NCAR is implementing a "smart city" project, what will be guaranteed?

Recently, Filament, a provider of comprehensive enterprise blockchain solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced that it is working with the Smart Mobility Program at the University of Nevada, Reno, to develop a new standard based on blockchain IoT technology to verify the integrity of data between self-driving cars and road infrastructure.

The Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR) is implementing a “Smart Cities” project to improve safety and communication between autonomous connected vehicles and surrounding infrastructure by installing lidar and dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) equipment at intersections.

"The growing number of connected vehicles will lead to an increase in IoT devices, which may create vulnerabilities," said NCAR Director Carlos Cardillo. "Working with Filament will help us create and verify the security data generated by connected lidar devices, including those for autonomous vehicles. We believe this will lead to a new set of data integrity standards that others can follow as they roll out their own initiatives." The university will conduct simulation tests of Filament's Blocklet technology and plans to soon integrate the technology into autonomous vehicle and sensor infrastructure. These infrastructures will be placed along designated routes, and they are used to provide reliable records and exchange verified data through blockchain.

“We are excited to be working with the University Smart Mobility Initiative to drive innovation in vehicle-to-infrastructure communications,” said Allison Clift-Jennings, CEO of Filament. “This is an important project for all cities preparing to deploy autonomous vehicles because it combines secure distributed ledger technology with connected autonomous vehicles and their surroundings. In this project, the university’s test vehicles will only accept data transmissions that have been verified by Blocklet to protect them from attacks. Data recorded on the blockchain establishes a common trust foundation for transparent exchange.”

With support from research universities, industry and startups, Nevada has become a top location for innovative vehicle and transportation technologies. With support from the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development and the University of Nevada, Reno, the Smart Mobility Initiative is testing the concept of synchronized mobility and collecting data in real-world environments. The current vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I, also known as V2X) communication project is using blockchain technology to verify the security of data received and sent from autonomous vehicles to road infrastructure and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019.