A Blockchain-Based System for Aid Delivery: Concept Development, Data Modeling, and Validation

Climate-related catastrophes leave people in dire need of aid. A major obstacle in providing help to people is the lack of trust in the aid process. Charity organizations want to ensure that funds and materials reach the intended destinations. Blockchain technology injects trust into business transactions through impeccable record keeping and can alleviate the trust problems in aid delivery. Another major problem in disaster recovery is broken infrastructure (e.g., broken bridges and unavailable roads). Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), generally referred to as drones, can address this access problem. In this paper, the authors design a system that uses drone technology for delivery of aid and blockchain technology for the assurance of such delivery. This system records and shares data on the interaction of various participants involved in a disaster aid delivery scenario. The simulation studies validate the applicability of this proposed system showing high throughput and satisfactory performance are attainable with integration of blockchain in large-scale aid delivery.