Crowdsourcing safety, powered by the Ethereum blockchain
written by Guy Brandon
Cyber security technology has been the target of tremendous attention and investment. However, the application of digital tools, including blockchain, has not received the same attention — until now. As cities truly become smart, a platform to geolocate, time stamp and distribute the output from a host of sensors with blockchain as the backbone is essential.
For example, maintaining security at major sporting and events venues has never been more complex. The crowds of people who attend these events represent a tremendously powerful resource, which Vizsafe is working to leverage with a blockchain solution. Vizsafe’s Geoaware™ safety platform will reward people for providing the critical information that helps safeguard their own safety and fan experience.
Wherever crowds of thousands or tens of thousands of people gather for major events, hosts and organizers are faced with the daunting task of maintaining not only their safety, but the quality of their experience. Many visitors will have spent significant time and money to attend, and ensuring a great guest experience at the event is paramount to the value of organizers’ brands.
While this manifests itself in dozens of minor details, from the availability of parking spaces to the time spent queuing for hot dogs, there are also acute security concerns wherever so many people gather together. Once again, minor details can be of critical importance: an unattended bag, an aggressive visitor, ‘trip and fall’ hazard or suspicious damage to the facility.
Venues have dedicated employees and security teams to deal with such issues, but those who are very best placed to notice anything amiss include the thousands of visitors themselves. The Crowd is a fantastic, but untapped, resource. However, the reality is that in many cases, visitors will overlook a problem for want of a simple but universal process to report it to the appropriate body and the lack of immediate incentive to take the time and effort to do so. Simply put, a minor issue is likely to be seen as ‘someone else’s problem’.
Vizsafe’s blockchain-enabled app provides the only solution to this by allowing any user to upload safety reports on its Geoaware™ Services Platform. Users submit images and videos of any issues they encounter, which are automatically timestamped and geo-tagged, shared with the appropriate authority and stored on Vizsafe’s servers. Meanwhile, hashes of this information are uploaded to the Ethereum blockchain to ensure that there is a permanent, tamper-proof record.
Token of value
This allows venue hosts to access a huge wealth of crowdsourced safety information about their venue in real time. To incentivize guests to become active participants in the process, Vizsafe has integrated its own blockchain token, SPOT.
SPOT is the internal reward system of the Vizsafe ecosystem. When users report an issue, a smart contract is created in the Ethereum blockchain that places a value on the information they provide. Once the issue has been addressed by security or an event employee, it is resolved on the Vizsafe platform using the same app. At that point, the person who reported it receives their reward in SPOT tokens.
Event hosts are therefore able to buy crowdsourced safety information by purchasing SPOT tokens and distributing them to visitors, who use the Vizsafe app to earn them. The circular economy is completed by hosts accepting SPOT tokens in payment for upgrades and concessions at their events — for example, better seats, payment for hot dogs and beers, and so on. As more and more entertainment venues use Vizsafe’s platform to protect their visitors, and more and more users download the app to participate in the process by providing safety reports, we expect that demand for SPOT will grow organically, providing the opportunity for doing well by doing good™.
Vizsafe’s Geoaware™ safety platform is already in use protecting some of the world’s most valuable venues. The integration of a blockchain layer and token to the app promises to revolutionize the safety industry, facilitating a step-change in the way that event organizers engage with, leverage and protect the Crowd that is their greatest asset.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.vizsafe.com/blockchain
with contributions by Peter Mottur and Claude Sheer
