When talking about blockchains, we usually consider its application. "The blockchain will solve this, and the blockchain will achieve that." But we always forget that the blockchain has already played a role in many areas.
From cars to artificial intelligence, you'll find that blockchain is widely used. In all industries, all circles and blockchains are playing an unimaginable role. Even institutions like the US Treasury are actively taking action to promote more pilot projects.
The impact of distributed ledger technology may be as large as the Internet revolution.
The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, 10% of global GDP will be closely related to the blockchain network. Executives from the global political and business circles are actively preparing for the implementation of this technological revolution.
The benefits of blockchain technology are obvious: high transparency, good stability, no tampering, effective data redundancy, safe and reliable.
In 2018, new blockchain projects will appear every day.
Next, we will introduce dozens of typical blockchain applications worldwide.
Blockchain has been applied in every aspect of life
Government governance
Many sovereign governments have expressed interest in using blockchain technology to store public records in a distributed data management framework. The Finland's Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners is working with Essentia to develop an e-government pilot project. The blockchain will enable urban and rural residents across Finland to view government records. Other areas of application include education, public records, and election voting.
Waste management
In China, Waltonchain's RFID technology is being used in intelligent waste management systems. Through the use of the Walton blockchain, timely implementation of waste discharge standards has improved operational efficiency and optimized resource allocation.
Resident identity
The blockchain project developed by Crypto Valley in Switzerland and Uport in Switzerland can identify residents. According to this, residents can verify their place of residence and participate in election voting, which will help establish a new political operation system.
Border control
The Dutch government has partnered with blockchain technology companies to develop a new system for passengers and commuters in the Netherlands and the UK to resolve border control issues on Eurostar trains that cross the border between the two countries. The blockchain-based solution securely stores passenger data so that data recorded in the Netherlands is stably transmitted to the UK. Blockchain technology provides an effective means of ensuring that data is not tampered and accurately verified.
medical insurance
As we all know, medical records are serious and directly related to human life. Unfortunately, this type of record is usually incomplete and error-prone. Because data processing is difficult to standardize, hospitals have to use incorrect or incomplete patient records. Medical blockchain projects like MedRec provide multiple authentications while protecting data privacy while protecting patient privacy.
Enterprise cloud service
Microsoft Azure Enterprise provides Ethereum blockchain services that enable organizations to access smart-chain-based blockchain applications in a secure hosted environment. Google and its parent company Alphabet are working on distributed ledger technology and are actively promoting blockchain system development to provide support for enterprise-class cloud services.
Medical record storage
There are currently nearly one hundred electronic medical record (eHR) software available on the market. In larger cities, dozens of different software packages run in different hospitals. These systems cannot communicate with each other and have independent servers, which pose a great security risk. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) had previously been blackmailed.
At the juncture of life and death, untrustworthy data and complex operations can cause irreversible situations. The lives of countless people are slowly disappearing in the hospital bed. Medical record systems based on blockchain technology can solve these problems. The system guarantees efficient storage, and only authenticated people can access it at a specific time.
Music copyright
Blockchain technology eliminates intermediaries and provides a fairer trading platform for music creators. The unfair middleman exploits have already made the artist fed up. Some well-known artists also joined in, and the former drummer of the heavy metal band Guns N Roses Matt Sorum served as the director of Artbit.
Carbon trading
One of the sequelae of industrialization is carbon emissions, and China has not been spared. In 2017, IBM and Energy-Blockchain Labs jointly launched the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain, creating a measurable, auditable carbon footprint tracking system that promotes energy consumption control and practices a green development philosophy.
Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is one of the most widely used areas of blockchain technology. China is a high-tech block development technology. The world's first agricultural blockchain project is in China. Blockchain food safety alliances jointly launched by IBM, Wal-Mart, and JD.com, as well as blockchain projects established by international food trader Louis Dreyfus Co and banks in the Netherlands and France, are used to track agricultural product supply chains exported to China. Alibaba and the Australian government and agricultural traders have similar initiatives. Blockchain technology increases transaction settlement speed and ensures food safety.
Traceability of diamonds
“Diamonds are long-lasting,” but diamond trading is very risky. Customers can't trust the source of diamonds, the ethics of the country of origin (think "blood diamond"), mining, transportation, trading risks, blockchain is very suitable for participation in this field.
The world's largest diamond company, the South African De Beers Group, has now developed its own blockchain system and is already operational. Since the history cannot be tampered with, the data for each diamond will be as permanent as the diamond itself.
Real estate transaction
Ukraine is the first country in the world to use blockchains to facilitate real estate transactions. A property in the capital, Kiev, is on sale, and blockchain real estate trading startup Propy has facilitated the deal based on the Ethereum smart contract.
Control illegal fishing
Illegal fishing is a big problem in the agriculture and forestry industry and exists all over the world. The distributed ledger technology of the blockchain provides a means of demonstrating the legal fishing, processing and sale of fish. The complete data chain from “lake to table” allows inspection and quarantine personnel to confirm the legality of certain fish entering the sales system.
Art object registration
The art industry relies on the source and authenticity of the work. Although the blockchain cannot verify whether a painting is a fake in the short term, it can prove the ownership of the work.
Improve public infrastructure management
There have been projects in Australia that use blockchain technology to improve the performance of energy and water systems. Solar-powered areas use solar panels to capture electricity, then use it to heat water, provide electricity, and all data is recorded on the blockchain.
The Chilean National Energy Commission (CNE) uses blockchain technology to validate data on energy use. The blockchain has taken on the responsibility of helping South American countries modernize their power infrastructure.
Promote the equal rights of the minority
The blockchain helps the LGBT community fight for rights without revealing their identity. Privacy is the focus of this particular group of people. Hatred and crime have also been alleviated.
Issuing bonds to avoid disaster risks
Catastrophic bonds bring hope to victims of earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters. The blockchain allows all stakeholders to solve problems quickly and transparently, ensuring that the system works without human intervention. A blockchain-based catastrophe bond settlement system has emerged.
Promote the development of tourism industry
In Hawaii, the blockchain provides visitors with a bitcoin settlement channel for purchasing goods and paying for services. The state government hopes to attract tourists and help the Hawaiian economy.
Safeguarding homeland security
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a project to use blockchains as a means of storing and transmitting data. Through the Factom blockchain, data captured by cameras and other sensors is stored and transmitted encrypted, reducing the risk of data leakage.
Logistics technology upgrade
Distributed ledger technology is widely used in the field of logistics. The Danish Maersk Group, the world's largest container carrier, is a pioneer in this regard. Logistics giants such as Star (ZIM), Sinotrans, OOCL, and Merchant Marine Mitsail have also joined the camp.
Promote tax planning
As one of the countries with the largest global economic aggregate, China's trend in the blockchain industry has received much attention. At present, the State Administration of Taxation is actively promoting tax planning and electronic invoice management systems based on blockchain technology.
Mobile payment
Cryptographic currency and blockchain technologies are being widely used in the field of mobile payments. China's development achievements in mobile payment have attracted worldwide attention. Other Asian countries also have actions in this regard. Japan is forming a banking alliance and plans to use the Ripple network to support mobile payments.
Land registration
Blockchains have many uses outside of the encryption world. The state government of Georgia, USA, uses blockchain technology to register land ownership. They created a dedicated blockchain system for this purpose and integrated it into the system of the National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR). Blockchain technology increases the transparency of public administration in the state, reducing management costs and fraud risks.
Cloud computing and database management
Amazon Cloud Services (AWS), a project developed in collaboration with the Digital Currency Group (DCG), a cryptocurrency business incubator, uses blockchains to improve database security. They will provide a working platform and technical support for DCG.
Insurance
The insurance industry is the application high ground for blockchain technology. The smart contract-based insurance pilot program jointly developed by AIG, IBM, and Standard Chartered Bank is progressing smoothly to optimize management of complex international insurance businesses.
Endangered species protection
Non-governmental organizations such as “Care for the Uncared” work with leading developers to find ways to protect endangered species through blockchain technology.
advertising
NASDAQ and the New York Interactive Advertising Exchange (NYIAX) are collaborating to develop an advertising platform based on the Ethereum Open Agreement, where publishers and agents can post brand stories. Trading participants purchase or sell assets at a specified price on a specified date in a forward contract to purchase and sell advertising resources in a more efficient and transparent manner.
News record
Text security is an eternal theme in the press. The hard work of journalists may evaporate in an instant because of improper storage or operational errors. The blockchain storage mechanism (which cannot be tampered with, never lost, and acquired at any time within a specific authority) has obvious advantages in this respect. In addition, the decentralized news market provides an incentive for quality content.
Smart City
A smart city is no longer just a legend in science fiction. With the help of distributed ledger technology, Taipei is working with the new Big Data Architecture (IOTA) to develop smart chips with light, temperature, humidity and pollution detection capabilities, designed to help the future of the city.
Petroleum industry
Block commodity technology is using blockchain technology to store data in commodity trading markets such as oil. Sensitive data is stored on the chain, reducing manual intervention and effectively reducing the chance of errors caused by manual input.
Railway operation
Novotrans, one of Russia's largest railway operators, is using blockchain technology to improve operational efficiency. In the blockchain network, staff can handle maintenance requests, inventory inventory, and respond quickly to operational issues.
Game industry
Game industry giant Ubisoft is studying how to embed blockchain technology in its games. The app focuses on ownership transfer, rewards, and collections of in-game items. At present, related applications have already landed in the Ethereum blockchain.
Car rental
The distributed ledger is secure and reliable and is ideal for recording data. Essentia has developed applications for the car rental market, and large leasing companies can use blockchain protocols to store customer data and encrypt shares with a valid license.
Energy trading
Energy companies often place excess energy reserves on the market. Such transactions require parallel operation across multiple data nodes. Blockchain R&D companies are working with energy suppliers to develop related applications and track resource allocation in real time while ensuring data security.
The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, the blockchain will become the mainstream industry of the world economy.
However, after seeing so many landing applications, we can't help but ask: Do you really need to wait until 2025?
It may not take long to become a mainstream industry
Blockchain technology has been proven to significantly improve the organizational structure and execution efficiency of today's production models.
The number of blockchains used in production and life is growing. From logistics to art, it is difficult to find which area, and the blockchain has not yet been involved.
Blockchains are not perfect, ecosystems are not yet mature, and poor compatibility can limit their development.
A river that has been quietly flowing for the past 15 years. Because of a sudden rainstorm, the river has become a torrent, and it has washed away everything around it. This river is Internet 2.0, and the blockchain storm has completely changed the Internet industry landscape.
The shower stopped early, the flood subsided, what was left?
The old branches were swept away, and the fertile land to be cultivated came into being.