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Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology as a Service: Architecture, Networking and Applications

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensor Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 13702

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Management Engineering, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; sensor; blockchain; artificial intelligence; digital identity; cybersecurity

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Guest Editor
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, Stuttgart, Germany
Interests: DLT; digital identity management; IT security; governance risk and compliance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks innovative works both from theoretical and applied research including results from industry and academic/industrial collaborations, related (but not restricted to) the following topics:

  1. The architecture of DLT as a service infrastructure;
  2. Networking in DLT as a service infrastructure;
  3. IT security challenges in DLT as a service infrastructure;
  4. DLT as a service for digital identity management, distributed and self-sovereign identities (SSI) and decentralized identity management;
  5. DLT as a service for digital wallets;
  6. DLT as a service for trust services;
  7. DLT as a service for the IoT and sensor networks;
  8. DLT as a service for industrial production;
  9. DLT as a service for supply chain management;
  10. DLT as a service for the healthcare sector;
  11. DLT as a service for the financial sector;
  12. DLT as a service for decentralized finance and exchanges;
  13. DLT as a service for the energy sector;
  14. DLT as a service in education and research;
  15. DLT as a service for e-government;
  16. Business and governance models for DLT as a service.

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Talamo
Dr. Christian H. Schunck
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 372 KiB  
Article
Fear of Missing Out: Constrained Trial of Blockchain in Supply Chain
by Roland Kromes, Tianyu Li, Maxime Bouillion, Talha Enes Güler, Victor van der Hulst and Zekeriya Erkin
Sensors 2024, 24(3), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24030986 - 02 Feb 2024
Viewed by 912
Abstract
Blockchain’s potential to revolutionize supply chain and logistics with transparency and equitable stakeholder engagement is significant. However, challenges like scalability, privacy, and interoperability persist. This study explores the scarcity of real-world blockchain implementations in supply chain and logistics since we have not witnessed [...] Read more.
Blockchain’s potential to revolutionize supply chain and logistics with transparency and equitable stakeholder engagement is significant. However, challenges like scalability, privacy, and interoperability persist. This study explores the scarcity of real-world blockchain implementations in supply chain and logistics since we have not witnessed many real-world deployments of blockchain-based solutions in the field. Puzzled by this, we integrate technology, user experience, and operational efficiency to illuminate the complex landscape of blockchain integration. We present blockchain-based solutions in three use cases, comparing them with alternative designs and analyzing them in terms of technical, economic, and operational aspects. Insights from a tailored questionnaire of 50 questions addressed to practitioners and experts offer crucial perspectives on blockchain adoption. One of the key findings from our work shows that half of the companies interviewed agree that they will miss the potential for competitive advantage if they do not invest in blockchain technology, and 61% of the companies surveyed claimed that their customers ask for more transparency in supply chain-related transactions. However, only one-third of the companies were aware of the main features of blockchain technology, which shows a lack of knowledge among the companies that may lead to a weaker blockchain adaption in supply chain use cases. Our readers should note that our study is specifically contextualized in a Netherlands-funded national project. We hope that researchers as well as stakeholders in supply chain and logistics can benefit from the insights of our work. Full article
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22 pages, 3197 KiB  
Article
Blockchain-Based Secure Storage and Access Control Scheme for Supply Chain Ecological Business Data: A Case Study of the Automotive Industry
by Songjiang Li, Tao Zhou, Huamin Yang and Peng Wang
Sensors 2023, 23(16), 7036; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23167036 - 09 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1468
Abstract
The reliable circulation of automotive supply chain data is crucial for automotive manufacturers and related enterprises as it promotes efficient supply chain operations and enhances their competitiveness and sustainability. However, with the increasing prominence of privacy protection and information security issues, traditional data [...] Read more.
The reliable circulation of automotive supply chain data is crucial for automotive manufacturers and related enterprises as it promotes efficient supply chain operations and enhances their competitiveness and sustainability. However, with the increasing prominence of privacy protection and information security issues, traditional data sharing solutions are no longer able to meet the requirements for highly reliable secure storage and flexible access control. In response to this demand, we propose a secure data storage and access control scheme for the supply chain ecosystem based on the enterprise-level blockchain platform Hyperledger Fabric. The design incorporates a dual-layer attribute-based auditable access control model for access control, with four smart contracts aimed at coordinating and implementing access policies. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach exhibits significant advantages under large-scale data and multi-attribute conditions. It enables fine-grained, dynamic access control under ciphertext and maintains high throughput and security in simulated real-world operational scenarios. Full article
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16 pages, 9760 KiB  
Communication
Smart Contract Broker: Improving Smart Contract Reusability in a Blockchain Environment
by Joonseok Park, Sumin Jeong and Keunhyuk Yeom
Sensors 2023, 23(13), 6149; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23136149 - 04 Jul 2023
Viewed by 3118
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a smart contract broker to improve the reusability of smart contracts in a blockchain environment. The current blockchain platform lacks a standard approach to sharing and managing smart contracts, which makes it difficult for developers to reuse them [...] Read more.
In this paper, we propose a smart contract broker to improve the reusability of smart contracts in a blockchain environment. The current blockchain platform lacks a standard approach to sharing and managing smart contracts, which makes it difficult for developers to reuse them and leads to efficiency issues. The proposed smart contract broker uses tags to identify and organize smart contracts, and it provides an environment for comparing and reusing smart contracts. This improves the reusability of smart contracts and efficiency. The proposed smart contract broker can be applied as a reference model that increases the flexibility and reusability of smart contract management in a blockchain environment. Full article
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12 pages, 2989 KiB  
Article
Traceability Management System Using Blockchain Technology and Cost Estimation in the Metrology Field
by Naoki Takegawa and Noriyuki Furuichi
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031673 - 03 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
Metrological traceability is essential to ensure the reliability of calibration tests. Calibration certificates usually include information on only one upper-level reference standard. As metrological traceability is multi-layered, generally there is no method available for end users to instantly confirm the traceability from the [...] Read more.
Metrological traceability is essential to ensure the reliability of calibration tests. Calibration certificates usually include information on only one upper-level reference standard. As metrological traceability is multi-layered, generally there is no method available for end users to instantly confirm the traceability from the reference standard to a primary standard. This study focuses on the Ethereum blockchain, which has both tamper resistance and high availability, as a digital data management method. To improve the transparency and reliability of calibration tests, a smart contract that traces back to the primary standard is proposed. Consequently, it is confirmed that end users can instantly obtain traceability information. In addition, the execution of smart contracts requires transaction fees. Here, the calculation of the transaction fees is organized, and the traceability management system is discussed from a cost-effective perspective in the field of metrology. Full article
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23 pages, 5386 KiB  
Article
Distributed Supervision Model for Enterprise Data Asset Trading Based on Blockchain Multi-Channel in Industry Alliance
by Jianxiong Zhang, Bing Guo, Xuefeng Ding, Dasha Hu and Yuming Jiang
Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7842; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22207842 - 15 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1837
Abstract
Compared with traditional physical commodities, data are intangible and easy to leak, and the related trading process has problems, such as complex participating roles, lengthy information flow, poor supervisory coverage and difficult information traceability. To handle these problems, we construct a distributed supervision [...] Read more.
Compared with traditional physical commodities, data are intangible and easy to leak, and the related trading process has problems, such as complex participating roles, lengthy information flow, poor supervisory coverage and difficult information traceability. To handle these problems, we construct a distributed supervision model for data trading based on blockchain, and conduct multi-party hierarchical and multi-dimensional supervision of the whole process of data trading through collaborative supervision before the event, at present and after the event. First, the characteristics of information flow in the data trading process are analyzed, and the main subject and key supervision information in the data trading process are sorted out and refined. Secondly, combined with the actual business process of data trading supervision, a multi-channel structure of distributed supervision is proposed by adopting an access–verification–traceability strategy. Finally, under the logical framework of the supervision model, the on-chain hierarchical structure and the data hybrid storage method of “on-chain + off-chain” are designed, and multi-supervisor-oriented hierarchical supervision and post-event traceability are realized through smart contracts. The results show that the constructed blockchain-based distributed supervision model of data trading can effectively isolate and protect sensitive and private information between data trading, so as to realize the whole process, multi-subject and differentiated supervision of key information of data trading, and provide an effective and feasible method for the controllable and safe supervision of data trading. Full article
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17 pages, 1846 KiB  
Article
A Blockchain Based Secure IoT System Using Device Identity Management
by Fariza Sabrina, Nan Li and Shaleeza Sohail
Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7535; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197535 - 04 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3333
Abstract
Sharing data securely and efficiently has been identified as an issue in IoT-based smart systems such as smart cities, smart agriculture, smart health, etc. A large number of IoT devices are used in these smart systems and they produce a large amount of [...] Read more.
Sharing data securely and efficiently has been identified as an issue in IoT-based smart systems such as smart cities, smart agriculture, smart health, etc. A large number of IoT devices are used in these smart systems and they produce a large amount of data. IoT devices generally have limited storage and processing capabilities, and configuring any security techniques on these devices is a challenge. In this paper, we propose a novel device identity management approach for blockchain-based IoT systems that provides data security in two ways. Firstly, a lightweight time-based identification protocol that uses hub identification for validating data. Secondly, data storage is augmented with an effective blockchain application for providing easy access and immutability for data sharing among multiple parties. Our initial prototype implementation shows that: our identity management approach can be implemented in large scale settings, our system can be effectively implemented in blockchain platforms, and our performance evaluation result shows that the prototype fulfills system requirements adequately. Full article
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