InfraChain: A Sensor-Enabled Roadway Management Application Using Blockchain and Digital Twin

More or less everyday people experience inconvenience on the road due to different kinds of defects on the roadway such as potholes or cracks. Regardless of the transportation people intend to use, because of unmaintained roads, there is always traffic congestion, and the journey is never smooth from one place to another. The proposed system aims to keep track of the health of the roadway infrastructures so that necessary repairs and maintenance can be executed on time. The system functionalities include real-time data storing of the road condition, maintenance and repair history, inspection history, and reports by using digital twin and blockchain. A blockchain is a chain of blocks that contains information with the intention to timestamp digital documents with access to only eligible participants. Blockchain integration intends to store data without any data overwriting or tampering. On the other hand, a digital twin is a virtual model that uses data on a real-time basis in order to reflect both semantic and geometric attributes and functions of the infrastructures. Digital twin relies on sensors to transmit information from the real-world object into the digital world object. Sensors like Strain Gauge, Moisture Sensor, and Acoustic Signature Sensor help to collect real-time data which will help to create and update the digital twin and thus enable monitoring of the infrastructure in real time.