Back to our Developer Showcase Series to learn what developers in the real world are doing with Hyperledger technologies. Next up is Jason Sherman, Developer at Energy & Mines Digital Trust, Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
Give a bit of background on what you’re working on and how you got into blockchain
Energy & Mines Digital Trust (EMDT) is a pilot project enabling a collaborative digital ecosystem between the B.C. government, natural resource companies, and organizations around the world, making it simpler and more secure to share sustainability data. I am currently working on EMDT’s technology, called Traction. Traction is basically a layer above Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py) that enables the Government of British Columbia to use our technology for line of business applications. This allows the government to onboard into the world of digital credentials easily, and to track their business data with their credential and presentation exchanges.
What Hyperledger frameworks or tools are you using in your projects? Any new developments to share? Can you sum up your experience with Hyperledger?
We are using Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py) and Hyperledger Indy. Using Hyperledger frameworks has increased Traction’s interoperability, making it possible to incorporate a broader range of participants, tools, and technologies into the digital ecosystem EMDT is coordinating. We’re using Hyperledger’s open-source software to accelerate the Government of B.C.’s ability to adopt these tools. My experience with Hyperledger technologies is that things change quickly! And any problem or use case I identify is usually already being addressed.
What do you think is most important for Hyperledger Foundation to focus on in the next year?
I think the Hyperledger Foundation should focus on multiple ledger support (which is already underway) and onboarding users (not developers) of the implemented technology.
What advice would you offer other technologists or developers interested in getting started working on blockchain?
There is a very steep learning curve, but it’s extremely worthwhile. You will very quickly identify areas where the technology could benefit your clients.
As Hyperledger’s projects continue to mature, what do you see as the most interesting technologies, apps, or use cases coming out as a result?
I am interested in the ability for Hyperledger projects to enable more automated business flows using truly trusted and tamper-proof data. The number of personnel hours that can be saved just through automated conversation and interchange of data programmatically is massive.
What’s the one issue or problem you hope blockchain can solve?
I am hopeful that blockchain has the potential to improve trust between businesses. By exchanging information using blockchain technology and digital credentials, the validity and origin of the credential can always be verified, and businesses can proceed with their interactions confidently.
Where do you hope to see Hyperledger and/or blockchain in five years?
I would hope to see blockchain as a viable and easily selected technology, along the lines of Postgresql or MongoDb. I would hope that blockchain could be adopted as a mainstream technology that development teams can look at as a solution to solve their problems.
What is the best piece of developer advice you’ve ever received?
Your code isn’t precious.
What technology could you not live without?
Plumbing.
