blockchain is a chain of blocks that contains information. It’s a distributed ledger that is completely open to the public, and once something is recorded in a block, it becomes very difficult to change it.
It starts with a single block, called the genesis block. The data stored inside a block depends on the type of blockchain. For transactional purposes, it may store details such as the sender, receiver, and the value of the transaction.
All blocks will have a hash and previous hash. It is an alphanumeric value is uniquely calculated once the block and its contents have been created. It acts as the ‘digital fingerprint’. If any information inside the block is changed, then the value of the hash will also change.
Inside of each block is the hash of the previous block, and this is what effectively creates the chain and it’s also what makes blockchains secure.
How can we use blockchain for mapping?
In general, blockchain can be used for spatial verification, confirming that people are where they say they are, and when they are there. Furthermore, the proof-of-location (PoL) protocol can use smart contracts to automatically do some validation for geographic data of objects. Crowdsourced mapping, such as on OpenStreetMap is often problematic, especially with a lack of permanent IDs and is subject to vandalism.
You can also read more about how Streetcred uses blockchain to tackle open point of interest (POI) data.
Challenges for Mapping with Blockchain
One of the main challenges of blockchain is that it requires a high level of trust between the parties. In the case of some organizations, valid participation is awarded by getting paid a small amount of tokens, which become more valuable as time goes on.
Some mapping data by nature is fluid and even subjective, and cannot simply just be “verified” or “rejected”. It will definitely be interesting to see if blockchain can be used while still granting fluidity and still accounting for the mapping needs of everybody.
There also is ongoing discussion of how we can use blockchain but still satisfy the right to be forgotten, as many of the suggested solutions would sacrifice many of the fundamental benefits of blockchain.
What do you think of Blockchain and its applications?
Source: (https://geoawesomeness.com/what-is-blockchain-and-how-can-it-be-used-for-mapping/)