Tutorials

Rafael Pastor Vargas
Dean of the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering
National University of Distance Education (Spain)

"Blockchain and Smart Cities: a perfect match"

Abstract: Developing intelligent systems that use the information collected in different domains of a city’s operation/management has created the concept of a Smart City. On the other hand, Blockchain was gestated as a technology to guarantee a decentralized, immutable record of information. Information management unifies these two concepts, and in any field of intelligent management, it can be united to create efficient and secure solutions. This workshop aims to show these areas of union and the different applications of Blockchain in Smart Cities. These applications include, among others, the efficient management of mobility (control of city traffic or polluting episodes), the efficient and traceable use of renewable energies and the monitoring of carbon footprint, the participation in democratic/social processes of citizenship or improvements in cybersecurity infrastructures. The universe of applications is vast, but examples of applications in these areas will be shown to provide a broad view of the use of Blockchain

Biography: Rafael Pastor is Dean of the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática. He has held the position of Director of Technological Innovation of the UNED (in charge of the development of the aLF learning platform and technological innovation processes) for five years (2004-2009) and also Director of the Center for Innovation and Technological Development of the UNED in the period 2009-2011, as responsible for the management of the virtual campus of the UNED and the development of the aLF learning platform. He is currently the director of the University Expert in Blockchain at UNED. Additionally, he has also been the Coordinator of the official University Master’s Degree in Engineering and Data Science (2019-2021) and professor of that master’s degree. Furthermore, he is part of the team of professors of the official University Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity at UNED. In the field of research and transfer, his work focuses on Cybersecurity and the different application fields, specifically Blockchain applications.