HeriLedger—A New Generation of Blockchains for Cultural Heritage Preservation

The immense success of Bitcoin has also highlighted the hidden potential of blockchains and distributed ledgers in general. However, most blockchains are based on the so-called Proof-of-Work principle, which requires significant resources, making them unsuitable for the growing number of Internet of Things devices, not to mention other problems such as ensuring privacy and resistance to quantum computing. This paper, therefore, analyses current approaches in the field of ledgers with applications for the Internet of Things. Based on this, it presents a new ledger architecture for cultural heritage preservation that is energy sustainable and tailored to smartphones while pushing the deployment boundaries closer to the rest of the Internet of Things world. It is also resistant to quantum computing and provides privacy with accountability. Moreover, the developed solution considers not only the core technological structure but also its broader social (business) context, i.e., links to the tourism sector. This is performed by incorporating the relevant business model, as business models are important for the successful adoption of new technologies.