Human-data interaction (HDI) and blockchain: an exploration of the open research challenges for the construction community

Abstract

Challenges for human-data interaction (HDI) have not yet been contextualized within blockchain implementation in construction. In this positional paper, a focus group accepts the EC3 HDI Committee’s working definition of construction specific HDI, and identifies technical (immutability, data storage, transparency, system design, integrating technologies), non-technical (ethics, economic models, environmental, political, social), and overlapping (governance, data usage, data analysis, and data control) factors to be considered in the intersection of HDI and blockchain. Those considerations led to open questions for future research efforts – e.g., regarding what data types (and the associated HDI) are suitable when implementing blockchain in the built environment.