Japanese consumer electronics major Sony Corp. has developed a blockchain-powered platform that integrates transportation data from across different forms of transportation such as trains, buses, taxis, car sharing, on demand mobility services and rental bicycles.
The common database platform or Blockchain Common Database (BCDB) utilizes blockchain technology for Mobility as a Service (MaaS), a next-generation mobility service integrating multiple transportation systems.
The multi-modal MaaS integrates data from all means of transportation uses IT and cloud technology to provide users with information regarding optimal routes to desired destinations and recommended transportation means and services.
The integrated platform provides the user with details such as the route, required time and total cost, and covers the entire process from booking to clearing.
The high-speed processing technology developed by Sony achieved transportation data recording and sharing of anonymized travel history and revenue allocation for more than 7 million users per day.
BCDB, as a decentralized information platform, is expected to contribute to the improvement of travel efficiency and measures for future smart city plans by analyzing and utilizing movement records and revenue allocation.
BCDB has made it possible to record and share information in a distributed ledger of the blockchain among various transportation operators, transaction processors and MaaS service provides involved in MaaS, thereby providing reliable and transparent data.
Further, BCDB is not limited to MaaS, and can be expected to be applied to the recording and sharing of various forms of sensor data related to the development of smart cities.
Sony's project was the only successful one while participating in a Blockchain Challenge Program, a MaaS initiative proposed by the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in 2019. It also conducted a verification test of BCDB until the end of March 2020.
The Sony Group is expanding the application of blockchain in diverse areas, such as authentication, sharing and authority management systems in the education field, and the development of a digital content rights information processing system in the field of entertainment.
It is also engaged in the development of virtual currency hardware wallet technology using IC cards to provide convenience and security of private key management for all blockchain related services.
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