What is the most efficient/effective way to transition an established non-blockchain solution to blockchain?
Full Stop’s innovative design can turn any standard stop sign into a SMART stop sign. Blinking LEDs allow for an approaching car to know the location of any other approaching car using high tech thermal imaging cameras. The cameras also record traffic incidents and near-misses to allow governments to study any high-risk areas with a plethora of dependable and accurate data.
“...we foresee in the future the possibility that (FullStop's) data might be used in legal cases where footage of an accident might be required.”
The information that is collected by the thermal imaging cameras and stored in the FullStop unit can be utilized in many ways, and we foresee in the future the possibility that this data might be used in legal cases where footage of an accident might be required. For this, and many other reasons, this data needs to be protected against tampering of any kind, and kept from being accessed by unauthorized parties.
Transitioning to SHA 256 Encryption
Initially our data collection software stored the video data generated by the thermal cameras in encrypted folders using a "Stacked file system encryption" provided by the operating system. However, we considered this solution to be insufficient due to the fact that our units can be installed in remote locations and needed an additional layer of security. The transition to a more robust system was complicated but necessary.
There are many benefits that come from utilizing Blockchain technology, but it doesn’t come without some pitfalls that need to be weighed. One of these challenges involves the trust that customers might place on a new technology due to the lack of understanding of how it works. There are also computational challenges that need to be addressed due to the scaling of computing power needed for a long term solution. The best approach for a transition towards a Blockchain solution is to weight in these challenges and make sure that the technology is good for your product, and not simply use it because it’s popular and marketable.
In order to offer the most reliable protection, all traffic data is stored by FullStop using Blockchain technology, which features a distributed database in which each block of data is stored with a timestamp and protected with SHA 256 Hash Encryption. This form of encryption was created by the United States National Security Agency in 2001 and is widely used today in other technologies, such as the bitcoin protocol that is built on the Blockchain. Customers are provided with the required key credentials that allow this data to be accessed and extracted from the unit safely, through a peer-to-peer connection.
To learn more about how FullStop collects and protects traffic data, read our light paper found on the bottom of the "About" page for details.