BLOCKCHAIN APPLIED TO SYSTEMIC DESIGN: ENSURING PROJECT AUTHENTICITY THROUGH QUANTITATIVE REPORT VERIFICATION

Systemic design encompasses a wide range of sectors and projects related to technology, people, and the environment. A common element is the production of detailed and analytical documents and reports on the design development carried out. However, at present, methods of verification and protection for systemic projects have not been identified, representing a lack of safeguarding for designers and all involved parties. The study conducted in Italy by the Polytechnic University of Turin addresses this lack of protection and focuses on the treatment of such reports from a quantitative data perspective, namely through their verification using blockchain technology. Blockchain was chosen over other verification methods because it is a decentralized and cost-free technology that can be adapted to various social contexts and conditions. Blockchain offers two main tools for verification: notarization and smart contracts. Notarization is a process that allows the document to be notarized and subsequently locked with all the information contained within it. In this context, notarization is used to increase designers’ attention to the entered data because it cannot be overwritten. On the other hand, smart contracts are autonomous programs that execute contracts recorded on the blockchain. These contracts can be used to automate the verification of data contained in project reports. The combined use of notarization and smart contracts on the blockchain provides greater security for documents produced in the field of systemic design. This not only increases confidence in the validity of the documents, thereby avoiding cases of greenwashing and speculation, but also offers greater protection to designers. As a symbol of this verification, a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) is issued. An NFT is a type of cryptographic token that represents a unique object. In this case, the NFT is inserted into a node of the blockchain to attest to the project’s verification. This provides tangible and immutable proof of the verification that has taken place. The project has been implemented in three different contexts: wineries in southern Spain, a facility management company, and the post-university education sector. The verification process enables the protection of small local entities and the scaling of business processes, involving the local community and individuals. The application of blockchain technology in systemic design offers a new experimental method for decentralized verification and protection of projects and the data contained within them.