BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS FOR COVID-19– A SURVEY
Keywords:
Blockchain, COVID-19, ethereum, hyperledger, social distancing, healthcareAbstract
The COVID-19 has changed the way technology has been perceived and adapted. It has revealed the potential of technology in overcoming the challenges caused by this pandemic. COVID-19 has disturbed all essential activities especially education, business, healthcare, etc. People were forced to employ technology to carry out their day-to-day tasks like grocery shopping, education, business, healthcare etc. Various computing technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain are being widely adopted to help track the outbreak of panademic, enforce restrictive measures, ensure availability of medical equipemnts, develop, and test vaccine. Blockchain is among these technologies that can be used as a potential problem solver to overcome numerous challenges. It has various key features, such as immutability, decentralization, and transparency, that can be utilized to benefit different sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to present COVID-19 applications that are based on blockchain technology. Further, we have illustrated the applicability blockchain technology in various fields like healthcare, education, government, finance, etc. We have also discussed a comparison of blockchain-based applications. Features and benefits of these applications are discussed along with the challenges associated with the adoption of blockchain-based COVID-19 applications.
References
Ahmad, R.W., Salah, K., Jayaraman, R., Yaqoob, I., Ellahham, S., and Omar, M. (2021). The role of blockchain technology in telehealth and telemedicine. Int. J. Med. Inform., 148:104399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf. 2021.104399.
Alam, T., and Benaida, M. (2022). Internet of things and blockchain-based framework for coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. Int. J. Online Biomed. Eng., (iJOE), 18(06):82–94. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v18i06.29919
Alketbi, A., Nasir, Q., and Talib, M.A. (2018). Blockchain for government services-Use cases, security benefits and challenges. In: 2018 15th Learning and Technology Conference, p. 112-119. https://doi.org/10.1109/LT.2018. 8368494.
Alkhodre, A., Ali, T., Jan, S., Alsaawy, Y., Khusro, S., and Yasar, M. (2019). A blockchain-based value added tax (VAT) system: Saudi Arabia as a use-case. Int. J. Adv. Comp. Sci. Appl., 10(5):708-716. https://doi.org/10.14569/ijacsa.2019. 0100588.
Alsamhi, S.H., Lee, B., and Qiao, Y. (2020). Blockchain for multi-robot collaboration to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics. IEEE Access. p. 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1109/ access.2020.3032450.
Azaria, A., Ekblaw, A., Vieira, T., and Lippman, A. (2016). MedRec: using blockchain for medical data access and permission management. In: Proceedings of 2016 2nd International Conference on Open and Big Data (OBD), p. 25-30. doi: 10.1109/OBD.2016.11.
Chamola, V., Hassija, V., Gupta, V., and Guizani, M. (2020). A comprehensive review of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of IoT, drones, AI, blockchain, and 5G in managing its impact. IEEE Access, 8:90225-90265. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2992341.
Chang, M.C. and Park, D. (2020). How can blockchain help people in the event of pandemics such as the COVID-19?. J. Med. Syst., 44(5):102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01577-8.
Chen, G., Xu, B., Lu, M., and Chen, N.-S. (2018). Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for education. Smart Learn. Environ., 5(1):1-10. https://doi. org/10.1186/s40561-017-0050-x.
Communications, Z.V. (2016). Zoom. https://zoom.us/.
de Oliveira, M.T., Reis, L.H.A., Medeiros, D.S.V., Carrano, R.C., Olabarriaga, S.D., and Mattos, D.M.F. (2020). Blockchain reputation-based consensus: A scalable and resilient mechanism for distributed mistrusting applications. Comp. Net., 179:107367. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.comnet.2020.107367.
Di Vaio, A., Boccia, F., Landriani, L., and Palladino, R. (2020). Artificial intelligence in the agri-food system: rethinking sustainable business models in the COVID-19 scenario. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(12):4,851. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/su12124851.
Futurethinkers. (2017). 7 Ways The Blockchain Can Save The Environment and Stop Climate Change. https:// futurethinkers.org/blockchain-environment-climate-change.
Galvez, J.F., Mejuto, J.C., and Simal-Gandara, J. (2018). Future challenges on the use of blockchain for food traceability analysis. TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 107: 222-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2018.08.011.
Gupta, M. and Kumar, V. (2018). Revealing the demonstration of blockchain and implementing scope in COVID-19 outbreak. ICST Transactions on Scalable Information Systems, p. 165520. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.13-7-2018.165520.
Humayun, M. (2020). Blockchain-Based secure framework for e-learning during COVID-19. Indian J. Sci. Technol., 13(12):1,328-1,341. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/v13i12.152.
Jayaraman, R., Ahmad, W., Salah, K., Yaqoob, I., Ellahham, S., and Omar, M. (2020). Blockchain and COVID-19 Pandemic: Applications and Challenges. November. https://doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.12936572.
Joshi, M. (2020). PHBC announces blockchain monitor to track virus-free zones. https://www.cryptopolitan.com/phbc-blockchain-monitor-for-virus-free-zones/
Kalla, A., Hewa, T., Mishra, R.A., Ylianttila, M., and Liyanage, M. (2020). The role of blockchain to fight against COVID-19. IEEE Eng. Manage. Rev., 48(3):85-96. https://doi.org/ 10.1109/EMR.2020.3014052.
Khan, C., Lewis, A., Rutland, E., Wan, C., Rutter, K., and Thompson, C. (2017). A distributed-ledger consortium model for collaborative innovation. Computer, 50(9):29-37. https://doi.org/10.1109/MC.2017.3571057.
Khurshid, A. (2020). Applying blockchain technology to address the crisis of trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. JMIR Med. Inform., 8(9):e20477. https://doi.org/10.2196/20477.
Valente Klaine, P., Zhang, L., Zhou, B., Sun, Y., Xu, H., and Imran, M. (2020) Privacy-preserving contact tracing and public risk assessment using blockchain for COVID-19 pandemic. IEEE Internet of Things Magazine, 3(3):58-63. doi: 10.1109/IOTM.0001.2000078.
Koç, A.K., Yavuz, E., Çabuk, U.C., and Dalkiliç, G. (2018). Towards secure e-voting using ethereum blockchain. In: 6th International Symposium on Digital Forensic and Security, ISDFS 2018 - Proceeding, 2018-Janua p. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISDFS.2018.8355340.
Lee, J.H. (2017). BIDaaS: Blockchain Based ID As a Service. IEEE Access, 6:2,274-2,278. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ACCESS.2017.2782733.
Li, X., Wang, D., and Li, M. (2020). Convenience analysis of sustainable E-agriculture based on blockchain technology. J. Clean. Prod., 271:122503. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jclepro.2020.122503.
Lin, W., Huang, X., Fang, H., Wang, V., Hua, Y., Wang, J., Yin, H., Yi, D., and Yau, L. (2020). Blockchain technology in current agricultural systems: from techniques to applications. IEEE Access, 8:143,920-143,937. https:// doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3014522.
Marbouh, D., Abbasi, T., Maasmi, F., Omar, I.A., Debe, M.S., Salah, K., Jayaraman, R., and Ellahham, S. (2020). Blockchain for COVID-19 : review , opportunities, and a trusted tracking system. Arabian J. Sci. Eng., 45(12): 9,895-9,911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-04950-4.
Mashamba-Thompson, T.P. and Crayton, E.D. (2020). Blockchain and artificial intelligence technology for novel coronavirus disease-19 self-testing. Diagnostics, 10(4):8-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10040198.
Mettler, M. and Hsg, M.A. (2016). Blockchain Technology in Healthcare. In: 2016 IEEE 18th International Conference on E-Health Networking, Applications and Services, Healthcom 2016, p. 16-18.
Mitchell, I., Hara, S., and Sheriff, M. (2019). dAppER : decentralised application for examination review. In: 2019 IEEE 12th International Conference on Global Security, Safety and Sustainability (ICGS3), p. 1-14.
Namasudra, S., Deka, G.C., Johri, P., Hosseinpour, M., and Gandomi, A.H. (2021). The revolution of blockchain: state-of-the-art and research challenges. Arch. Computat. Methods Eng., 28:1,497-1,515. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11831-020-09426-0.
Nandi, S., Sarkis, J., Hervani, A.A., and Helms, M.M. (2021). Redesigning supply chains using blockchain-enabled circular economy and COVID-19 experiences. Sustain. Prod. Consump., 27(1):10-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.spc.2020.10.019
Nguyen, D.C., Ding, M., Pathirana, P.N., and Seneviratne, A. (2021). Blockchain and AI-based solutions to combat coronavirus (COVID-19)-like epidemics: a survey. IEEE Access. 30(9):95,730-95,753. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS. 2021.3093633. PMID: 34812398; PMCID: PMC8545197.
Nofer, M., Gomber, P., Hinz, O., and Schiereck, D. (2017). Blockchain. Bus. Inform. Sys. Eng., 59(3):183-187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-017-0467-3.
Putzger, I. (2020). Blockchain may facilitate the “new normal” of contactless parcel delivery. https://theloadstar.com/ blockchain-may-facilitate-the-new-normal-of-contactless- parcel-delivery.
Qamar, T.Q. and Zakaria Bawany, N. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on higher education in pakistan: an exploratory study. IJERI: Int. J. Educ. Res. Inno., 15:503-518. https://doi.org/ 10.46661/ijeri.5645
Rimsan, M., Mahmood, A.K., Umair, M., and Hassan, F. (2020). COVID-19: A novel framework to globally track coronavirus infected patients using blockchain. In: 2020 International Conference on Computational Intelligence (ICCI), October, p. 8-9.
Sharma, A. and Bahl, S. (2020). Blockchain technology and its applications to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Res. Biomed. Eng., https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/ s42600-020-00106-3
Bahl, S., Singh, R.P., Javaid, M., Khan, I.H., Vaishya, R., and Suman, R. (2020). Telemedicine technologies for confronting COVID-19 pandemic: A review. J. Indust. Integ. Manage., 5(4):547-561. https://doi.org/10.1142/ S2424862220300057
Shin E-J, Kang H-G, and Bae K.A (2020). Study on the sustainable development of NPOs with blockchain technology. Sustainability, 12(15):6,158. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/su12156158.
Shukla, A., Patel, N., Tanwar, S., Sadoun, B., and Obaidat, M.S. BDoTs: Blockchain-based evaluation scheme for online teaching under COVID-19 environment. In: 2020 International Conference on Computer, Information and Telecommunication Systems (CITS), 2020, p. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/CITS49457.2020.9232480.
Sun, H., Wang, X., and Wang, X. (2018). Application of blockchain technology in online education. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 13(10):252-259. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i10.9455.
Tangermann, V. (2020). Hackers are using coronavirus maps to spread malware. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/ 03/hackers-are-using-coronavirus-maps-to-spread-malware
Tian, F. (2016). An agri-food supply chain traceability system for China based on RFID & blockchain technology. In: 2016 13th International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM), p. 1-6. doi: 10.1109/ ICSSSM.2016.7538424.
Torky, M. and Hassanien, A.E. (2020). COVID-19 blockchain framework: innovative approach. Preprint ArXiv:2004. 06081.
Villas-Boas, A. (2020). coronavirus-fake-app-ransomware-malware-bitcoin-android-demands-ransom. https://www. businessinsider.com/coronavirus-fake-app-ransomware-malware-bitcoin-android-demands-ransom-domaintools-2020-3.
WHO. (2020). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19-20 March 2020. https:// www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director -general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on- covid-19---20-march-2020.
Wu, H. and Zhu, X. (2020). Developing a reliable service system of charity donation during the Covid-19 outbreak. IEEE Access, 8:154,848-154,860. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ACCESS.2020.3017654
Xiong, H., Dalhaus, T., Wang, P., and Huang, J. (2020). Blockchain technology for agriculture: applications and rationale. Frontiers in Blockchain, 3:1-7. https://doi.org/ 10.3389/fbloc.2020.00007
Xu, H., Zhang, L., Onireti, O., Fang, Y., Buchanan, W.B., and Imran, M.A. (2020). BeepTrace: blockchain-enabled Privacy-preserving Contact Tracing for COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. ArXiv, p. 1-13. https://doi.org/ 10.1109/jiot.2020.3025953.
Zhang, P., Walker, M.A., White, J., Schmidt, D.C., and Lenz, G. (2017). Metrics for assessing blockchain-based healthcare decentralized apps. In: 2017 IEEE 19th International Conference on E-Health Networking, Applications and Services, Healthcom 2017, 2017-Decem, p. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/HealthCom.2017.8210842
Zhang, X. and Poslad, S. (2018). Blockchain Support for Flexible Queries with Granular Access Control to Electronic Medical Records (EMR). IEEE International Conference on Communications, 2018-May. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ICC.2018.8422883.
