TrackpathDSL: Petri Net-based Supply Chains Towards Blockchain Services

Traceability provides evidence of resource management and often guarantees the quality of products and services. In industries such as food, logistics or technology, traceability is essential as it facilitates a quick response in cases of quality conflicts and non-desired situations such as scams, spoiled food, etc., thereby increasing consumer confidence. To this end, technologies like barcodes, traceable labels, sensors, and databases currently enable traceability from product manufacturing and service definition to distribution and consumption. However, these technologies do not always guarantee the level of security and transparency required by institutions like governments for handling sensitive information such as healthcare data or public finances. Blockchain technology offers a solution to these challenges by providing a immutable ledger system that can be used to track processes and services at every stage of their lifecycle. Blockchain’s decentralized nature ensures that no single entity can alter the records without consensus, making it virtually impossible to tamper with data, thus providing the level of security required by sectors that handle sensitive information. In short, implementing Blockchain technology in the traceability sequence of a product, service or process provides transparency and reliability by guaranteeing data immutability. However, the development of such systems is a complex process involving multiple stakeholders, products, and locations, and requires specific knowledge and skills. To streamline this process, this work proposes a domain-specific language (DSL) that captures the elements and relationships involved in a traceability sequence, allowing users to model and verify them. Later, using the DSL, users can generate and deploy web service to facilitate the creation and interaction with assets in the traceability sequence. Finally, a use case based on an agricultural application is illustrated to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed DSL.