Analysis of current middleware used in peer-to-peer and grid implementations for enhancement by catallactic mechanisms

This deliverable describes the work done in task 3.1, Middleware analysis: Analysis of current middleware used in peer-to-peer and grid implementations for enhancement by catallactic mechanisms from work package 3, Middleware Implementation. The document is divided in four parts: The introduction with application scenarios and middleware requirements, Catnets middleware architecture, evaluation of existing middleware toolkits, and conclusions. -- Die Arbeit definiert Anforderungen an Grid und Peer-to-Peer Middleware Architekturen und analysiert diese auf ihre Eignung für die prototypische Umsetzung der Katallaxie. Eine Middleware-Architektur für die Umsetzung der Katallaxie in Application Layer Netzwerken wird vorgestellt.Grid Computing

Contracts Ex Machina

Smart contracts are self-executing digital transactions using decentralized cryptographic mechanisms for enforcement. They were theorized more than twenty years ago, but the recent development of Bitcoin and blockchain technologies has rekindled excitement about their potential among technologists and industry. Startup companies and major enterprises alike are now developing smart contract solutions for an array of markets, purporting to offer a digital bypass around traditional contract law. For legal scholars, smart contracts pose a significant question: Do smart contracts offer a superior solution to the problems that contract law addresses? In this article, we aim to understand both the potential and the limitations of smart contracts. We conclude that smart contracts offer novel possibilities, may significantly alter the commercial world, and will demand new legal responses. But smart contracts will not displace contract law. Understanding why not brings into focus the essential role of contract law as a remedial institution. In this way, smart contracts actually illuminate the role of contract law more than they obviate it

Boosting IoT data valorization through the adoption of DLT

During the last decade Internet of Things has become one of the key technologies in supporting digital transformation of several ecosystems such urban or industry ones. The huge amount of data generated in such contexts as well as the imperative requirements in terms of trustworthiness, authenticity and integrity make compulsory the adoption of the proper solutions fitting those requirements. This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of a distributed ledger technology architecture emphasizing services linked to data valorization.This work is supported by the TOKEN Project: “Transformative Impact Of BlocKchain tEchnologies iN Public Services”, Grant Agreement 870603, belonging to the H2020 Framework Program. The authors want to acknowledge the valuable work carried out by the colleagues participating in this initiative

Proof-of-Concept Application - Annual Report Year 1

In this document the Cat-COVITE Application for use in the CATNETS Project is introduced and motivated. Furthermore an introduction to the catallactic middleware and Web Services Agreement (WS-Agreement) concepts is given as a basis for the future work. Requirements for the application of Cat-COVITE with in catallactic systems are analysed. Finally the integration of the Cat-COVITE application and the catallactic middleware is described. --Grid Computing

Decentralized factoring for self-sovereign identities

Invoice factoring is a handy tool for developing businesses that face liq- uidity problems. The main property that a factoring system needs to fulfill is to prevent an invoice from being factored twice. Distributed ledger tech- nology is suitable for implementing the platform to register invoice factor- ing agreements and prevent double-factoring. Several works have been proposed to use this technology for invoice factoring. However, current proposals lack in one or several aspects such as decentralization and secu- rity against corruption, protecting business and personally identifiable in- formation (PII), providing non-repudiation for handling disputes, Know- Your-Customer (KYC) compliance, easy user on-boarding, and being cost- efficient. In this article, a factoring registration protocol is proposed for invoice factoring registration based on a public distributed ledger which adheres to the before-mentioned requirements. We include a relayer in our architecture to address the entry barrier that the users have due to the need of managing cryptocurrencies for interacting with the public ledger. Moreover, we leverage the concept of Verifiable Credentials (VCs) for KYC compliance, and allow parties to implement their self-sovereign identities by using decentralized identifiers (DIDs). DIDs enable us to relay on the DIDComm protocol for asynchronous and secure off-chain communica- tions. We analyze our protocol from several security aspects, compare it to the related work, and study a possible business use case. Our evalu- ations demonstrate that our proposal is secure and efficient, and covers requirements not addressed by existing related work.This research has been funded by i3Market (H2020-ICT-2019-2 grant number 871754). This work is also supported by the TCO-RISEBLOCK (PID2019-110224RB-I00), ARPASAT (TEC2015- 70197-R), and by the Generalitat de Catalunya grant 2014-SGR-1504.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Decentralized brokered enabled ecosystem for data marketplace in smart cities towards a data sharing economy

Presently data are indispensably important as cities consider data as a commodity which can be traded to earn revenues. In urban environment, data generated from internet of things devices, smart meters, smart sensors, etc. can provide a new source of income for citizens and enterprises who are data owners. These data can be traded as digital assets. To support such trading digital data marketplaces have emerged. Data marketplaces promote a data sharing economy which is crucial for provision of available data useful for cities which aims to develop data driven services. But currently existing data marketplaces are mostly inadequate due to several issues such as security, efficiency, and adherence to privacy regulations. Likewise, there is no consolidated understanding of how to achieve trust and fairness among data owners and data sellers when trading data. Therefore, this study presents the design of an ecosystem which comprises of a distributed ledger technology data marketplace enabled by message queueing telemetry transport (MQTT) to facilitate trust and fairness among data owners and data sellers. The designed ecosystem for data marketplaces is powered by IOTA technology and MQTT broker to support the trading of sdata sources by automating trade agreements, negotiations and payment settlement between data producers/sellers and data consumers/buyers. Overall, findings from this article discuss the issues associated in developing a decentralized data marketplace for smart cities suggesting recommendations to enhance the deployment of decentralized and distributed data marketplaces.publishedVersio

Shifting Directions: Conceiving, Implementing, and Navigating the Inherent Complexities of Student Recruitment Customer/Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Systems within Higher Education

A Constituent (often and typically referenced as Customer) Relationship Management (CRM) system is utilized within organizations whose focus is on customer development and service. A CRM is both an organizational approach involving significant human and system processes, as well as a technological intervention. Typically, CRMs have been implemented within commercial enterprises, specifically those operations with direct contact with customers or consumers, possibly as end–users of products, or even middle–sales operators such as wholesalers and governmental agencies. Over the past number of decades, higher education institutions in Canada have developed strategic and tactical plans to more fully respond to the changing conditions of the prospective student marketplace, both domestically as well as internationally. Student engagement–focused CRM systems are strategic in orientation meant to positively affect student application and subsequent program enrolment. This document describes a change intervention at a large, research–intensive Canadian university and articulates the various factors that would influence the conception, development, communication, and implementation of a coordinated student recruitment CRM platform. Through the lenses of an Adaptive Leadership model and the Path-Goal Leadership Theory and framed by paradigms based on Lewin’s (1951) Stage Theory of Change and systems modelling, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will trace my own leadership influence upon this initiative and will seek to move from theory to practice the strategies and tactics required for implementation