Distributed System Infrastructure in the Next-Generation Mobility Ecosystem

The project titled "Distributed System Infrastructure in the Next-Generation Mobility Ecosystem" has been awarded support within the scope of the TUBITAK Excellence Center Support Program (1004) named as İLATERA: Environmentally Compatible Sustainable Advanced Vehicle Technologies Platform in 2023. The project is conducted by the ITU Advanced Vehicle Technologies Application and Research Center (ITU ILATAM).

In a project led by Prof. Dr. Ilhan Kocaarslan from Istanbul Technical University Control and Automation Engineering Department, along with their research team, a blockchain-based digital platform is being developed to manage the digital identities of vehicles and spare parts within the mobility ecosystem. Through the developed platform, the supply chain for spare parts, integration with predictive maintenance, insurance services, ownership, and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) services will be trackable, verifiable, and manageable through digital identities and smart contracts.

The distributed system infrastructure planned to be developed for the mobility ecosystem aims to create a digital twin for next-generation vehicles, enabling end-to-end tracking of vehicles through transparent and immutable records. The mobility environment has rapidly evolved in recent years with the emergence of continuously applied innovative transportation solutions and the increasing number of vehicles, leading to challenges in integration, synchronization, security, transparency, and traceability. Blockchain enhances the feasibility of essential mobility ecosystem data, creating a low-friction environment. The blockchain-based digital platform to be developed will ensure the comprehensive, secure, integrated, and transparent structure of the mobility ecosystem. The project will establish technical infrastructure to enable service providers to offer integrated mobility and value-added services.

The development of the Distributed System Infrastructure in the Next-Generation Mobility Ecosystem includes the research, analysis, and elevation of the decentralized identifier (DID) solution using blockchain technology from THS level 3 to 6. DID is fundamental to new-generation internet services designed to work without central records or certificate authorities, securing the identities of assets and devices in today's internet. The DID structure to be developed will make data sharing among participants such as vehicles, factories, and partners secure and traceable. Within the scope of the project, the mobility ecosystem technologies that the blockchain-based digital platform focuses on including, insurance, predictive maintenance, supply chain, ownership transfer, and vehicle to everything (V2X) Services.

The project team includes Asst. Prof. Dr. M. Alparslan Zehir from Marmara University Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kucuktezcan and Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Onur Gulbahce from Istanbul Technical University Electrical Engineering Department and Asst. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Gundogdu from Istanbul Technical University Energy Institute.