Blockchain for open scientific research

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10659239-B2
Application number	US-201916359476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2019
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Techniques facilitating using a blockchain system that integrates the trustworthiness of the blockchain concept with open scientific research by generating a blockchain of the experiments formed, data collected, analyses performed, and results achieved are provided herein. In an example, the blockchain system can form a blockchain representing a research project, wherein the blockchain comprises a first block of research data and a second block of analysis data representing a log of an analysis performed on the research data. Summary blocks and correction blocks can also be added to the blockchain representing the post analysis of the research results. One or more of the subsequent blocks can be linked to the preceding blocks using information in block headers that can also serve to determine whether modifications to the blocks have been performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
generating, by a device operatively coupled to a processor, blocks representing portions of data of a research project, wherein the blocks comprise respective headers, and the headers respectively comprise a timestamp and a hash based on a portion of data represented by the block associated with the header;
linking, by the device, the blocks in order of timestamp to form a blockchain, wherein one or more of the headers of the blocks are linked to a previous block in the blockchain by including the hash of the previous block; and
determining, by the device, whether a block of the blockchain has been modified based on hash in a header of a subsequent block of the blockchain.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the headers respectively further comprise an identifier that identifies a source of the portion of data represented by the block associated with a header of the headers.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
verifying, by the device, that a set of information about the research project is authentic by comparing the set of information to at least one block of the blockchain representing at least one portion of data corresponding to the set of information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises an analysis block comprising a log of an analysis performed on the data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises a summary block comprising a summary of an analysis of the data and a result of the analysis.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising:
assigning, by the device, a reliability rating to the result of the analysis based on determining a number of attempts identified in the analysis of the data to achieve the results of the analysis.

7. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores computer executable components; and
a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components comprise:
at least one component that:
generates blocks representing portions of data of a research project, wherein the blocks comprise respective headers, and the headers respectively comprise a timestamp and a hash based on a portion of data represented by a block associated with the header,
links the blocks in order of timestamp to form a blockchain, wherein one or more of the headers of the blocks are linked to a previous block in the blockchain by including the hash of the previous block; and
determines whether a block of the blockchain has been modified based on hash in a header of a subsequent block of the blockchain.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the headers respectively further comprise an identifier that identifies a source of the portion of data represented by the block associated with the header.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one component also:
verifies that a set of information about the research project is authentic by comparing the set of information to at least one block of the blockchain representing at least one portion of data corresponding to the set of information.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises an analysis block comprising a log of an analysis performed on the data.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises a summary block comprising a summary of an analysis of the data and a result of the analysis.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one component also:
assigns a reliability rating to the result of the analysis based on determining a number of attempts identified in the analysis of the data to achieve the results of the analysis.

13. A computer program product to generate a blockchain using data of a research project, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
generate blocks representing portions of data of a research project, wherein the blocks comprise respective headers, and the headers respectively comprise a timestamp and a hash based on a portion of data represented by a block associated with the header;
link the blocks in order of timestamp to form a blockchain, wherein one or more headers of the blocks are linked to a previous block in the blockchain by including the hash of the previous block; and
determine whether a block of the blockchain has been modified based on hash in a header of a subsequent block of the blockchain.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the headers respectively further comprise an identifier that identifies a source of the portion of data represented by the block associated with the header.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the processor to:
verify that a set of information about the research project is authentic by comparing the set of information to at least one block of the blockchain representing at least one portion of data corresponding to the set of information.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises an analysis block comprising a log of an analysis performed on the data.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein a block of the blockchain comprises a summary block comprising a summary of an analysis of the data and a result of the analysis.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ahn Jae-Wook
• Chang Maria D
• Kokku Ravindranath
• Watson Patrick

Classifications

• H04L9/3236

  using cryptographic hash functions · CPC title

• G06F21/64 Primary

  Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures · CPC title

• G06F21/6209

  to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself · CPC title

• H04L9/3297 Primary

  involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps · CPC title

• H04L9/0637

  Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM] · CPC title