Darabseh, M Q M A (2024) Construction assets management using BIM and blockchain: Managing design assets intellectual property. PhD thesis, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
Abstract
Blockchain is a remarkable technology for creating a new turf of digital products. Blockchain technology can preserve information online and create a trustless digital environment. These features made it attractive for construction researchers to bring such benefits to the industry to help it overcome its stagnant performance and information-related issues. This study joins these efforts to explore how Blockchain can be used to solve asset management issues. When the study started, a limited amount of literature was available. However, recent years showed a growth in the number of publications and the depth of investigation. The literature review identified the level of development in the research field and research gaps which was used to define the scope of the study.The study has two primary goals: (1) to establish a framework to implement Blockchain technology in construction and (2) to develop a customised solution to help manage design assets' intellectual property.Blockchain application development was explored through a set of demonstrations. Ethereum, a public Blockchain, and Hyperledger, an open-source Blockchain code infrastructure, were this study's main interests as Blockchain tools. The demonstrations helped establish an understanding of Blockchain terms, concepts and tools in order to use it in developing construction-specific applications. The study uses InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) as a supplementary technology to help overcome Blockchain limitations.The study proposes a reference model to visualise the different components tangled in the construction and Blockchain interactions. Then, a generic framework for developing Blockchain applications for the construction industry is presented. A solution for managing BIM designs with Blockchain was developed based on the knowledge gathered during the previous steps. The solution takes two paths to inspect the matter: (1) dynamic implementation and (2) static implementation. The dynamic implementation uses a logging system that broadcasts information regarding BIM model creation, modification and transfer to a Blockchain ledger. In contrast, the static implementation considers the privacy and uniqueness of models to create a static fingerprint for each IFC model and then store it in the Blockchain as a Non-fungible Token (NFT), which can act as an ownership certificate without exposing the model to the public. The study was limited due to the current development level of Blockchain technology within the construction industry.Blockchain maturity is evolving to make its use simpler and more efficient. However, it is still far from being a mainstream technology for general purposes and specific purposes like construction-related applications.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | da Silva Poças Martins, J P |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | asset management; blockchain; ownership; privacy |
| Index terms: | asset management, literature review, publication, level of development, intellectual property, privacy, blockchain, implementation, interaction, construction industry, ownership, investigation |
| Subjects: | asset management, professional ethics, behavioral psychology, contractual arrangements, research dissemination and communication, intellectual property, industry analysis, design practice, economics, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, computing systems |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Legal Issues, Procurement |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here