Purpose and Challenges

Within this lesson you will learn the purpose and challenges OriginTrail faces within the supply chain sector. While we use supply chains as the base example for this course, it is important to understand that the OriginTrail technology stack can be applied to any industry where data is generated.

What is OriginTrail?

OriginTrail links together two powerful technologies — blockchains, most widely known to underpin cryptocurrencies, and knowledge graphs, the intelligent data management component driving data platforms like Google, Amazon and Facebook. Launched in late 2018, the OriginTrail Decentralized Knowledge Graph (ODN) is supported by an open network of over 2000 nodes hosted by both individuals and businesses globally. It has seen its initial use in enabling discoverability and verifiability of real world assets in Web3.

Supply Chain as an Example

If you take a quick look around your office or home, there is a very high probability that most of the objects surrounding you came through some form of regional, national or global supply chain. The fact that you have very little information with regards to how those products made their way to you is just one of the signs that supply chains are facing more pressure to be transparent. And most of those issues boil down to a very limited ability to share data along the entire supply chain.

OriginTrail changes that with a decentralized protocol that is tailor made for sharing supply chain data based on blockchain. This brings a profound new way of building transparency in supply chains. OriginTrail uses Blockchain and builds on well established industry standards from GS1 and provides a necessary foundation to build new value - increased trust, optimized supply chain efficiencies, automated compliance and enforce quality assurance processes.

Using OriginTrail, all stakeholders can securely share their data and keep sensitive data fully encrypted at all times. By supporting global standards for data exchange (GS1, IoT, compliance standards), OriginTrail assures compatibility with existing ERP systems, making implementation process quick and efficient. Finally, it is fully decentralized. It removes the possibility of collusion and introduces full accountability for the data provided.

OriginTrail is not a company - it is an ecosystem. It’s based on a token economy with direct relations between users and network nodes free of arbitrary fees. Contribution to the OriginTrail ecosystem is a pledge towards more transparent, collaborative, fair and trusted supply chains.