AVIK

Project description:

Mobility actors on the ground and in the air collect numerous environmental data such as vibration, traffic density or air quality, and the trend is rising sharply. So far, however, the real networking of these actors, especially between drones and ground vehicles, is still in its infancy. Mutual exploitation of this data requires further, powerful and secure innovations in sensor technology as well as data transmission, analysis and processing. Monetary exploitation of the data based on this has added value potential within a marketplace for mobility data (e.g., condition of infrastructures), but requires good concepts.

In AVIK (acronym for “automated ground-air intercommnunication in mobility for enhancing interaction and collaboration”), the automatic identification system for drones implemented in the predecessor project ADIS will be further developed into a unified, blockchain-based platform for the secure exchange of data from modern sensors (e.g., environmental data) between drones and vehicles. This will enable true interaction between mobility stakeholders and new use cases. Complementary, the monetization of mobility will be further considered in the context of a future market model for such data.

As part of a consortium of industry and scientific partners, the Blockchain Research Lab will contribute its economic and blockchain expertise to the research project about blockchain’s role in mobility data aggregation, availability and exchange.

Publications:

Report No. 11

Marktplatzkonzept für den Handel von Mobilitätsdaten und -informationen

Eine Forschungsarbeit im Rahmen des durch das Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr und mFUND geförderten Forschungsprojekts AVIK (Automatisierte Boden-Luft Vernetzung von Mobilitätsakteuren zur Verbesserung von Interaktion und Kollaboration)

Download

Report No. 10

Blockchain-Technologie-Anwendungen für AVIK

Stand der Forschung, Herleitung und Beschreibung relevanter Use Cases

Download

BRL Working Paper No. 32

A Bibliometric Review on Blockchain and UAVs 

Abstract: The convergence of blockchain technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has garnered significant academic attention due to its potential to enhance security, automation, and data management in UAV ecosystems. However, the rapid expansion of research in this domain necessitates a systematic analysis to delineate its intellectual structure and development trajectories. This study employs bibliometric techniques, specifically co-citation analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), to identify and analyze key research streams at the intersection of blockchain and UAV technologies. Based on a dataset of 340 peer-reviewed publications retrieved from Web of Science, the analysis reveals six distinct research streams: (I) privacy and security in the Internet of Drones (IoD), (II) implications of combining emerging technologies, (III) federated learning, (IV) resource and data management in IoT, (V) optimization, security, and applications in UAV-enabled mobile edge computing (MEC) systems, and (VI) blockchain-enabled data sharing and automation in the IoD. These findings highlight blockchain’s predominant role in securing UAV communication, optimizing resource management, and enabling decentralized automation. Despite these advancements, challenges related to scalability, computational efficiency, and interoperability persist, with limited empirical validation of proposed frameworks. This study provides a structured overview of the evolving research landscape, offering insights for future investigations and interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at addressing these challenges. By identifying underexplored areas and emerging trends, this research contributes to advancing the integration of blockchain and UAV technologies, ensuring their secure and efficient deployment across diverse applications.

Keywords: Blockchain; UAVs; drones; distributed ledger; bibliometrics; review

Download