Exploring Blockchain for Disaster Prevention and Relief: A Comprehensive Framework Based on Industry Case Studies

Meteorological disasters frequently occur in China and around the world. These natural hazards can cause huge economic losses and threaten the personal safety of citizens. The public’s willingness to engage with disaster relief efforts and the degree of participation is critical to reduce the impact of such disasters. This study conducted a survey with 62,903 respondents from China. The study utilized statistical analysis and correlation analysis in order to understand the differences and similarities of the public’s willingness to take part in disaster relief across gender and age. The study found that: (1) the public’s awareness of insurance and willingness to make donations during climate disasters is low, and that more than half of the public are only willing to insure for very less money; (2) although the public has very high enthusiasm to participate in disaster relief, they are less willing to learn the basic skills of reducing disasters and for participating in training for disaster reduction as volunteers. This was especially the case for elderly citizens and females; (3) the willingness of the public to prevent and reduce disasters is high, and this was the case across various gender and age groups. Finally, the study puts forward several measures to improve the uptake of disaster relief and disaster prevention among citizens.

The convergence of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing is catalyzing a paradigm shift in developing secure, intelligent, and scalable digital infrastructures. This triad of technologies is increasingly utilized to improve performance, transparency, and trust in engineering-driven and socio-technical environments. This study systematically reviews the evolution, integration strategies, and applications of blockchain, AI, and cloud computing in digital ecosystems. The analysis is based on 108 peer-reviewed studies spanning the years 2012 to 2025. A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted to identify trends, synergies, and sector-specific implementations of these systems. The review explores how their integration supports real-world engineering and operational use cases. Blockchain contributes to decentralized architectures, secure data exchange, and identity verification. AI supports adaptive behavior, autonomous decision-making, and predictive analytics. Cloud computing offers the scalable infrastructure necessary for deployment. Key challenges addressed include interoperability, latency, security trade-offs, and resource allocation. Use cases in digital finance, supply chain management, and industrial automation demonstrate the effectiveness of this integration in building resilient, ethically aligned, and high-performance infrastructures. The findings offer valuable insights and technical considerations for engineers and architects seeking to design next-generation cyber-physical systems that are secure, intelligent, and socially responsive. Clinical Trial Number Not applicable. This article accentuates the extensive use of blockchain, cloud computing, and AI principles, emphasizing their crucial significance in the contemporary digital environment and paths in which blockchain technology may be employed to automate financial transactions, enhance the security of personal data and records, facilitate cross-border transactions, verify identities, execute smart contracts, utilize cryptocurrencies, and manage supply chains. This research systematically assesses the development and practical application of blockchain, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence technologies over the past decade. This study primarily focuses on monitoring the progress, practical applications, and benefits of blockchain technology in the context of financial transactions. This article probes the symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence, cloud and blockchain technology, analyzing the evolution and fundamental concepts of their integration from 2012 to 2025. This paper also presents a detailed analysis of 108 research works acquitted over the past decade. The study provides a comprehensive examination of the current state and fundamental principles related to the integration of artificial intelligence, cloud, and blockchain technology. This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the major obstacles confronted by blockchain technology, examining its wide-ranging applications over several industries and its socko role in transaction systems and the domain of cryptocurrencies.

With the development of economic globalization, international commercial disputes are increasing day by day, and international commercial mediation has gradually become an important part of the dispute resolution mechanism. At the same time, digital currency, which relies on blockchain technology, has brought unprecedented changes to international commercial exchanges and has been applied in many fields of international commercial affairs. However, there are difficulties in the application of blockchain in international commerce. At present, there is no relevant law to regulate the judicial use of blockchain, which brings risks to CNC security and personal privacy protection. Based on this, this paper aims to study the construction of a cross-border international commercial mediation mechanism based on blockchain technology. First, it analyzes the characteristics of blockchain and international commercial mediation and the advantages of international commercial mediation. Then, through a questionnaire survey of law students from three universities, the deficiencies of China’s International Commercial Mediation mechanism and the difficulties in the application of blockchain in International Commercial Mediation are understood. Finally, according to the survey results, suggestions on the construction of cross-border International Commercial Mediation mechanism based on blockchain technology are put forward. The investigation results show that the application of blockchain in international commercial mediation faces many legal problems, and current international commercial mediation lacks a unified law to regulate the use of blockchain, which will cause some complexity in the application of laws, jurisdiction, and other issues.

PurposeBlockchain technology has been labeled as the most disruptive technological innovation of the current decade due to its impact on almost every major industry. Based on privacy calculus theory and prior adoption literature on emerging technologies, this research investigates the impact of blockchain technology in the consumer technology segment. It elaborated on the mechanism through which blockchain technology influences users’ willingness to share information with technology products enabled by blockchain.Design/methodology/approachTaking a heterogeneous pool of users, this study conducted multiple experiments with the application of blockchain (vs. regular database) technology to high (vs. low) sensitive data to study the impact of blockchain perception on users’ information-sharing tendencies.FindingsThrough a mediated moderation analysis, the result shows that the use of blockchain technology enhances the sense of security among users. However, the impact of this heightened sense of security only develops a higher willingness to share information when the data is highly sensitive.Practical implicationsThe research reflects on the perception of blockchain technology and the leading impact on willingness to share information with firms. This could be a critical criterion for determining investment in blockchain technologies for consumer products, particularly based on the sensitivity of the data the consumer is sharing.Originality/valueThis research focuses on the perception of blockchain technology among consumers and its impact on consumers’ decision-making related to their data sharing. People have a higher sense of safety when it comes to blockchain-enabled products. However, we find that it would not be the same for all contexts, and the sensitivity of the data collected would have an impact on this relationship and consumers’ data-sharing decisions.

Autonomous driving (AD) promises to disrupt current process management practices in the automotive industry, as processes now have to fulfill increasing requirements for safety, quality and liability. This paradigm change especially manifests itself among electrical system suppliers, as the electrical components transmit the vehicle's energy and communication flow, determining safety critical functions in the vehicle such as steering and braking. In this research, we conducted a multiple embedded case study in the electrical supplier industry in order to derive current challenges as well as future requirements for production processes of safety critical products in the age of autonomous driving. Our data suggest, that the established manufacturing process and practices are unable to fulfill the increasing need for digital continuity, transparency and documentation. To overcome those barriers, we propose a blockchain (BC) and Internet of Things (IoT) enabled traceability system. Through the application of BC, processes can be interconnected, tracked and audited, achieving higher security, liability and quality. This is the first paper, which investigates manufacturing of electrical systems for self-driving vehicles as a suitable use case for BC application.

Analysts and professionals keep on drawing fluctuated interests in blockchain (BC) technology. The idea has- some key highlights, for example, decentralization, dependability, security, and information veracity. In any case, even with the developing interest, much more has to be done concerning the current state of knowledge and practice in relation to the use of BC technology in education. Accordingly, this study presents a review of the current investigations on BC-based learning applications in the education sector. This paper has focused on three major themes: learning applications that have been made using BC technology, the contribution and merits of blockchain technology to the education sector, and the problems experienced while integrating BC technology in the education sector. A concentrated conversation is introduced as well as a complete outcome examination of each topic. This paper also highlights the key areas of the education sector which tend to benefit from the application of Blockchain technology.KeywordsBlockchain technologyDevelopmentEducation sector

PurposeBlockchain is increasingly being considered for applications in operations and supply chain management. However, evidence from practice is still scarce on why, where and how organizations seek to apply the technology in the supply chain across different industries. The study develops a comprehensive framework to enhance understanding of the application areas of blockchain technology in the supply chain, as well as organizations' motivations in seeking blockchain solutions and relevant contingency factors influencing applications.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate 50 use cases of blockchain applications in the supply chain, covering six industries. Contingency theory is applied in conducting a qualitative textual and correlation analysis to identify and compare blockchain adoption motivations, application areas and contingency factors across different industries.FindingsThe analysis develops an evidence-based framework that captures ten principal motivations in seeking blockchain solutions, three main blockchain application areas along with important application sub-categories and five clusters of contingency factors that influence blockchain deployment and its uses in different industrial sectors.Research limitations/implicationsThe study expands the limited cross-sectoral research on blockchain applications and motivations in the supply chain. Using contingency theory, it presents a comprehensive framework that captures the drivers and factors relating to blockchain adoption in the supply chain in a nomological network. The study lays the foundation for further theoretical perspectives and empirical research to investigate relevant sectoral characteristics and their importance for different types of blockchain application in the supply chain.Practical implicationsThe study informs practitioners about potential supply chain application areas that can be enhanced through blockchain technology, taking account of the specific characteristics of their products, business and manufacturing processes, supply network configurations, industry standards, regulations and market demand.Originality/valueThe study is the first to provide cross-sectoral evidence on the relevance of organizations' motivations and numerous contingency factors on blockchain application areas in the supply chain.

Rather than simply watch horrific events unfold, many citizens do everything in their power—immediately— to help; they seek outlets for their energy. Organizations that use citizen assistance, while grateful, often find the outpouring difficult to manage. This article describes a positive experience with the American Red Cross (ARC) as a citizen-turned-volunteer. It notes observations about the organization’s management of volunteers during a two-week deployment at regional headquarters in late November 2005 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where disaster relief for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, combined into one disaster relief effort, was scaling down. The volunteer experience was positive because ARC was well organized and catered to expectations. ARC proved to be the natural choice for a volunteer outlet. The ARC can be considered a giant conduit for training, turning bystanders into volunteers and deploying them quickly to disaster relief in the field at little expense.

Chapter 6 - Applications of blockchain in smart cities: detecting fake documents from land records using blockchain technology

This study investigated the possibility of applying blockchain technology to Islamic financial engineering products in Saudi Islamic banks, focusing on the case study of Al Rajhi Bank. It aimed to study and evaluate the feasibility and possibilities of applying Blockchain technology to Islamic financial engineering products in Saudi Islamic banks. It also sought to identify the challenges and potential benefits of this application, as it clarified what Blockchain technology is and its most important features, which include increasing transparency, security, and efficiency in conducting finance transactions. Islamic financial engineering and its various most important products based on blockchain technology were also reviewed. This study used a qualitative analytical approach by collecting data from relevant books, magazines, and studies and qualitatively analyzing the content of documents related to blockchain technology at Al Rajhi Bank. This study reached several results; The possibility of using Blockchain technology in developing and implementing Islamic financial engineering products in Saudi banks achieves transparency and security of transactions and reduces operational costs. Al Rajhi Bank achieved positive results when applying the initial basics of Blockchain technology in some of its Islamic products, such as financing. Real estate and international money transfers, reducing operational risks, fraud, human errors, and operational costs in the long term. The study also recommended establishing a specialized work team to develop and implement Blockchain applications in Islamic financial products, including experts in Islamic financial engineering, Blockchain technology, and banking systems, coordinating with regulatory and supervisory bodies to ensure legislative and Sharia compatibility, and conducting further research on the Sharia and regulatory aspects of Blockchain application in this field.

Lessons learned from deploying crowdsourced technology for disaster relief during Kerala floods

The signing of electronic contracts and the certification of important documents are realized by utilizing blockchain, identity-based cryptography and electronic signature technology. Blockchain technology can realize the data distributed ledgers through the entire system nodes, the whole processes, and the entire transactions. Identity-based cryptography and electronic signature technology can achieve data integrity, privacy, and nonrepudiation. All data is shared by all participating nodes, the information in the cyberspace is more transparent, and the behavior is more traceable. A complete and compliant contract signing process and data certification is achieved.

Biological weapons are not just topics for contemporary novelists but found their way into classical literature long ago. Shakespeare has Hamlet's father's ghost describe, ‘Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, with juice of cursed hebona in a vial, and in the porches of my ears did pour the leprous distillment.’ (Act 1, Scene 5) Indeed, neither the act nor the accusation is new. Jews in Europe were accused of poisoning wells to cause plague in the Middle Ages. Japanese planes in World War II dropped plague‐infested fleas over Chinese cities and villages. Murder or terrorism with biological or chemical agents is not a far‐fetched scenario—it has been used before. Criminal cases in the USA include various uses of biological agents in the last decades. The Rajneesh Foundation used Salmonella bacteria in 1984 to poison ten restaurant salad bars in the city of The Dalles, OR, hoping it would influence an election in its favour. A separatist group calling itself ‘Republic of Texas’ used Botulinum , HIV and rabies in 1998 and 1999 to threaten judges. Three members were later charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and the eldest, Johnnie Wise, was sentenced to 24 years in prison. In 1977, Diane Thompson, a nurse from Texas, was sentenced to 20 years for intentionally contaminating doughnuts with Shigella dysenteriae in order to achieve personal revenge. > In 1998 and 1999, a separatist group from Texas used Botulinum, HIV and rabies to threaten judges The particular risk of biological agents, when used as weapons, is their extreme uncontrollableness. An infectious agent can easily spread from the original victim to relatives or colleagues. Particularly at risk are the medical personnel who treat victims without knowing what kind of infection they are dealing with. More unpredictable are the number of people and …

Frequent and severe disasters continue to expose weaknesses in the coordination and responsiveness of humanitarian logistics systems, particularly in developing countries such as Tanzania. Despite the growing recognition that collaboration among humanitarian actors is vital for effective relief operations, empirical evidence linking logistics collaboration to disaster resilience remains limited. This study investigates the influence of logistics collaboration on resilient disaster relief operations in Tanzania, emphasising the role of coordinated efforts among humanitarian actors. The study adopts a positivist philosophy and employs an explanatory research design. Data were collected from humanitarian practitioners across Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, and Kigoma using questionnaires and interviews. Guided by Stakeholder Theory and Resource Orchestration Theory, the study used Slovin's formula to select a sample of 192 respondents from a population of 369. Data were analysed using SPSS version 27, applying both quantitative and qualitative methods through a multiple linear regression model. Logistics collaboration positively and significantly influences resilient disaster relief operations. All six logistics collaboration variables (LOC1-LOC6) show statistically significant effects (p = 0.000), with an R-squared of 0.77 and an adjusted R-squared of 0.75. The strongest predictor is joint planning and coordination (LOC1, β = 0.417), followed by shared resources and mutual trust (LOC4, β = 0.329) and collaborative decision-making (LOC2, β = 0.312). Lower yet significant effects were observed for information sharing and response alignment (LOC5-LOC6). The findings provide actionable strategies for humanitarian organisations to prioritise collaboration mechanisms that enhance operational resilience during disasters. Enhanced collaboration in logistics contributes to faster and more coordinated disaster response, reducing human suffering and improving community recovery. Future studies could use broader samples and longitudinal designs. This study is among the first to apply stakeholder and RO theories in humanitarian logistics collaboration, offering robust empirical insights into resilience-building strategies.

Given the advent of high-speed computing capabilities and the widespread accessibility of data, blockchain technology (BCT) has emerged as a highly promising and transformative innovation, particularly in the realm of food supply chain management. This technology has garnered considerable interest from global researchers, as evidenced by the exponential growth in scholarly publications focused on this topic over the past few years. This narrative review offers a critical evaluation of the multifaceted applications of blockchain technology within the food supply chain (FSC) through a comprehensive examination and analysis of existing literature. In addition to providing an overview of the application of blockchain in FSCs, this study also identifies areas or challenges where its potential remains underutilized and suggests the future development direction. This not only helps us fully understand the current status of blockchain in the food supply chain, but also provides a reference for exploring the broader potential applications of blockchain in shaping the future food supply chain.