Blockchain and IoT for Insurance: A Case Study and Cyberinfrastructure Solution on Fine-Grained Transportation Insurance

In this study, we initiate a cyberinfrastructure solution by synergizing both the blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for transportation insurance. The insurance premium related services are encapsulated in "on-chain" chaincodes to perform over the facts on vehicle's trip and driver's behavior, which are deduced through "off-chain" analytic services using the sensing data collected from vehicles' on-board sensors. A hybrid scheme coordinating both the permissioned (Hyperledger) and public (Ethereum) blockchains is proposed to exploit their respective capabilities in terms of high transaction throughput and built-in cryptocurrency. A working prototype platform is implemented with a basic premium calculation model. The prototype system is deployed across Amazon Web Services (AWSs) cloud in a real-world Internet environment. A comprehensive performance study from the aspects of throughput, latency, and resource usage under different configurations is presented to show the solution's feasibility. The design practice and research findings are concluded in consort with the experience gained for further enhancing the proposed solution and extending the functional features such as a more realistic insurance policy to be applied in generic vehicle insurance applications.