China Unveils Blockchain-Based Smart City Identification System

In an effort to boost connectivity and data sharing between cities, China has launched an independently-developed, blockchain-based smart city identification system, the Global Times Reports.

The system was jointly developed by three institutes in the city of Shijiazhuang and cities across the Middle Kingdom can now apply for their own, globally-unique, city identification code.

Zhang Chao, director of the Zhongguancun Industry & Information Research Institute of Two-dimensional Code Technology, one of the developers of the system, said that the platform was developed completely in China and that it “will be independently distributed and managed by China, with a unified distribution rule, a resolution of distributed storage and tamper-resistant code.”

China began smart city construction three years ago amidst increased internal migration. “There was no unified code for industries and departments in today’s rapid development of the internet and emerging information technology,” said He Kejia, Vice President of the China Research Society of Urban Development, adding that it had caused “problems of data interoperability and application incompatibility.”

Areas that are closely related to city management are under pressure, including education, medical care, urban water supply and drainage, sewage treatment, gas supply, transportation and environmental protection. Therefore, the construction and development levels of cities must be improved to better meet such development needs.

The nation is hoping to build over 100 smart cities by 2020.

Photo: Max Braun