HIDALS: A Hybrid IoT-based Decentralized Application for Logistics and Supply Chain Management

In today's logistics processes, inter-organizational delivery services with strict end-to-end service level agreements lack transparent and trustful mechanisms to keep track of deliveries beyond organizational limits. Clearly traceable responsibility based on ownership without the possibility to circumvent penalties for violations of SLAs based on end-to end monitoring is needed. In this paper, we propose to let all organizations that are involved in the delivery of high value parcels mutually confirm handovers between organizations via a common distributed ledger. Smart sensors within parcels are used to immutably log violations of end-to-end service level agreements that are difficult to be detected by a visual check of the packaging during a handover. This concept of an inter-organizational distributed tracking system does not only increase transparency but it enables logistics organizations to rely on shared information when it comes to conflicts with respect to inter-organizational deliveries. The proposed approach offers more fine grain and holistic monitoring results than previously proposed concepts involving distributed ledgers and smart sensors.