Newswise — In construction engineering and management (CEM), blockchain offers advantages like data transparency and immutability, and is used in internal administration, secure payments, and IoT/BIM integration. However, its blockchain-based data management processes (DMP) visualization is underdeveloped—construction practitioners lack blockchain expertise, and poor visualization causes confusion, hindering blockchain adoption.
A team from The University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University conducted the study “Visualizing blockchain in construction projects: Status quo, challenges, and a guideline for implementation” to address this.
Using a four-step approach: a conceptual model guided design; a PRISMA-standard literature search (2008–2023) selected 49 journal articles; key data was extracted; and a Hong Kong modular integrated construction (MiC) project validated the guidelines.
Findings showed: Hyperledger Fabric (34 cases) was the top blockchain platform, permissioned blockchains were preferred; quality/payment records were main data inputs; dashboards/explorers were common visualization tools. Four challenges emerged: data diversity, no tool/medium selection guidelines, unclear visualization domains.
A five-step guideline was developed: target the visualization domain, plan blockchain visualization (via multicriteria decision matrix), choose a tool (point-based scoring), select a medium, fine-tune via user feedback.
Tested in the MiC project, the guideline enhanced trust and bridged practitioner-developer gaps, though users suggested reducing selection time and adding medium explanations.
The research has theoretical (outlining status, challenges, guidelines) and practical (promoting collaboration, streamlining decisions) value. Limitations include single-case validation; future research should test more scenarios.
The paper is by Liupengfei WU, Weisheng LU, Louis CHU, Chen CHEN, with open access at https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-024-4034-6 and journal.hep.com.cn