Handbook of Research on Blockchain Technology

Handbook of Research on Blockchain Technology presents the detailed exploration of adaptation and implementation of Blockchain technologies in real world business, scientific, healthcare and biomedical applications. Blockchain technology is gaining momentum for use in all sectors of engineering and scientific applications. The editors present the rapid advancement in the existing business model by applying Blockchain techniques. Novel architectural solutions in the deployment of Blockchain comprise the core aspects of this book. Several use cases with IoT, biomedical engineering, and smart cities will also be incorporated.

Blockchain is a relatively new technology that exploits decentralized networks and is used in many sectors for reliable, cost-effective and rapid business transactions. Financial services, retail, insurance, logistics, supply chain, public sectors, and biomedical industries are now investing in Blockchain research and technologies for their business growth. Blockchain prevents double spending in financial transactions without the need of a trusted authority or central server. It is a decentralized ledger platform that facilitates verifiable transactions between parties in a secure and smart way. Smart contracts and cryptocurrencies are the initial source applications of Blockchain. A smart contract is a self-executing contract in which the terms of agreement between the buyer and seller are directly written into the lines of code.

The foundations of the blockchain concept lie in Markel trees with leaf nodes, intermediate nodes and root nodes. Every individual node contains the hash of its left child and right child, except the leaf node. The root contains the combined hash of its left child and a right child. Every transaction in the blockchain is securely communicated using cryptographic mechanisms such as digital signature, public and private key and hashing algorithms. These transactions constitute a block which is immutable and highly secure. Enterprise blockchain requires properties such as consensus, provenance, immutability, and finality in executing the smart contracts between different parties in the business chain. Enterprises can implement new business models with reduced cost, time and risks. Handbook of Research on Blockchain Technology provides readers with the latest research solutions and technologies for a variety of applications.

• Presents the evolution of blockchain from fundamental theories to present forms
• Explains the concepts of blockchain related to cloud/edge computing, smart healthcare, smart cities, and Internet of Things
• Provides complete coverage of the various tools, platforms and techniques used in blockchain.
• Explores smart contract tools and consensus algorithms
• Covers a variety of applications with real world case studies in areas such as Biomedical Engineering, supply chain management, and tracking of goods and delivery