A Securing Temperature and Humidity Recording (cold chain) of Information Systems with Distributed Ledger Technology

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study is the investigation of blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) for cold chain information systems. An uninterrupted cold chain is necessary for maintaining pharmaceuticals, foods, vaccines and other temperature sensitive goods in temperature ranges, otherwise they perish. Different sensor technologies are in use for cold chain management and monitor temperatures, humidity, light and vibration among others. Collected sensor data in information systems can be secured in a transparent, immutable and auditable manner using Blockchain/DLT for more trustworthiness between involved stakeholders in the cold chain. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with experts and executives of a third-party logistic provider (3PL). The gathered qualitative data contains requirements and limitations of cold chain management as well as fundamental concepts and scenarios of Blockchain/DLTsuitable for cold chain. The requirements and limitations are Quality of Sensor Data, InformationSystem Constraints and Business-related Requirements. Together with scenarios and fundamental concepts of Blockchain/DLT, an information system architecture blueprint for 3PLs and adoption scenarios, a validation framework is proposed targeting systems architects of cold chain information systems. The validation framework and the results from the exploratory study provide a cornerstone and inspiration for future research of evolving Blockchain/DLT technologies in the cold chain domain.