Homework on Provenance - Questions

[Aryan]

How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

Blockchain is a public ledger where you can add, but not change or delete transactions (immutability). Blockchain also allows for tracing and tracking of these transactions in real-time, including the origin and destination, as well as the content of a transaction, leading to the possibility of real-time auditing. These facts simply demonstrate the possibility of provenance. For example, as Ivan explained, when tax-payers pay their taxes to the government, the Blockchain is a place that allows these transactions to be public and traceable, so you as a tax-payer know exacly where your tax-money goes, therefore enabling provenance. These fundamentals can also be applied to use cases other than just transferring money, for example the tracking of food and different parts of that supply chain, as well as clothes manufacturing and the supply chain of that industry etc.

Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?

Because in a normal database, where a central entity has the power to manipulate the data, a transaction is not immutable and there is also the possibility of data loss and corruption of data in case the database crashes or gets hacked. In other words there is a lot of trust involved.

Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?

It removes the need for trust in a third party, leading to higher quality in products and services and therefore satisfied customers. For example, clothing manufacturers that want to assure their customers that they get what they are promised, are able to fully verify the provenance of their products themselves and thus ensuring that they fulfill their promise to their customers. The same customers of that business are also able to do the same, ensuring the conclusion of the whole chain being trustless.

[Mauro]

@Joi

3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?

Tracking provenance to meet regulatory compliance – By serving as a public ledger system that certifies the data in a supply chain’s production log, blockchain provides the required visibility needed to track raw material provenance. This is essential in complex, global industries like food, medicine and consumer goods, where the provenance of raw materials and ingredients are highly regulated and notoriously difficult and expensive to manage.

Improving public health, safety and services – Blockchain provides a way to democratise data in order to improve public health, safety and happiness. Today data’s value disproportionately benefits large organizations like Amazon, Facebook and Google. With Blockchain, powerful organizations like these will no longer be able to successfully argue with regulators that they can’t share data with health organisations, public service providers and even citizens for fear of compromising privacy and security.

Very well said. A lot of examples for sure. Keep it up.

[Mauro]

@RegTora

2/Normal database doesn’t have the same provenance because it won’t have the digital capability to trace the whole supply chain & ingredients from the start till end product.

Yes, they don’t have the capability. Not because of the lack of technology or speed, but because we have to trust them that they won’t delete or change something later on in the future.

[Mauro]

@Vaughn_Marc

1.) I categorize Block chain into 2 types:
a. ROM (read only memory) b. (RAM Random access memory)

As for end users and businesses like us, it is a ROM.
Were we can only verify all transaction thru viewing, we
can’t edit anything or manipulate transactions in the ledger,
but even with limited access the ledger is accessible, fair and
very transparent.

But as for miners, because they are the ones confirming the
authenticity and accuracy of transactions. They belong to the
RAM or random access memory. Where they are the ones
stamping a block of blocks as legit transactions. They have
higher authority than end users like us.

1. Interesting way of viewing it. Miners do have more power than the end users but the network is still safe due to decentralized mining. No one owns the network but we can still write new blocks. Overall very nice and creative answers.

[Mauro]

@jackswango

Sealed RFID labels can be used in the supply chain to check quality of produce at each step without needing a human to do so.

Never knew about RFID. But from what I see, it could be a great thing to use with the blockchain.

[Mauro]

@Beasley23

3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
   —Ok so I may be wrong, but it tracks things and can tell you where its been, where it went, or the state it was in. This can help businesses by letting the consumer know the information about the product. For example, we all want know what’s in our food, so the information you are provided will be correct and is backed up by math

Correct. We can be sure that the information we are looking at is correct, due to math and work that went behind it.

[Mauro]

@Ironjade

Becouse it removes the doubt and posibility of scam, problems …

Not only that, but it enables businesses to track things without a third party. This saves money.

[Mauro]

No worries. Its actually pretty amazing how blockchain can be used on a global level. Keep up the good work, Lucas.

[Mauro]

@jgentry

2. A normal database does not bring the same provenance because it is not controlled by a company, organization, government, or authority. Authorities can remove or change the transactions that are placed on a database in the same network.

“…because it is not controlled by…”, I assume you meant to say “…because it is controlled by…”

You could also add that digital provenance will reduce the workload of a company as the information they see is being audited in real time.

[Mauro]

@juanmanuel10

1.- Tracking all the information which is an same blockhain.

Sure, but how does it enable digital provenance? The key point to take away is that there is no single point of failure in the blockchain. With a good consensus, the blockchain data can hardly be changed. This enables the digital provenance on the blockchain.

[Mauro]

@50Grosh

3. It adds value and efficiency to the business.

Sure. How does it add value and efficiency?

[jgentry]

Okay. Thank you, sir. Some of the materials is just difficult for me to understand. But I’m sure that’s true of other students participating in the course.

[Mauro]

@Daan007

Where as the normal centralised provenance will often not be verified,can be subject to fraud and every link in the chain just has to “trust” the previous link in the chain on the data.

Yes, there is no link between information in a centralized database. There is no work put behind information. Great answer.

[Mauro]

@apyr

3. because it brings costumer satisfaction.

It also helps the company save time and money as auditing is done in real time.

[Mauro]

Amazing and very detailed answers. A well done homework on provenance. Keep up the good work.

[Mauro]

No worries. If you haven’t been to much into computer and technology, this could all be a bit of overwhelming at first. I assure you as you learn more and more about blockchain everything will eventually fall into place. Decentralization is not what we humans are used to. It takes time and patience to learn. Keep it up.

[queencrow]

Homework on Provenance - Questions

1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
   A. Verification on all blockchains.
2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
   A. Normal databases aren’t fixed, they are changeable.
3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
   A. Public ledger, transparency.

[Drift]

1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
   Blockchain is a decentralized entity that verifies and account transaction. There’s no middle man or any trust only verifying the accountability of the product.
2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
   A normal database uses a middle man and trust, therefore manipulation can occur in a production.
3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
   A business can always verify where and what time a product has been to. Customers can have a great deal of satisfaction knowing exactly where and what the product has been to or added ingredients.

[vannky]

1.It enables digital provenance because in the blockchain you can add information but you can’t remove or edit information.

2. A normal database is centralized and not open to the public and in that way whoever have control may do malicious things such as editing or completely removing information.

3. You don’t even need to trust the businesses about the products/services that the customers are buying and you will be able to verify it by yourself.

[Wren]

Blockchain enables digital provenance by combining both accounting and transactions.

A normal database does not have the same provenance because there is more trust than verification and accounting and transactions are separate.

Businesses benefit from digital provenance because they no longer have to rely on trust, they can verify.