Blockchain may be best known for its role in enabling cryptocurrency to be tracked. While the use of cryptocurrency is still in its infancy, blockchain technology is proving to be applicable in a number of non-currency use cases.
Improving Public Transportation
The Federal Transit Administration is looking for ways to use blockchain as a way of "gamifying" decisions around transportation options. A proposed project, "blockchain-enabled transit incentivization," would, via an app, offer tokens to commuters who reserve a parking place or agree to use another mode of transportation. Using real time data about availability of parking, traffic congestion, and more, the app could change the incentives offered - making public transport a more appealing (and lucrative) option for people in transit. Blockchain could support the payment of those who chose incentivized public transit options as well as those who are using parking. The system could also promote equity in access to parking or other resources by factoring in a user's location or personal circumstances.
Simplifying Grants Paperwork
The Treasury Department is testing a proof of concept that tokenizes grant payments. Grant recipients report they submit about 400 reports to agencies annually. This means that a lot of time is used to simply tell the government how money is being spent (rather than spending that time on doing the actual work of the grant). Using blockchain to issue payments can increase transparency while reducing the amount of reporting grant recipients need to do. With blockchain, data can be auto populated into reports and forms. One form can take eight employees five hours to complete. With the data from the blockchain transactions automatically recorded, the form can be completed in seconds. Additionally, the audit trail of the payments is available with a single look at the blockchain record.
Revolutionizing the Web
Blockchain is a key element in the creation of the next generation web. Called dWeb or Web3, this concept looks to reorganize the web so that data is stored and managed using computing resources other than major companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The benefits of this approach are greater security and reliability. With this system, an outage like the one Amazon Web Services experienced in late 2021 would not have the global Internet outage impact.
Users pay with cryptocurrency to store their files on storage miners, which are computers that must prove they have stored the files correctly over time. Today, this sort of storage costs 0.02% of storing the same data on Amazon S3. These savings have piqued the interest of government agencies, including New York City which is testing out the service. They have duplicated all of their open data and are hosting it on a Web3 platform. This allows the city to A/B test impacts on key considerations such as cost, redundancy, completeness and data access latency to measure which performs better.
GovEvents and GovWhitepapers offer access to a number of resources that address the various applications of blockchain happening today and in the future.
- IT Mod Week 2022 (February 28 - March 4, 2022; virtual) - During IT Mod Week, thousands of C-suite leaders from the government, tech, and education communities will come together to participate in community-driven events, interactive sessions, talks, and networking opportunities. The goal? To connect, collaborate, and share the kinds of big ideas that will drive transformative change.
- Beyond the Beltway (March 3-4, 2022; virtual) - 2022 will be the year of making government better through technology. The Center for Digital Government's IT market analysts and key government leaders share insights into the state and local space and pinpoint opportunities, trends and issues.
- Modernizing Authentication Through the Use of Identity Management (March 10, 2022; webinar) - Identity Management platforms give organizations the tools to ensure that the right users are accessing the right information on the right devices. These tools can mitigate security concerns by managing access and also enhance user experience by providing seamless access to corporate applications. Hear government leaders discuss the challenges they face with their unique workforces and the processes they put in place to authenticate mobile users.
- MerITocracy 2022: American Innovation Forum (July 21, 2022; Washington, DC) - MerITocracy will focus on creative thinking around critical issues that sit at the nexus of policy and technology: education and workforce, global competitiveness, security and privacy, healthcare, and citizen services. Produced by MeriTalk, in partnership with Hill and White House leadership as well as industry visionaries, this program will underscore the requirement for tangible outcomes and practical operational plans.
- Emerging Technologies and Acquisition: How Blockchain, RPA, Data Analytics, and AI are Enabling Federal Procurement Transformation (white paper) - This paper looks at the various technologies being implemented throughout procurement organizations across the federal government today. With technology, procurement will no longer be just a purchasing or sourcing function, but instead transform into playing the role of an innovator, integrator, and collaborator, impacting agencies in a myriad of ways and driving overall performance for government IT management.
- Smart Cities (white paper) - A synopsis of a recent panel discussion at the Digital 360 Summit, this paper conceptualizes a "Smart City in Motion" - a digitally integrated, intelligent IoT municipal ecosystem encompassing smart utilities, buildings, factories, and urban mobility overlaid by high-speed 5G/AI/Blockchain networks.
Find more blockchain-related events on GovEvents.com and browse the GovWhitePapers' library of informative resources.
