The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has reported on a recent project examining the potential for the new blockchain technology to be used to deliver Government services.
Announcing its project, DTA said blockchain was a technology that connected participants to provide an authoritative record of their data and transactions. It also showed if the record had been tampered with.
DTA said it had undertaken work to discover whether blockchain had the potential to securely share and exchange information across Government.
“We brought together a cross-agency team which researched how blockchain is being used around the world in public and private sectors,” the Agency said.
“It also looked at existing case studies from Australian Government agencies.
“Our team found that blockchain is still an emerging technology and, when applied to various pilots or considered against alternative technologies, gaps become evident across both the technical and business facets of its implementation.”
DTA recommended as a result that Agencies considering technical solutions focus on addressing the needs of users and explore solutions to meet that need.
“This should not stop agencies searching for innovative ways to share and use data,” DTA said, noting there was guidance based on a recent paper from the United States National Institute for Standards and Technology.
“We also provide guidance for Agencies who are looking at blockchain as a solution.”
DTA’s advice to Departments and Agencies considering using blockchain can be accessed on the DTA website at this PS News link.
