Synchronizing the independent: Breakthrough for supply chain value creation
IBM Watson IoT blockchain service offerings utilize smart contracts and enables information from IoT devices to be used in IBM Blockchain transactions. This allows IoT devices to be used in building solutions to help organizations improve operational efficiency, transform customer experience, and adopt new business models in a secure, private, and decentralized manner, so all participating organizations gain value. IBM Watson IoT blockchain offerings enables IoT devices to participate in transactions. Leveraging the Watson IoT Platform, we’re making it possible for information from devices such as RFID-based locations, barcode-scan events, or device-reported data to be used with IBM Blockchain.
This resulted in an increase in product traceability, while also achieving improvement on cost avoidance for parts provenance. By equipping each inbound and outbound shipment asset with an IoT enabled tracking device to provide near-real-time visibility of assets, IBM’s supply chain can predict each asset’s behavior to reduce the risk or loss or damage liability. The IBM Watson IoT platform lets your apps communicate with data collected by connected devices and sensors.
The project’s scientists and engineers will demonstrate how the blockchain and remote IoT sensors can accurately measure groundwater usage transparently and in real-time. The sensors will transmit water extraction data to orbiting satellites and then to the IBM blockchain platform hosted in the IBM Cloud. The blockchain will record all data exchanges or transactions made in an append-only, immutable ledger. Smart contracts will also be used once transactions are automatically executed when the conditions are matched. The Basic contract is a sample hyperledger blockchain contract that is provided by IBM to help you to get started with blockchain development and integration on the IBM Watson IoT Platform.
Blockchain technology is becoming widely used in many industries including automotive, pharmaceutical, logistics and manufacturing. Using Blockchain technology allows industries to create an unchangeable and secure ledger for recording the history of transactions. These days, supply chains are complex as well as distributed, involving a large number of parties.
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Supply chain companies are upgrading their business operations by adopting technologies like IoT and blockchain to monitor assets accurately. In fact, since 2018 the blockchain in IoT market grew from USD 30 million to 113 million, and is projected to grow to more than 3 billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 93 percent by 2024. Manuel Díaz is Full Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Málaga and Head of the ERTIS research group. His research interests are in distributed and real time systems, Internet of Things and P2P, especially in the context of middleware platforms and critical systems. He has lead several international research projects on those areas and is also co-founder of the company Software for Critical Systems.
Implement your first IoT and blockchain project
You can use the Basic contract sample to create a blockchain contract that tracks and stores asset data from a device that is connected to your Watson IoT Platform organization. IBM had already launched supply chain network pilots for food, general cargo shipping and even the diamond trade to track products through its cloud-based Hyperledger blockchain platform. The new supply chain network will enable greater integration with existing enterprise ERP and database systems, Suh said. Blockchain for IoT can transform the way business transactions are conducted globally through a trustworthy environment to automate and encode business transactions while preserving enterprise level privacy and security for all parties in the transaction.
Aerialtronics, a producer and designer of unmanned aircraft systems, announced its first commercial drones with cognitive computing capabilities from the IBM Watson IoT platform on the IBM cloud. The Netherlands-based company’s vehicles can deliver high-quality inspection services across multiple industries, including inspecting wind turbines and monitoring city traffic patterns. NextGen Supply Chain Conference—IBM announced, that its global supply chain transformation has won a 2019 NextGen Supply Chain Leadership Award for the innovative use of blockchain and IoT. The distinction recognizes the world’s first enterprise computer hardware partnership using these disruptive technologies to achieve end-to-end supply chain security.
- The blockchain will record all data exchanges or transactions made in an append-only, immutable ledger.
- The project’s scientists and engineers will demonstrate how the blockchain and remote IoT sensors can accurately measure groundwater usage transparently and in real-time.
In the Internet of Things (IoT) vision, conventional devices become smart and autonomous. Taking into account the predicted evolution of the IoT in the coming years, it is necessary to provide confidence in this huge incoming information source. Blockchain has emerged as a key technology that will transform the way in which we share information.
A set of IoT security solutions and services that enable firms to proactively locate possible risks and protect devices will improve visibility to exposures. The Watson IoT platform enhanced security features will alert for immediate notification and tailor automatic responses to individual customer environments. The service will include threat intelligence to identify anomalies, provide advanced security assessment, and anonymize data to ensure data privacy while maximizing its utility.
Blockchain and IoT in supply chain
Devices will be able to communicate to blockchain-based ledgers to update or validate smart contracts. For example, as an IoT-connected package moves along multiple distribution points, the package location and temperature information could be updated on a blockchain. This allows all parties to share information and status of the package as it moves among multiple parties to ensure the terms of a contract are met.
Companies can share IoT data in a private blockchain to limit the complexities and cost of operating across a network. IBM emerged as a major player in all IoT aspects with leadership for its software and systems integration. Harriet Green, global head of IBM’s Watson IoT business, said IBM is making big strides to make sure companies can take advantage of technological transformation and create products and services that change peoples’ lives. She noted Germany is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 initiative and is inviting IBM clients to join the innovation. Internet of Things (IoT) – The Supply Chain IoT Blockchain project focused on improving products lifecycle traceability in IBM’s complex global supply chain.
Building trust in distributed environments without the need for authorities is a technological advance that has the potential to change many industries, the IoT among them. Disruptive technologies such as big data and cloud computing have been leveraged by IoT to overcome its limitations since its conception, and we think blockchain will be one of the next ones. This paper focuses on this relationship, investigates challenges in blockchain IoT applications, and surveys the most relevant work in order to analyze how blockchain could potentially improve the IoT. Blockchain and Watson IoT. This marks a capability connecting IoT data to the blockchain through the IBM Watson IoT platform.
Using IBM Blockchain and IoT, IBM’s supply chain improved traceability and single source-of-truth to each network partner to improve product authentication and reduce warranty costs. In fact, the convergence of blockchain and the Internet of Things is on the agenda for many companies and there are existing implementations, solutions and initiatives in several areas, outside of IoT and financial services too. Through the use of open APIs, the new Sterling Supply Chain Suite allows distributors, manufacturers and retailers to integrate their own data and networks – as well as those of their suppliers – onto a Hyperledger-based blockchain to track and trace products and parts. Among the data that can be integrated are IoT sensor systems for real-time shipment position location. We started to think about how to combine IBM Watson IoT and IBM Blockchain to create a mobile-first tracking solution with an immutable ledger of events to support end-to-end auditing across the supply chain.
We wanted to create a way to protect each link in the chain to help pinpoint when the damage occurred, proactively manage cargo for issues and offer peace of mind to insurers, potentially even reducing premiums and payouts. The Internet of Things (IoT) has opened up countless opportunities for businesses to drive smarter operations.
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in Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Málaga in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Currently, he is a Ph.D student in the ERTIS research group at the University of Málaga. Previously, he has been working as a software engineer in various technological companies with the RFID technology and software development. His research interests focus on the integration of the Internet of Things with cloud computing, and the integration of the Internet of Things with blockchain.