Serverless Blockchain-Enabled Architecture for IoT Societal Applications

IoT-enabled applications, such as cloud manufacturing, guided water quality or air quality analysis, energy-conscious societal applications, and smart agricultural economics, are designed using a blend of high-end computing technologies, such as cloud, edge, and fog. Smart cities and governmental authorities keep a keen eye out for implementing IoT applications in an automated/decentralized approach with enhanced security measures so that tens of thousands of users, including entrepreneurs, are benefited. Existing IoT architectures are prone to energy inefficiency or resource underutilization problems due to the avoidance of apt technologies, such as serverless computing. This article proposes to set forth a serverless blockchain-enabled IoT architecture for societal applications. It explores the existing IoT architectures and pinpoints the advantages of applying serverless blockchains on IoT architectures. In addition, the proposed IoT architecture is illustrated with a specific use case of IoT societal applications namely air quality monitoring for smart cities (AQMS). This article discloses how air quality sensor data from defective industries were securely transacted to blockchain networks surpassing from the three levels of computing namely edge, fog, and cloud while utilizing serverless and server-oriented functions. In addition, this article exposes a list of the most potent serverless functions that assist AQMS IoT societal applications in detail. The IoT architecture, discussed in this article, will enable innovations and research works for IoT developers and researchers.