Blockchain technology in smart mobility systems

Smart mobility systems, which include Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and smart energy systems, become more important in these few years; however, one critical issue about the platform is about the trend of ITS is toward centralization. The fast-growing technologies
including Internet-of-Things(IoT) and cloud computing make it possible for most of the data, analyses, and decisions processed by centralized authorities or cloud-based platforms.

Blockchain can be very helpful in creating a decentralized platform and distributed computing paradigm. It generates data with distributed consensus algorithms, store data with encrypted chained blocks, and manipulates data with self-executed program scripts. La’zooz is one of the examples of the implementation of blockchain on ITS system. La’zooz widely publicized as “blockchain version of Uber”, aims to build an open-source, worldwide, decentralized ride-sharing network, and to solve the challenge of the private transportation system with a large number of wasted empty seats and cargo spaces. La’zooz’s Dapps of real-time ride-sharing enables private car owners to share their empty seats with others traveling the same route. It also offers a multi-hop solution for riders to switch between several vehicles on their way to destinations, targeting at increasing the number of matching rides and also creating a more robust coverage over users’ transportation needs. This implementation plays a key role in promoting trusted communication and cooperation among vehicles, road-side devices, and pedestrians(smartphones) in decentralized autonomous transportation systems.

Reference:

Barfield, W., & Dingus, T. A. (2014). Human factors in intelligent transportation systems. Psychology Press.