Design Patterns For Sharing Economy Within Blockchain-based Community Systems

Abstract

The integration of blockchain technology and the sharing economy within closed community systems, such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and universities, can enhance the resource-sharing processes among members. This ensures transparent and equitable usage privileges of shared resources. The introduction of reusable design patterns for such blockchain-based community systems facilitates an efficient development process for new applications. In our research, we develop two design patterns: "Proposal Making/Voting" and "Usage Share". The former facilitates proposing new resources for community members, while the latter manages the equitable sharing of these resources. These patterns leverage blockchain technologies and smart contracts to enable transparent and trustable decision-making associated with resource sharing specifically for Real-World Assets (RWAs). We detail the configuration and combination of these patterns across various scenarios using tree-like schemas. Using a running case of shared 3D printers in educational institutions, we demonstrate the governance and resource management in membership-based communities, contributing to more efficient and fair access to shared assets. To demonstrate the practical feasibility of this research, we have created a proof-of-concept implementation for the Ethereum blockchain that applies some of the design patterns developed in this work to an open-source collaborative platform.