Blockchain Powered Drones

Almost everyone is looking into blockchain technology now. It’s no longer about necessarily believing in the technology but a matter of survival. Different organizations are forced to look into potential uses of the technology in their areas of expertise in order to stay relevant and not be left behind. Healthcare, finance, defense and even social media organizations have been affected. Blockchain technology is being used to provide solutions to problems in all these sectors. The drone industry has not been left out in this regard. Discussed in this article is the applications of blockchain technology when it comes to drones.

It isn’t only blockchain technology that’s being widely applied in various spheres of life. Drones are too. They are being used in photography, delivery services, defense, inspection and surveying amongst others. Software programs and networks are required to enable the users and stakeholders to get more out of these services. This is where blockchain technology comes in as a solution to problems like security and provide improvements when it comes to identity management.

Immutable Records

Blockchain’s immutability would be useful for the drone industry when it comes to recording information on drones. Applied Blockchain, on behalf of SITA, is working on a global distributed registry for drones. SITA is one of the big players in aviation when it comes to communications and information technology. To create this distributed registry, Applied Blockchain would be working with regulators, operators, and manufacturers in the drone industry.

The official website of Applied Blockchain explains the process:

“Flight path data captured by a drone during a flight can be uploaded onto the same shared ledger and represented visually on an interactive map. As this data is attached to a registered drone, aviation authorities can plot the flights of a specific drone, all drones of a given operator, or even all drones from a specific manufacturer, all on a single map and in real time.”

Using the blockchain for this type of record keeping ensures that the information can be trusted by all stakeholders. Information on this ledger can contribute to safety as well when used for traffic control.

Security

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are being incorporated into drone services to reduce the need for human control. Developments like this stress the need for the use of more secure systems. With cryptography, the communication on networks that support drone services would be more secure. Information on various processes involved in the delivery of any service would be available to only parties authorized to have access.

Identity management

A blockchain-based identification system for drones has the benefit of keeping track of registered drones using their ID numbers while protecting the personal information of the users. This is similar to cryptocurrency blockchains providing information on transactions and public addresses without disclosing personal information about the users of the blockchain.

Such an identification system would aid in monitoring as well as investigations into any form of illegal use of drones. As stated earlier, this would be done without compromising private information about users and what they use their drones for.

What To Expect When All Is Done

The work being done by Applied Blockchain has already been mentioned. Deep Aero, Distributed Sky, and Anra technologies are other entities taking similar initiatives in this area. Should their efforts be fruitful, the blockchain would become the tool for aiding in the control of drone traffic in the sky. It would also add more security to the systems that support the services provided using drones.