The city of Antwerp is committed to new digital technologies in order to optimise its services. Blockchain and other distributed ledgers also form part of this process. We have started a number of concrete projects during recent months, within which this technology plays a prominent role. A brief overview ...

A digital talent profile for maximum development

Children collect diplomas, certificates, special skills and so on in school. But they also go to youth movements, exert themselves in sports clubs, shine on stage, complete work experience projects, partake in voluntary work and a great deal more.

The city is using the digital talent profile, which we have developed together with Juru, to collect all the children’s talents and passions. This allows us to advertise them beyond the organisations and associations’ boundaries and ensures those supervising the children can stimulate them even more by playing to their strengths. This digital tool’s underlying technology is blockchain, used to enforce the concept of self-sovereign identity based on claim, proof and attestation. They are always given a unique and unalterable timestamp. Children can therefore make their own decisions as to who they would like to share which talents with and for how long.

The digital talent profile will be implemented in a number of schools within Kiel this academic year as a pilot project, within the context of A’REA 2020. A’REA 2020’s global ambition is for children to be able to progress onto a professional career, based on their talents and passions. This talent profile needs to help realise this by supporting children’s orientation to study courses and jobs. If successful, the city will roll out the talent profile to all schools across the city.

Privacy engine

The protection of privacy-sensitive data is becoming increasingly important as a result of the digitisation of services. The City of Antwerp therefore deals with this with the utmost caution.

Our ACPaaS Privacy engine, which we have developed together with our partners NSX and Juru, uses blockchain technology. It’s an innovative concept, whereby the engine functions as a gateway or middleware and subsequently protects all privacy-sensitive services and data. All access to privacy sensitive data is checked and assessed, after which a decision is reached as to whether the application or user may access certain data or services, plus a log is maintained of when, by whom and why the data or service has been requested.

The Privacy engine ensures all privacy rules are respected and that applications satisfy the GDPR regulations. If a citizen grants his permission (i.e. consent), blockchain will guarantee the unaltered and irrefutable consent for the use of this data until the citizen withdraws his consent. This is also guaranteed by blockchain technology. 

Blockchain on the Move: you control your own digital identity

Blockchain could be one of the building blocks for solving a number of tricky issues regarding identity, privacy and online transactions. But is that actually true? And is the technology mature enough to get started on this? And if so, which solution would be best?

The City of Antwerp is trying - in co-creation with Digipolis, the Flemish Government organizations Information Flanders and Facility Company and the Flemish ICT organisation (V-ICT-OR) - to find the answer to these questions via the ‘Blockchain on the Move’ project. The project’s biggest challenge is to give the citizen control of his data by giving him a digital identity on blockchain. We will be working on this with our partner Jolocom during the first phase of the project.

‘Blockchain on the Move’ also aims to set up a digital safe for citizens in a second phase. We will use the registration of relocation data as a pilot or first use case. The aimis to simplify the complex administrative relocation process for those who are moving. He will no longer have to complete all the formalities himself, but can, with his 'self-managed identity', inform all parties concerned of his move without the government as intermediary.

Smart Procurement tool: innovative purchasing procedure supported by blockchain

We are striving to optimally frame our innovative purchasing procedure and to thereby create a fast and attractive user experience for everyone.

That’s why we would like to support the process, which is currently still being managed in Public Procurement, the federal government’s e-platform, with a more appropriate, intuitive and future-proof tool. We are developing a blockchain-based application together with our partner BallistiX, which will allow for a simple publication of a quotation request and submission and opening of quotations. Blockchain thereby guarantees the irrefutability in every step of the procurement process, as everything will be recorded in a transparent and irrefutable manner.

Circular South: a reward system on blockchain

The Circular South project will be organising experiments in the Antwerp district of Nieuw Zuid (New South), in order to stimulate circular economy in people’s daily lives. Circular economy will put as much focus as possible on the efficient use of local energy and on reusing raw materials and end products. The partners in this project want to encourage residents to make their behaviour as circular as possible.

The project partners are installing a technical infrastructure (solar panels, batteries, smart meters and an online dashboard) in order to realise this, plus they’ll be organising various different experiments (group challenges, nudges, savings campaigns, ...). A smart reward system, based on blockchain technology, should allow the district’s residents to share in the system’s revenues, in proportion to their participation with the experiments.

This is how we are going to create a market which will reward circular behaviour with an own crypto currency, which will be linked to a smart contract. The smart contract will provide transparent and irrefutable proof that you’re entitled to those crypto coins.

The assignment will be awarded in December.