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The blockchain enable provenance by being an immutable public ledger that require verification of the network to validate transactions. Since every transaction is coherent and can be tracked from its creation, the provenance is an emergent property of the system. With that set of rules provenance just happens.
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A normal database can be modified, manipulated or completely erased because is not in constant comparison with other copies of itself and is often property of a centralized authority.
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The video mentioned the real-time auditing and the transparency in the supply chains. But a lot of different business and organizations can find grate value in this property of the blockchain. A health system (or insurance company) can create a profile of every patient using data form medical bills to anticipate health problems and use it for better diagnostic and treatment or even to identify risks in the population as a whole. A conservationist organization can register wild animals sightings in the blockchain to track the movements (and a bunch of other info) of different wild species and use that information to evaluate the health and distribution changes of natural populations. There’s a lot of possible use cases because every organization could use a more efficient, more transparent way of track events of interest.
- Blockchain enables provenance by having a data stone data base where information cannot be removed, copies of all inputs across multiple nodes and all records are public and traceable.
- Traditional databases do not have provenance because they lack transparency and are not data stones.
- Businesses can benefit greatly from provenance because it provides undeniable proof that is not based on trust.
How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
Blockchain is decentralized and immutable distributed Ledger.
On Blockchain all transactions are recorded, cannot be deleted and can be consulted by anyone.
Among many other things, is a transparent, reliable system where it is possible to check all records and their provenance
Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
Normal databases have the problem of being centralized and the controlling entity (people) can change the data.
With blockchain it doesn’t happen.
In other words, trust in the blockchain is deposited in solid mathematical principles. In normal databases, trust is placed in the people who control it.
Everyone knows that people are flawed (making mistakes is human and an important learning process) and can easily be influenced/manipulated.
Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
Essentially reduces costs in verifying the reliability of the data (audits).
Allows you to quickly track transactions (traceability) in a reliable system. (time is money).
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The blockchain achieves provenance by using digital signatures in order to track origin and transaction history. This is all recorded by active ledgers that keep track of everything. These ledgers are all connected through the internet forming a decentralized network of nodes that use each other to verify their information.
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Because they are centralized, this centralized authority has the capability to change and remove data if they want. Because of this, an extreme level of trust is required.
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Because it is trust-less. Just because a company says something does not make it true. By using blockchain technology everything can be verified.
My answers:
Information can be added to the blockchain, but never removed. So if there is information in the blockchain which assures the origin of something, that record is permanent. It cannot be changed because of the shared ownership and the multiple copies that exist of the blockchain data.
A “normal” database typically exists as a single copy, or if not, there usually exists a “master copy”, The database is under the control of a single person or organisation, and records can be changed and deleted. An audit of every transaction cannot be guaranteed, so it is very easy to hide the true provenance of something the data refers to.
One example of this is the work being done by OriginTrails.com to build assured provenance into manufactured and distributed goods. Vendors can be reassured that their suppliers are making goods to agreed specifications using the correct parts or ingredients, and this makes cutting corners and making things more cheaply with lower quality parts and processes much more difficult. This can be a major issue in global supply chains. Another example is that digital provenance can ensure that food meets stated standards, for example organically grown, grown in a particular location or truly vegan. There is a significant amount of fraud in the food industry related to claiming standards for food as a way of justifying higher prices, for example
Homework on Provenance - Questions
- How does blockchain enable digital provenance? Blockchain creates a digital stone where information cannot be removed or destroyed. When verified by a connected network this results in the origin of that transaction.
- Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance? Normal databases are usually centralized and controlled by few. There are greater opportunities for mistakes, fraud and not guaranteed that all information is audited.
- Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses? It expands outside of crypto currency to supply chain control and product origin. Eg. Food safety, prevent child labor, product control.
- Public ledger of transactions available for everyone
- Easy to duplicate
- Eliminates audits and need for trust. Trust is installed
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How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
All ledger entries are recorded from inception and made available publicly in digital format. -
Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
Because normal database is susceptible to manipulation can be hacked and only accessible to certain parties or not made availble publicly. -
Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
The transparency provides clear audit trail of each transactions and therefore remove the need to have middle man or broker between producer and consumer.
- As is not posible to remove data and the things are traceable , blockchain enable digital provenance.
- Regular Database are vulnerable to be hacking as be centralized, a lot of trust involved between actors.
- Provenance allows business trace data, verify on real time.
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The blockchain can only be added and not removed. The transactions are on a public ledger distributed across a network. And that network has to verify transactions as being correct. It is also decentralized, it’s not in a particular location.
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A normal database can be altered and is not on a public ledger. It’s normally on a single system in a single location.
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You don’t have to trust the information, you can just verify it.
- the fact that blockchain has a “public ledger” feature, you can easily trace a transaction/item within the supply chain in real time.
- A normal database can easily be manipulated by administration. It’s also prone to human error and other risk exposures that could disrupt the accuracy of the data making it difficult to trace a transaction/item within the supply chain.
- Digital provenance is a great benefit to many business’ because its much faster and reliant to trace a item within the supply chain without having to worry about trusting the authenticity of data.
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The block chain provides digital providence by providing an immutable ledger.
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A normal database doesn’t bring the same kind of providence because it is centralized and can be changed with out group consensus.
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businesses receive providence in block chain with the benefit of enhanced security and anti-counterfeiting.
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Blockchain is a decentralized ledger that offers a way to record and preserve all its data/transactions in a public and trustless environment where all its data can be validated across the web against other copies of the same ledger. This will make digital provenance highly accessible and still keep its data legitimate and intact.
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A normal database has some drawbacks compared to blockchain; it can be modified by anyone who can access it so this file can’t work in a public and trustless environment. Data is susceptible to manipulation and human error. The cost of keeping database security can be high and no automatical real-time feedback to end-user. a normal database can’t work as efficiently as blockchain, therefore, does not bring the same provenance.
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Digital provenance offer value and transparency to many businesses.
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It allows anyone to track , trace and audit Financial transactions.
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Because you can’t use it for accounting auditing.
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It allows businesses to track where ingredients and components are produced.
- By being public and only being able to add data, so everybody can see all the transactions
- Not open and can be edited
- Independent, verifiable Proof of provenance via public blockchains
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How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
Through the capability to track each step/stage of a goods lifecycle and record each entry in an immutable database -
Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
A normal database can be altered by individuals whereas changing a blockchain entry is virtually impossible from the start and gets more impossible as more time passes -
Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
It gives certainty over the history of a good which can be independently verified. such certainty can, amongst other things, verify origin/authenticity of a good and the (hopefully) good practices employed in a companies supply chain
- It builds on the previous information and is immutable
- Because it is not immutable and not decentralized
- Verification is built in
- How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
Once data is entered onto the blockchain, it cannot be altered in anyway or removed. If a mistake is made, it cannot be overridden. It provides total transparency and 100% verification of data.
- Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
Other data bases are subject to changes and manipulation to suit a hidden agenda or to ‘cover-up’ a failure or mistake, intentional or not. On that basis, everything is subject to manual checking and verifying which can take many hours at a significant cost. Trust is an implied necessity for data, yet must by nature be questioned for 100% accuracy. These data bases are subject to hidden and / or non-approved changes.
- Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
Digital provenance ensures no need to ‘trust’ anyone or anything. What is in the blockchain is taken as100% correct…………… every time, all the time. With access for anyone at any-time, auditing can take place anytime.
- How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
Ans: Using blockchain, it allows all its data to be traced back. As you mentioned that blockchain is like a stone (digital stone), all data that is written on it will be impossible to make any changes. Thus all transactions will be verified.
2)Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
ANS: Because they are centralized so the authority will be able to change/delete past data.
3)Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
ANS: Customers will be able to where the provenance of their product. This gives customer satisfaction. To conclude, it is safer, more transparent, can be tracked in real-time and the customer does not need to trust but they can verify it.
Gladly appreciate any correction if I am wrong. Appreciate any help from the community as I am new 
Thanks!!!