Using the Neblio Blockchain to Securely Store and Distribute Scientific Sensor Data
Earlier this week, we noticed a new NTP1 token on the testnet Neblio blockchain with a lot of activity. Every minute or two there would be a new transaction involving this new token, named WTHR. Further piquing our curiosity in this new token was what the metadata of issuance included when the token was created:
Purpose: Test the sending and storage of weather sensor data to the blockchain to assess the feasibility of using blockchain to transmit, store, and distribute scientific sensor data and experimental results in a decentralized fashion.
Well, that certainly got our attention. Upon closer inspection it became clear that this token was using the Neblio NTP1 APIs to store metadata with each transaction, weather data in this case. This metadata could then be read back by anyone in the world using the Neblio APIs.
We got in contact with the group behind the WTHR token to discuss their plans. While they could not share any specific details with us yet regarding their future project or what they are building, the group explained that the WTHR token was simply a proof-of-concept token for their upcoming project. Using a single weather sensor in San Francisco, California and the Neblio Python API Library, the group is recording the sensor’s data in an NTP1 transaction’s metadata on testnet every 2 minutes. The creators of the token plan to build a product that uses blockchain technology to securely store and distribute scientific data in a decentralized way that is accessible to everyone around the world, specifically data that should be forever immutable.
We often get inquiries from businesses asking about Neblio and how we can help make their blockchain project a reality. However in recent months we have seen an increase in inquiries from groups and teams in scientific research fields. We enjoy seeing this unique use case in action on the Neblio blockchain and look forward to seeing what this group, and other teams have in store for the future! You can see the WTHR token here.
This new token and its associated metadata also exposed a gap in our current block explorer software, there was no easy way for the average user to see the NTP1 metadata associated with a transaction, or the transactions of a token that contain metadata. In the last few days we have solved both of these issues on the official Testnet Block Explorer.
Users will now see a list of all transactions that contain NTP1 token metadata on the token overview page. As well as the metadata’s size both in RAW size as displayed, and in the compressed size that is stored on the blockchain. Every transaction overview page will also now display all metadata associated with an NTP1 Token transaction, if any, in an easy to read table.
These new block explorer features are live now on the Testnet Explorer and will be coming to the Mainnet Explorer soon. As always, we’re working hard to make the entire Neblio and NTP1 ecosystem simpler, easier, and more robust!
