Chatbot for construction firms using scalable blockchain network

【Author】 Adel, Kareem; Elhakeem, Ahmed; Marzouk, Mohamed

【Source】AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION

【影响因子】10.517

【Abstract】Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), including multimedia tools, email services, voice-based tools, and handheld computing tools, have been extensively used for automating and digitalizing different construction processes and activities. However, these technologies are subjected to single-point attacks or failures, manipulation, and lack of privacy and traceability. This study introduces a novel information exchange and management system for construction firms based on blockchain technology and chatbots. The system leverages the characteristics of blockchain technology in terms of peer-to-peer operation mode, data integrity, structuring, and privacy, and the chatbots' merits regarding ease of use and degree of automation. The system is developed for tracking work progress in construction projects as a generic use-case using a four-step approach. First, a private blockchain network is configured for data distribution and storage. Second, a smart contract is coded for regulating data writing/reading operations. Third, a chatbot is developed for data collection and retrieval through textual conversations. Fourth, serverless cloud function and cloudant database are configured to allow the linkage between the blockchain network and the chatbot. A prototype of the system is built and applied to a case study of non-residential construction project to test and verify its capabilities. Further, the system's performance is assessed in terms of the writing and reading latencies and the storage size. The system features can be extended by embedding mathematical algorithms to simultaneously analyze data and employing Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS) to maintain visuals and large-size data.

【Keywords】Information management systems; Blockchain network; Chatbot; Serverless computing; Smart contracts

【发表时间】2022 SEP

【收录时间】2022-07-10

【文献类型】理论性文章

【主题类别】

区块链应用-实体经济-建筑领域