Page 64 - U4SSC Blockchain for smart sustainable cities

Figure 13: Transparency in building applications for cell towers

The project was approached in three stages. The critical evaluation of the processes was
In stage 1, a partnership was established with key to improving the workflow.
SAP to develop a proof of concept. A private
and permissioned blockchain was established Public administration workflows often include
and used to speed up the transfer of analogue numerous internal and external stakeholders
documents to digital format, reducing a four- who change frequently, as well as a changing
step process to one step and improving security. legal environment. Blockchain technology can
In stage two, the process to build or modify a cell help to decrease uncertainty (for example,
tower was mapped from end-to-end, starting through the application of smart contracts) and
with the application and ending with the notice of to establish a single shared truth among the
the outcome to the applicant. At the same time, stakeholders. This case demonstrates the use of
work proceeded on technical matters including smart technology to contribute to the areas of
putting the system in the cloud and developing smart governance and smart people. As input,
a technology stack, using blockchain as a service the intervention makes use of blockchain and
architecture. Stage three will see the broad cloud technology, as well as the concept of
rollout of the technology, building on the lessons backend-as-a-service. The transformation that
learned in stages one and two. The intention is is facilitated includes developing a new, flexible
to create blockchain-supported processes in technology solution that can be integrated with
various sectors of public governance. existing legacy systems. In addition, the workflow
was redesigned and simplified.
Although this solution is not yet fully
implemented, there are lessons to be learned The outcomes of the intervention include the
from what has been accomplished so far. new technology solution, as well as benefits in
• The project successfully implemented a “back- terms of more efficient processes, increased
security and improved transparency between
end-as-a-service” (BaaS) blockchain-based stakeholders. All this takes place in a context
solution in the cloud, and integrated it with a in which there is a long history of mistrust of
legacy system, proving that flexible solutions public administration and complex compliance
can be constructed using blockchain. requirements. There is also the need to integrate
• The security of the system was increased, with existing legacy systems and to support the
and the process was greatly simplified. participation of multiple stakeholders in the
process.

54 U4SSC: Blockchain for smart sustainable cities