Our Solution

"Digitizing the paper trails of wood processing operations in the Amazon region and put it on a public blockchain."

In 2018 SDC launched WTP, a project which conducted a proof of concept as well as an IT prototype to demonstrate how a combination of features provided by mobile devices (such as smart phones and tablets) and blockchain technology can support traceability of wood in the Peruvian Amazon region.
WTP comprises an application to gather forest relevant data (user information) and a platform which manages and processes data generated by the application.
WTP user information may be the geographical parameters of a logging licences, data on the species or size of a tree to be logged or a picture embedded with timestamp and GPS data showing an operation along the wood processing chain.
Users of the application connect to the WTP Platform where ID validation via phone number verification takes place.
Once the user is validated by WTP he is granted access to the blockchain gateway where its information is send to the blockchain network.
This is how the application allows its users to document their work (using Photo, GPS and other features on a mobile device) and to store this information in a sequenced and tamper proofed way on a blockchain.

The project complements real world tracking by associating a unique digital history, in particular GPS route and time, to one tree or to one load of wood. This is how WTP may lower the risk that the same tree or load of wood "does not triple" along the paper trail.

blockchainWTP

The overall objective of our engagement is to improve the transparency and traceability in the Amazon region by combining the benefits of blockchain technology with the capacities of today’s mobile devices.

Linking data gathering tools with other technologies applied in forest initiatives could lead to a win-win situation for the Amazon.

The current planning foresees that WTP digitizes parts of the traditional paper trails and allows for the automatization of certain procedures. Ultimately, WTP aims at a decentralization of procedural responsibilities enabled by a computer protocol.
This could be a way to effectively fight the collusion of public and private actors in the wood processing chain.

Another aspect crucial for our engagement is to ensure that WTP will maintain a certain flexibility in order to accommodate future developments. WTP will be developed open source – that means that the software used is open to further stakeholder. Linking data gathering tools, such as WTP, with other technologies applied in forest initiatives, such as image processing or satellite remote sensing monitoring could lead to a win-win situation for the Amazon and their communities.