology. By analyzing 104 academic publications and 37 non-academic studies from 2017 to 15 October 2022, this paper identifies the current state of blockchain applications in water management, delineates their potential use cases, and assesses their practical utility and scalability. Despite the theoretical promise of blockchain for enhancing water governance, data security, and stakeholder trust, the review reveals a noticeable gap between theoretical potential and the existence of workable, real-time applications specifically in water resources management. The findings indicate that while blockchain technology has been effectively implemented in various sectors, its adoption in hydrological domain is still emerging, with limited empirical evidence to support full-scale deployment. The paper concludes with a call for more empirical research to validate theoretical benefits, address scalability and interoperability challenges, and integrate blockchain technology with real-time data networks for sustainable water management practices.

A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain Technology and Its Applications

This survey paper provides a comprehensive and in-depth overview of blockchain technology and its wide-ranging applications. It begins by introducing the fundamental characteristics and structure of blockchain, with a particular focus on the five major consensus mechanisms and their unique features. The article emphasizes the crucial role of smart contracts and cryptography in the construction and operation of blockchain networks. Furthermore, the paper explores the specific applications of blockchain in three key areas: cryptocurrencies, supply chains, and healthcare security. It highlights the numerous advantages that blockchain brings to these domains, including enhanced security, transparency, and efficiency. The paper also offers valuable insights into the future potential of blockchain technology in these areas, providing a glimpse into the possibilities that lie ahead. Additionally, the article addresses the challenges posed by the "impossible triangle" of decentralization, security, and high performance in blockchain. It discusses the emerging research trends aimed at tackling these challenges, such as cross-chain protocols, privacy protection mechanisms, blockchain expansion strategies, and advanced data storage solutions. The paper presents recent advancements and breakthroughs in each of these research directions, showcasing the ongoing efforts to overcome the limitations of blockchain technology.

EMERGING TRENDS IN CYBERSECURITY FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly interconnected and digitized, the need for robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard essential systems is more pressing than ever. This review article explores the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, focusing on emerging trends, current challenges, and future prospects. The historical overview delves into the evolution of cyber threats, emphasizing the need for adaptive security measures. Key components of critical infrastructure are examined, elucidating the specific challenges each sector faces. The current state of critical infrastructure cybersecurity is analyzed, with a spotlight on frameworks that guide organizations in bolstering their defenses. The heart of the review explores emerging trends in cybersecurity, covering artificial intelligence and machine learning for threat detection, IoT security, blockchain applications, and advancements in cloud computing security. Challenges and threats on the horizon, including advanced persistent threats and quantum computing implications, are scrutinized to provide insights into potential vulnerabilities.
 Keywords: Cybersecurity; Critical Infrastructure; Artificial Intelligence; Internet-of-Things; Blockchain.

Access authentication via blockchain in space information network.

Space Information Network (SIN) has significant benefits of providing communication anywhere at any time. This feature offers an innovative way for conventional wireless customers to access enhanced internet services by using SIN. However, SIN's characteristics, such as naked links and maximum signal latency, make it difficult to design efficient security and routing protocols, etc. Similarly, existing SIN authentication techniques can't satisfy all of the essentials for secure communication, such as privacy leaks or rising authentication latency. The article aims to develop a novel blockchain-based access authentication mechanism for SIN. The proposed scheme uses a blockchain application, which has offered anonymity to mobile users while considering the satellites' limited processing capacity. The proposed scheme uses a blockchain application, which offers anonymity to mobile users while considering the satellites' limited processing capacity. The SIN gains the likelihood of far greater computational capacity devices as technology evolves. Since authenticating in SIN, the technique comprises three entities: low Earth orbit, mobile user, and network control centre. The proposed mutual authentication mechanism avoids the requirement of a ground station, resulting in less latency and overhead during mobile user authentication. Finally, the new blockchain-based authentication approach is being evaluated with AVISPA, a formal security tool. The simulation and performance study results illustrate that the proposed technique delivers efficient security characteristics such as low authentication latency, minimal signal overhead and less computational cost with group authentication.

Application of Blockchain Technology in the Management of Legal Documents

Blockchain technology has emerged as a transformative solution for securely managing legal documents, offering unparalleled benefits such as transparency, immutability, and enhanced security. This paper provides a comprehensive exploration of the application of blockchain in the management of legal documents, aiming to revolutionize traditional document management practices. The paper commences with an in-depth overview of blockchain technology, elucidating its decentralized nature, cryptographic security, and consensus mechanisms. It delves into the critical importance of managing legal documents securely, citing examples of the sensitive information encapsulated within legal documents and the vulnerabilities of traditional document management systems. A thorough literature review is conducted to analyse the utilization of blockchain in document management, juxtaposing blockchain-based solutions with conventional methods and underscoring the advantages of employing blockchain for legal document management. The review also scrutinizes the challenges and limitations of integrating blockchain in this context, such as scalability issues and regulatory complexities. The paper further presents illuminating case studies of real-world applications of blockchain in managing legal documents, offering insightful perspectives into the benefits and hurdles encountered in each scenario. Additionally, it outlines potential future developments in blockchain technology for legal document management, advocating for continued research to fully harness the transformative potential of blockchain in revolutionizing legal document management practices

Blockchain applications for Internet of Things (IoT): A review

Nowadays, Blockchain is very popular among industries to solve security issues of information systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) has security issues during multi-organization communication, and any organization approves no such robust framework. The combination of blockchain technology with IoT makes it more secure and solves the problem of multi-organization communication issues. There are many blockchain applications developed for the security of IoT, but these are only suitable for some types of IoT infrastructure. This paper introduces the architecture and case studies of blockchain applications. The application scenarios of the Blockchain combined with the Internet of Things, and finally discussed four common issues of the combination of the Blockchain and the Internet of Things.

State-of-the-Art and New Challenges in 5G Networks with Blockchain Technology

As mobile communications transform, 5G technology can potentially change many industries and businesses. The change will have a great influence across many fields, such as the automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. This paper aims to review the existing applications of blockchain technology in providing 5G network security and identify new possibilities for such security solutions. We consider different aspects of blockchain in 5G, particularly data transmission, access control, and applications including vertical industry-oriented applications and specific solutions supporting such sectors of economic activity. The paper briefly describes modern technologies in 5G networks and introduces blockchain’s properties and different aspects of using such technology in practical applications. It also presents access control management with blockchain applied in 5G and related problems, reviews other blockchain-enforced network technologies, and shows how blockchain can help in services dedicated to vertical industries. Finally, it presents our vision of new blockchain applications in modern 5G networks and beyond. The new-generation networks use two fundamental technologies, slicing and virtualization, and attackers attempt to execute new types of attacks on them. In the paper, we discuss one of the possible scenarios exhibiting the shortcomings of the slicing technology architecture. We propose using blockchain technology to create new slices and to connect new or existing subscribers to slices in the 5G core network. Blockchain technology should solve these architectural shortcomings.

Blockchain applications and supply chain performance: evidence from Chinese firms

ABSTRACT As blockchain technology becomes increasingly prevalent in firms, it is worth exploring its impact on firms’ supply chain performance (SCP). Based on 13,230 research samples from 1,761 A-share listed firms collected from CNRDS between 2012 and 2019, this paper conducts an empirical study on how blockchain technology would affect the performance of supply chains. We divide our sample into two groups based on whether firms apply blockchain and conduct an empirical study using the difference-in-difference (DID) model. This study contributes to the literature by utilising quantitative methods and integrating blockchain with SCP. The results indicate that the application of blockchain technology can increase the performance of the supply chain represented by the cash-to-cash cycle. A series of robustness tests and the placebo test also support this conclusion. The improving effect of blockchain on the performance of firm supply chains is only significant in non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs), smaller firms, and non-manufacturing firms. Our study contributes to the continual development of theories about SCP, guiding firms to implement measures that unlock the full potential of blockchain to improve their SCP.

Blockchain for Big Data: Approaches, Opportunities and Future Directions

Abstract: The last several years have seen a significant increase in interest in big data across a range of scientific and engineering fields. Despite having several benefits and applications, big data still has some difficulties that must be overcome for a higher level of service, such as big data analytics, big data management, and big data privacy and security. Big data services and apps stand to greatly benefit from blockchain decentralisation and security features. In this article, we present an overview of blockchain for big data with an emphasis on current methods, possibilities, and upcoming trends. We begin by providing a succinct explanation of big data, blockchain, and the purpose of their integration. After that, we look at different types of blockchain assistance for big data, such as blockchain for security in big data collection, data privacy protection, storage, and collection. Next, we examine the latest work on the utilization of blockchain applications for big data across different industries, including smart grid apps and applications, smart city applications, and smart healthcare applications. A few illustrative blockchain-big data initiatives are given and discussed for a good understanding. Finally, difficulties and potential directions are examined to advance research in an exciting field.

Leveraging Blockchain Interoperability for Interdependent Networks

With the rapid emergence of technologies, coupling interdependent consumer electronics networks have become imperative to enable information exchange, holistic data analysis, and effective decision-making techniques. While interdependent networks can discover crucial information through intuitive understanding and efficient data-driven algorithms, it is crucial to leverage secure and effective data exchange among the underlying networks of consumer electronics. Blockchain comes into play when it requires ensuring trustless communication and data exchange amongst multiple interdependent networks. Blockchain interoperability is evolving and gaining widespread popularity in industry and research due to its ability to exchange data among multiple blockchains. This paper presents Divide-LeapChain, a next-generation efficient and effective interoperable blockchain framework for interdependent networks of heterogeneous consumer electronics devices. The Divide-LeapChain addresses the critical issues of intra- and inter-blockchain communication, including spatial and temporal uncertainties in data traversal, exchange, validation, and cross-chain swaps. It promises significant drops-off in verification steps without weakening blockchain integrity, which extends the possibilities to apply blockchain applications on heterogeneous embedded consumer Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices.

A Review of Blockchain Applications and Healthcare Informatics

A Review of Blockchain Applications and Healthcare Informatics

Applications of Blockchain in Tourism Industry

Tourism is a rapidly growing industry, even after seeing some drop back during the last few years due to COVID-19. The latest trend shows that it is gaining its position again to become a booming industry of the century, but as the industry gains pace, it faces several challenges that require modern solutions. With the coming up of new technologies, blockchain technology has gained rapid attention not only since it maintains a secure and decentralized record of transactions across the world but also due to its safe access to identifying data while enhancing accessibility for individuals in need in sectors like banking, travel, healthcare, and education. The current tourism industry fails the tourist by not providing a decentralized payment system for advance booking of hotels and vehicles, and the foreign tax required for such transactions increases the further cost for a tourist. With no real-time luggage tracking available, tourists are always on the lookout for their luggage. Blockchain technology improves the accuracy and reliability of baggage mishandling coding by providing a decentralized, tamper-proof record of all baggage handling events. If blockchain technology is incorporated into the tourism industry, many issues in the industry get solved, and it can grow more rapidly, helping economies all over the world by providing smart solutions to difficult problems and thus improving the experience of tourists by providing safety, a decentralized payment system, preventing fraud, and enhancing security by securing the data from unauthorized access. This research helps in further identifying the problem in the tourism industry and solving it by implementing blockchain technology, thus improving economies relying on the tourism industry.

Blockchain in healthcare: A comprehensive review of applications and security concerns

Blockchain technology presents a transformative opportunity for the healthcare industry, offering enhanced data security, integrity, transparency, and operational efficiency. This paper comprehensively examines blockchain's applications, advantages, limitations, and challenges in healthcare. Blockchain ensures the privacy of patient data while complying with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR, and its immutability guarantees data integrity. Moreover, blockchain streamlines operations, reducing fraud and errors in billing and claims processing. Despite its potential, blockchain faces technical complexities, regulatory hurdles, and scalability issues. Interoperability between diverse healthcare systems remains challenging, and energy consumption is a concern in some blockchain implementations. Addressing these challenges and fostering education and adoption are crucial steps toward realizing the full potential of blockchain in revolutionizing healthcare delivery.

Blockchain for social good: A review of applications in humanitarian aid and social initiatives

Blockchain technology has emerged as a revolutionary force with the potential to address pressing social challenges and transform traditional paradigms in humanitarian aid and social initiatives. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the diverse applications of blockchain in fostering social good, particularly in the realms of humanitarian aid and social initiatives. The decentralized and transparent nature of blockchain offers a paradigm shift in the way charitable organizations operate and deliver aid. Smart contracts on blockchain enable transparent and tamper-resistant transactions, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently and reach intended beneficiaries. The elimination of intermediaries reduces the risk of corruption and ensures a more direct and accountable flow of funds. In the context of humanitarian aid, blockchain facilitates the creation of decentralized identity systems, ensuring secure and verifiable identities for displaced populations. This aids in the efficient delivery of aid, as well as financial inclusion for those without access to traditional banking services. Moreover, blockchain enhances supply chain transparency, enabling the tracking of donations from inception to distribution, reducing fraud and ensuring the authenticity of goods. Social initiatives, too, benefit from blockchain's transformative capabilities. Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) enable communities to collectively make decisions and manage resources. This fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among participants, promoting sustainable social development. Additionally, blockchain-based token economies incentivize positive behaviors, encouraging individuals to contribute to social causes in meaningful ways. Despite these promising applications, challenges such as scalability, regulatory uncertainties, and technological literacy remain. This paper calls for continued research and collaboration to unlock the full potential of blockchain for social good, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions that can address the unique challenges faced by humanitarian and social initiatives.

Blockchain Applications in Higher Education Based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Blockchain Applications in Higher Education Based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Incentive approaches for cloud computing: challenges and solutions

Cloud computing enables highly configurable and reliable computing resources on a rentable per-use scheme, facilitating quick and cost-effective provisioning of large-scale applications. Thanks to the fast-paced evolution of cutting-edge technologies and the rapid spread of cloud-based solutions, the cloud computing ecosystem is now part of our everyday lives. Nevertheless, cloud computing relies on highly sophisticated data centers comprising energy-consuming servers and equipment that require much energy. Stimulating cloud services for active participation and network contributions presents several challenges. Strategies based on artificial intelligence (AI), game theory, and blockchain have great potential to create an economically sustainable cloud ecosystem. This paper explores strategies grounded in AI, game theory, and blockchain to foster an economically sustainable cloud ecosystem. Informed by a survey study, our research delves into incentive approaches within cloud computing. Theoretical foundations, motivations, and enabling techniques are comprehensively examined to provide valuable insights for a broad audience. The primary contributions of this work lie in elucidating the application of AI, game theory, and blockchain to address challenges in incentivizing cloud services, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient cloud computing landscape.

An attribute-encryption-based cross-chain model in urban internet of vehicles

With the maturity of Internet of Vehicles (IoV) technology and blockchain technology, numerous application scenarios have emerged, including urban Internet of Vehicles, Highway Internet of Vehicles, and Specific Area Internet of Vehicles. However, the urban Internet of Vehicles systems face data security and operational mode discretization challenges. To address these issues, we propose a data security cross-chain model for the urban Internet of Vehicles. Our model utilizes hash time lock contracts to exchange data between vehicles of the same brand and model but located in different urban areas. It also uses trusted relay chains to facilitate data exchange between vehicles of the same brands but varying models within the same urban area, thus solving the problem of difficult inter-system data exchange in the urban Internet of Vehicles. In the urban Internet of Vehicles, the transmitted data encompasses business and general data, which may have varying sensitivities. To ensure data confidentiality, we propose the HR-CP-ABE algorithm, which extends CP-ABE functionalities by incorporating hierarchical decryption and revocable vehicle attributes. And the fine-grained access control by setting different access tree structures and file access validity periods. This guarantees the confidentiality and security of urban data. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model effectively satisfies the standards for cross-chain transactions as outlined in the Evaluation Requirements for Blockchain Application Security Technology(DB43/T 1842–2020) and Evaluation Requirements for Blockchain Network Security Technology(DB43/T 1840–2020). Additionally, our model demonstrates enhanced resilience against man-in-the-middle and replay attacks.

A systematic study on integrating blockchain in healthcare for electronic health record management and tracking medical supplies

In the current landscape of swiftly evolving technology, security remains a paramount concern. Motivated by the challenges presented during pandemics such as COVID-19, this article aims to enhance healthcare transparency and expedite treatment processes. The existing centralized medical data management system scatters patient records across disparate hospitals and pharmacies, prompting the necessity for a patient-centric data repository. The integration of blockchain emerges as a viable solution, giving patients control over their information and facilitating seamless sharing with relevant institutions—be it hospitals, pharmacies, or insurance firms. This article outlines a strategic framework for securing medical data based on comprehensive literature review and proposes measures derived from previous studies. Furthermore, the study explores blockchain's application in tracing medicinal supplies, crucial for detecting counterfeit medications within the supply chain. Detailed elucidation of IBM Research's proposed model highlights the potential of blockchain in this domain. Additionally, an extensive comparative analysis of existing models underscores their strengths and limitations in these healthcare applications. Challenges persist in deploying blockchain in developing countries, primarily due to resource limitations, signalling the need for tailored solutions conducive to such environments. This study serves as an exploration, emphasising the need for continued research and innovation in harnessing blockchain's potential for healthcare transformation.

Do blockchain capabilities help overcome supply and operational risks: Insights from firm market returns during COVID-19

Uncertainty and risk have become increasingly prominent issues in firm operating environments. Addressing uncertainties and risks brought by the historically disruptive COVID-19 pandemic crisis requires organizations to establish reliable, visible, and traceable information processing and sharing capabilities. Blockchain is a disruptive technology that can build capabilities to support operational resilience where uncertainty may manifest as risk or opportunity. Using an event study, we examine the COVID-19 pandemic relationship to stock returns for 217 blockchain-related firms—those that develop or apply blockchain technology—over five major pandemic life cycle periods. Our results indicate firms with blockchain capabilities have less mean negative stock price reaction—on average, a reduced 8.24 % shareholder value loss across crisis stages. Different blockchain application fields exhibit varied shareholder value effects—in general, production blockchain applications can help firms reduce more negative impact while financial blockchain applications show no significant mitigation effects. We further demonstrate how blockchain operational characteristics affect stock returns. Overall, blockchain technology provides effective risk buffer capabilities and can help manage shifting institutional fields—which the market views as building resilient capabilities resulting in competitive advantage to overcome known and unknown uncertainties and risks.

A Blockchain-Based Scalability Solution with Microgrids Peer-to-Peer Trade

In recent years, advancements in rooftop solar panel technology have sparked a revolution in the electricity markets. This has given rise to a new concept of energy exchange—the ability for consumers and producers to trade localized energy. This concept has been made possible by the emergence of blockchain technology, which has gained significant traction in the energy markets. Its unique ability to facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) energy transactions has made it a promising solution for the trilemma of scalability, security, and decentralization. However, while blockchain technology has shown great potential, it is still in its early stages of development and has yet to reach its full potential. To fully understand the potential of blockchain technology in P2P energy trading, it is important to explore the trilemma in depth. This study proposes a blockchain-based scalability solution with a focus on P2P energy trading. This strategy is supported by empirical modeling, utilizing data gathered from a trial case study. The results of this study demonstrate that the suggested technique outperforms base-layer models in terms of scalability while still maintaining the essential elements of security and decentralization. This proposed solution not only has the potential to revolutionize the energy markets but also has broader implications. By providing a more secure and decentralized platform for P2P energy trading, it has the potential to address issues of energy distribution inequality and promote the adoption of renewable energy. With blockchain technology, individuals and communities have the opportunity to take control of their energy usage and production, reducing their reliance on traditional centralized energy systems. This not only has the potential to lower energy costs for consumers but also contributes to the overall goal of reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. The combination of rooftop solar panel technology and blockchain applications has the potential to create a significant shift toward decentralized and sustainable energy systems. This will not only benefit individuals and communities but also have a positive impact on the environment and the global energy market. However, for this transition to occur, it is crucial that governments and energy companies continue to support and invest in these advancements.