Blockchain-based Information Ecosystems

This study proposes a high-level architecture for deploying blockchain-based information ecosystems (BBIEs) by leveraging and expanding the Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) concept. The proposed architecture integrates blockchain with the overall information ecosystem to enable trust management and coordination systems in interorganizational contexts. An Identity Management System (IMS) ensures scalability and security. A case study is presented from the field of fiber cabling of urban centers involving building companies, a monitoring company, and a BaaS provider. The architecture offers a promising approach to prevent the risks of a ”blockchain winter” by going beyond the limited scope of the traceability applications so far pursued in industrial deployments of the blockchain and to break the traditional domination scheme of a leading company in business consortia.