Reno launches the first ever municipal blockchain app to track public transactions

Much has been said in the last week about the ongoing meltdown of cryptocurrencies, driven by uncertain economic prospects and rapidly rising inflation. Over the past seven months, for example, Bitcoin has fallen to $ 21,000 from a high of $ 64,000. But while the crypto markets may be in retreat at least for the time being, the underlying technology underlying the digital currency boom is steadily marching and move forward – with practical applications for local authorities.

In 2017, for example, Cook County, Illinois began experimenting with the real world blockchain, the technological basis for transaction tracking of all cryptocurrencies, as a means of transferring and tracking real estate titles and other public records, based on previous reporting of American City & County (AC&C). In a 2018 report from the Illinois County Bureau of Technology, the board explained its reasons for implementing the pilot project: “Blockchains are in themselves resistant to data modification; once registered, the data in a block cannot be changed retroactively. This increases security. ”

And in Austin, Texas, homeless people are able to get a digital identity stored via blockchain, so they do not have to carry a physical identification card, according to Lena Geraghty, director of innovation and sustainability at National League of Cities (NLC) Center for Urban Solutions and author of the recent report “Cities and the Meta Verse.” Geraghty has previously spoken to AC&C about the report’s findings.

Most recently, Reno, Nevada launched the United States’ first resident-driven blockchain app that creates “a single ledger, documenting subsequent transactions in a specific process,” according to a statement from the city about the project. The app, called The Biggest Little Blockchain, is built on BlockApps’ blockchain platform, STRATO. The data is visible to anyone who has the app.

“When the technology is launched later this summer, the public and all relevant city departments will be able to access the same record through an online platform, which provides clarity and transparency,” the statement said.

Like Cook County, Reno cited the robust digital security capabilities of blockchain as the driving force behind the decision to test the technology in a real environment: “Blockchain technology creates and stores records that cannot be lost or changed, giving increased public accountability to the public. , it says in the statement.

The city’s historical register will be the first department to document its records via the app. Once rolled out and up and running, landowners and developers can request “Certificates of Appropriateness” – a necessary step to make changes to buildings in the historical register – via the app. They can then track the status of these changes with one click.

A useful feature for public users is the app’s “smart contracts” or “programmable logic that ensures that all requirements are met and the necessary information is provided to continue through the defined process,” the statement said. If all goes well, other services are expected to follow; the blockchain app is expected to be used eventually for tracking regular maintenance, permits and licensing, among other services.

Allowing open access to this data makes available a previously impossible level of transparency while keeping everything secure. Each transaction record is documented in a “block”; together, the subsequent transactions – or “blocks” – in a given process constitute the “chain”. Once the blocks are created, can not be changed in any way, an important function that ensures accountability.

In particular, unlike cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology is not harmful to the environment.

“I am pleased that the largest small blockchain chain is demonstrating the benefits of blockchain technology to all residents of Reno,” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement on the initiative. “Citizens deserve openness and accountability from their government, and this new pilot project gives all residents of Reno easy access to information, and how appropriate that we start with the historic buildings that are the heart and soul of our community.”