Botany meets blockchain: Bitcoin SV’s role in protecting biodiversity

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5CQT65PAlI

Many would have you believe that Bitcoin and the environment don’t mix. But that simply isn’t the case according to Daniel Keane, co-founder and managing director of Predict Ecology.

Blockchain is actually a real asset to the environmental industry because its immutable ledger technology means there is a permanent and reliable record of data. “In 100 years’, time, you’ll still have that string of numbers, they will still be written to the blockchain,” Daniel says.

This is particularly important when it comes to monitoring and predicting ecological changes, which is Daniel’s area of expertise. He explains that it’s essential to collect and analyse data to see the effects human development is having on biodiversity so future projects can reduce their impact.

This is something that Daniel has experienced first-hand in his time working as a consultant for the mining industry. Mining companies are required to rehabilitate and repair the ecosystem once mining has ceased, and it was Daniel’s job to check they were doing a good job.

“I’m a botanist, more specifically, and oftentimes I was validating and assessing the rehabilitation that they had planted back, comparing it to the reference ecosystems that they were trying to achieve,” he says.

Daniel tells CoinGeek’s Charles Miller that it was when he attended a start-up weekend in Queensland with Paul Chiari, founder of WeatherSV and MetaStreme that he realised how useful the Bitcoin SV blockchain could be for his purposes. This is when Predict Ecology, an environmental and ecological consulting firm with a focus on real-world data and predictive modelling was born.

Predict Ecology starts off by gathering data using a mobile data collector. The data is then validated and verified using traditional field survey techniques. The combined datasets are then loaded to the BSV ledger using the MetaStreme transaction processor, allowing the data to be indexed and retrieved in a self-serve “pay-per-view” framework, open to researchers and modellers worldwide.

Daniel explains that by inputting data onto the blockchain, the risk of any damage to the information is eliminated. This is reassuring for clients working with large volumes of data over many years.

“I might have gone out of business, I might have had a server fire, I might have lost my notepad. There’s a whole heap of variables there so that peace of mind for the long-term check that’s where it really comes into play.”

Daniel says he wants Predict Ecology and MetaStreme to be the ‘plumbing’ that works behind the scenes to ensure clients can utilise the power of the blockchain. This means that customers without any technical or ecological knowhow can interact with the BSV blockchain to easily record data and keep an eye on their environmental footstep.

His aim is admirable: a network of long-lasting and high-quality data that will help companies monitor and model biodiversity. It’s also a powerful example of how blockchain technology can be used in the fight against climate change.

Hear the whole of Daniel Keane’s interview in this week’s CoinGeek Conversations podcast or catch up with other recent episodes:

You can also watch the podcast video on YouTube.

Please subscribe to CoinGeek Conversations – this is part of the podcast’s fourth season. If you’re new to it, there are plenty of previous episodes to catch up with.

Here’s how to find them:

– Search for “CoinGeek Conversations” wherever you get your podcasts

– Subscribe on iTunes

– Listen on Spotify

– Visit the CoinGeek Conversations website

– Watch on the CoinGeek Conversations YouTube playlist