COMUNICATI
DGS announces the successful conclusion of BIAS project
The platform, based on Blockchain technology, is aimed at improving the sustainability of the agribusiness sector by ensuring the management and control of resources and production processes, sustainability and transparency along the entire supply chain.
DGS is pleased to announce the conclusion of BIAS – Blockchain enabled Intelligent Agricultural Services, a project for the development of a blockchain-based technology platform for traceability and certification of the agri-food supply chain, carried out in collaboration with partners 3a S.r.l. and Netvalue S.r.l. and the involvement of the Research Organizations: University of Genoa (DIBRIS) and Agrion Foundation.
Due to its high expertise on blockchain, DGS participated in the project as a coordinator and technology leader by providing its know-how for the development of the platform and the enhancement of high-level blockchain skills needed to interface with the agribusiness market.
The 24 month project concluded with the prototype release of the BIAS solution, a system aimed at improving the sustainability of the agribusiness sector through targeted design paths that combine the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) to ensure management and control of resources and production processes, sustainability and transparency throughout the supply chain.
The functionality of the BIAS platform
The BIAS platform was conceived, designed and implemented in prototype form as an integrated system aimed at the traceability of agri-food products and supporting the certification process of the entire supply chain.
The platform ensures the immutability of supply chain data through the use of next-generation DLT Distributed Ledger Technologies (Ethereum blockchain solution), which enable the unique and transparent (trusted) recording of cultivation, processing and packaging data of individual agri-food products to transmit details – processed, encrypted and stored – of their provenance and processing to the entire chain. The prototype uses both data from data entry from “human” operators in the involved supply chains and from sensors and field devices. The platform includes a smart labeling system, based on the association of QR and R-Fid codes to products and packaging for the association of product information.
In addition, the BIAS platform provides a system to support the certification process. On the one hand, the platform enables the preparation and notarization of information and documents required for certification, through the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)-based document storage solution. On the other hand, it supports notarization of information and documents following inspection visits by auditors and certifiers, through the use of back-office procedures with e-mail notification and confirmation of receipt.
Finally, the project platform includes an explainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) module (using Shallow Learing neural networks) to support so-called precision agriculture. Specifically, AI algorithms have been designed and implemented to predict crop water demand as accurately as possible to ensure optimal water levels and maximum crop yield.
The benefits of adopting blockchain technology
The adoption of Blockchain technology is a great opportunity for the digitization of the agrifood supply chain with the following prerogatives: less cost, less time wasted, less paperwork, more bureaucratic simplification.
The project ensures food safety, data integrity and transparency through the development of a platform based on blockchain technology; the latter plays a vital role in the traceability and certification of agri-food products through the monitoring of their life cycle.
The actors involved in using the platform are processing and packaging farms, certifying bodies, distributors and end consumers.
- To companies in the supply chain, the project provides a tool capable of guaranteeing the quality and origin of their products and providing support for managing the documentation required for certification processes.
- To certifying bodies, the BIAS system provides a service to support the certification process and gives a guarantee of immutability of the information shared.
- To distributors and end consumers, the platform transparently provides information guaranteeing the origin of product quality. Consumers, therefore, have the opportunity to verify all data about the product they are buying, making an informed choice, and are at the same time protected from the risk of food fraud.
Additional strengths include benefits in terms of: digitization of enterprises; increased efficiency and competitiveness within rural economies and agri-food districts; “unbureaucratization” of certification and document management procedures; interoperability between platforms; and sustainability of agricultural production.
The goals achieved with the BIAS project
The BIAS project enabled the design, implementation and validation of a platform for the traceability of the agribusiness supply chain and in support of its certification processes. Specifically, the adoption of the project platform provides support for:
- the digitization and tracking of agricultural processes;
- the process of verifying compliance with production specifications;
- the tracking and certification of water consumption data, on-field meteorological data, plant protection products and fertilizers used;
- the control of harvesting and industrial processing of products;
- the packaging process and the affixing of a smart label, containing product traceability information prior to its entry into the distribution circuit;
- the release of two web/mobile applications dedicated to distributors and end consumers, respectively, capable of providing product traceability information by reading the smart label. The BIAS project was funded by the Piedmont Region under the PRISM-E call for proposals, support for the implementation of industrial research and experimental development projects
The BIAS project was funded by the Piedmont Region under the PRISM-E call for proposals, support for the implementation of industrial research and experimental development projects.