SENATOR is a European project leveraging blockchain technology for urban planning policies to sustainable and secure last-mile operations, with the help of four distinct governance schemes, major urban issues can be tackled through decentralization and transparency.
SENATOR, or “Smart Network Operator Platform enabling Shared, Integrated and More Sustainable Urban Freight Logistics”, is a new project backed and funded by the European Commission, and an international consortium coordinated by Correos is working on it.
At its core, SENATOR will encompass a smart network operator supported by an ICT platform for integrated logistics operations. It enables full optimization of freight delivery services in urban areas, one of the more pressing topics in the European Union.
SENATOR’s approach will reduce the distance and number of freight delivery routes across urban areas. That should positively impact the provision for real-time information, planning, and predictions associated with these tasks.
“Jelurida participates in SENATOR as a collaborator of the company that won the public tender issued by Correos. Through this collaboration, Jelurida is making an important contribution to the project in the Blockchain.
Additionally, the SENATOR project connects freight delivery services and collection points to integrate freight delivery requirements into urban planning. Without such a solution, freight distribution often negatively impacts urban environments. A proactive approach will pave the way for agent collaboration and better solutions for all parties involved.
Powering the SENATOR solution is the Ardor blockchain, developed by Jelurida. That technology stack is essential as it offers bridging solutions to other blockchains. In addition, Ardor will help SENATOR to support the traceability of crucial transactions, such as freight interchanges between different logistic operators and cold chain variables traceability. The proof-of-concept phase will use one SENATOR Ardor Node to access the public Ardor blockchain and a centralized database connected to the Node. The Node handles data of every transaction sent from the SENATOR services.
Given the project’s real-world implications, transaction throughput and efficiency are crucial. Such scalability and flexibility are essential when dealing with real-world use cases, as services must always run optimally.
SENATOR also uses a digital identity solution dubbed SENATOR ID. It applies to individual users, entities (including IoT objects and vehicles), and legal persons. The multi-pronged approach enables SENATOR to respond to various present and future use cases.
A first trial of the SENATOR system will occur in Zaragoza, Spain, and Dublin, Ireland. Each region is home to an Urban Living Lab, enabling real-world testing of this new approach. Users in those regions can access the new services through a dedicated mobile application and Web-based interface. In addition, third-party platforms and developers can access these solutions through a native API.