EY and City of Vienna collaborate on public blockchain networks

- Networks developed by City of Vienna and EY to facilitate transparency, efficiency and security of government data across the city

- Blockchains are key element of Vienna's digitalization initiative

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Aug 01, 2018, 05:00 ET

LONDON, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today announced it has been working with the City of Vienna on public blockchains to validate and secure the city's Open Government Data (OGD), which includes data such as public transport routes, train schedules and surrounding communities' voting results.

The project is part of the city's digitalization initiative called "DigitalCity.Wien." Vienna is using the blockchains to simplify and automate administrative processes, especially for OGD such as energy reports and valid business registrations, which must be updated frequently. In addition, the blockchain networks are helping to improve the data security of this information.

Since the solution went live in December 2017, approximately 350 datasets have been secured on the blockchain networks. One of the first to be launched in Europe, the networks secure official documents by storing hashtags of the data sets on the public blockchains, allowing city employees as well as citizens to review the documents' authenticity, when they were created, and when and if the data was modified.

Ulrike Huemer, CIO, city of Vienna, says:

"This project, realized with the support of EY, makes the city a pioneer in the implementation of blockchains in public administration and we are committed to an open and participatory city with reduced bureaucracy. With blockchain, government employees, residents or app developers can trace changes in data, so if someone changes the bus route – which is linked to mapping applications – an alert can be triggered. We will continue teaming with experienced professionals such as EY to pool knowledge and establish Vienna as a center of competence for blockchain – as well as one of the most forward-looking technology cities in Europe and worldwide."

Paul Brody, EY Global Innovation Leader, Blockchain, says:

"When we think about the most useful applications for blockchain technology, increasing transparency is near the top of the list. From a foundation of transparent, reliable information, we can build all kinds of value add, analytics and insights, but it all starts with trustworthy information. We're very proud to be working with the City of Vienna in this journey."

Blockchain technology, on which digital currencies such as bitcoin are based, can be used for a wide variety of applications, such as tracking ownership or the provenance of digital documents, digital assets, physical assets or voting rights.

Brigitte Lutz, Project Manager, City of Vienna, says:

"For now, we are only notarizing documents from Vienna on the public blockchains, but we will expand this further to all data of the Austrian Open Government Data portal . Going forward, we anticipate that IT companies and the City of Vienna could collaborate to promote Vienna as a smart city and a hotspot for digital industries." The platform was built over a period of four months by developers from the city of Vienna. EY supervised and helped to manage the project, and integrated the blockchain networks into the municipal Open Government platform

Jonas Jünger, EY Project Manager and Blockchain Lead, Advisory, Ernst & Young Global Limited, Austria, says:

"The EY Austria Advisory blockchain team is already working in several industries such as energy, banking and financial services. For this pioneering innovative project in public administration, we collaborated with the EY network of experienced blockchain professionals and will continue to further expand our work with the city of Vienna."

EY has announced its work in blockchain for content rights and royalties management; the world's first marine insurance blockchain platform; and a suite of blockchain audit technologies that enhances the ability to perform an in-depth review of cryptocurrency business transactions.