Open Data and Blockchain: a match made in heaven?
Publication Date/Time
2018-01-11T11:15:00+00:00
On Blockchain and Open Data
Blockchains, cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technologies:
many things have been said (positive as well as negative) about this
emerging technology. A wild bunch of ideas has been brought forward
and blockchains are said to have disruptive potential in a wide range
of industries such as banking, logistics and public services. But how
does this relate to Open Data? A quick internet search will reveal
that little research has been done on this matter. It becomes relevant
therefore to look at the core characteristics of blockchains and how
Blockchain and Open Data could complement each other.

WHAT'S ALL THE FUZZ ABOUT?

A short introduction to Blockchains Blockchains are gaining traction
and their three core qualities are the main reason why:

 	* decentralised and shared control of transactions over a network
 	* absolute transparency, and
 	* protection against fraud.

 [https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/blockchain-panels.png]
 

Members of a blockchain share the administration of the network. In
other words, a single, centrally organised administrator (aka the
intermediary) is no longer needed. All members must save and
continuously update a full copy of the blockchain database. This
strong redundancy, in combination with cryptography and shared
decision making (called decentralised consent), leads to a democratic
system that offers transparency and traceability, protection from
manipulation, data integrity and security, as well as network
reliability to its members. Blockchain networks can be completely open
for everyone to join with a full permit to read and write on the
blockchain (called a public, permissionless blockchain). In many
cases, it makes sense to at least include authentication of members
(public, permissoned) or even to keep the network exclusive for a
limited number of members (private blockchain, i.e. cooperating
companies or government organisations). This is usually necessary if
sensitive or private data will be saved on the network.

An example of how the Blockchain technology can be used in the
European Union context is depicted below.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/blockchain-charts.png]
 

WIN-WIN? COULD BLOCKCHAIN AND OPEN DATA WORK TOGETHER?

When looking at Blockchains in an Open Data context a couple of things
instantly catch the eye.

Firstly, Blockchains are especially useful to help overcome
organisational and technological boundaries between entities that have
to (or want to) automate the exchange of data. In this regard,
blockchains are also very useful in federal systems such as Germany or
the European Union. Each member of the European Union acts as one or
more members in a blockchain network and shares its data with the
others over the joint blockchain. Through the use of blockchain
(instead of a chosen, centralised authority that controls and
administers the system and its data) each member keeps the authority
over its own data and nobody has to take full responsibility for the
security and maintenance of the system. Members choose what data to
share in the decentralised system and what not to.

Secondly, blockchains provide strong data security and are highly
resilience against cyberattacks. Both these qualities are desirable in
Open Data platforms, because they build a foundation of trust on the
data. As data in a blockchain system is redundantly stored (remember,
each member has a local copy of the chain), it is also possible to
simply save a hash value of a certain data set. This could also be
thought of as a unique fingerprint of the data. This way the
blockchain size is controllable as hash values are very small
(actually much, much smaller than saving the actual data). The
integrity of the data can always be proven through the immutability of
blockchain entries. In fact, one of the few known initiatives on Open
Data and Blockchain by the City of Vienna
[/en/news/open-data-blockchains-missing-link-opening-governments] does
just that: citizens and public offices can validate and keep track of
changes in data sets by comparing them with hash values on a public,
permissioned blockchain. This way the veracity of data is ensured and
"fake"-News can be kept at bay.

At the same time, Open Data with its strong focus on "openness" seems
like the perfect application for Blockchain as a lot of privacy
concerns, that usually bother Blockchain use cases, are non-issues.

Furthermore, Blockchain and Open Data share similar principles such as
the promotion of transparency, equality in information knowledge and
access, as well as the reorganisation of data exchange between a
number of parties.

SEE WHAT THE FUTURE BRINGS! EXPLORING THE CHANCES OF BLOCKCHAIN AND
OPEN DATA

As intriguing as the combination of Blockchain and Open Data might
seem, not much has been done at this point and a lot more research on
possible use cases as well as a closer examining of the chances and
risks need to be done. Blockchain is a technology that needs to be
explored to be fully understood. If you feel like you have an
interesting idea, just get cracking. Blockchain prototypes can easily
be developed with the help of open source frameworks, a few cloud
servers or containers and a small, motivated team of developers. Think
big, start small and extend!
