Exploring the intellectual cores of the blockchain–Internet of Things (BIoT)
Journal of Enterprise Information Management
ISSN: 1741-0398
Article publication date: 16 March 2021
Issue publication date: 9 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the rapid growth of blockchain technology in recent years, the fusion of blockchain and the Internet of Things (BIoT) has drawn considerable attention from researchers and industrial practitioners and is regarded as a future trend in technological development. Although several authors have conducted literature reviews on the topic, none have examined the development of the knowledge structure of BIoT, resulting in scattered research and development (R&D) efforts.
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigates the intellectual core of BIoT through a co-citation proximity analysis–based systematic review (CPASR) of the correlations between 44 highly influential articles out of 473 relevant research studies. Subsequently, we apply a series of statistical analyses, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), k-means clustering (KMC) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) to establish the intellectual core.
Findings
Our findings indicate that there are nine categories in the intellectual core of BIoT: (1) data privacy and security for BIoT systems, (2) models and applications of BIoT, (3) system security theories for BIoT, (4) frameworks for BIoT deployment, (5) the fusion of BIoT with emerging methods and technologies, (6) applied security strategies for using blockchain with the IoT, (7) the design and development of industrial BIoT, (8) establishing trust through BIoT and (9) the BIoT ecosystem.
Originality/value
We use the CPASR method to examine the intellectual core of BIoT, which is an under-researched and topical area. The paper also provides a structural framework for investigating BIoT research that may be applicable to other knowledge domains.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work described in this paper was partially supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (UGC/FDS14/E06/20); and a matching grant from the University Grants Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (RMGS Project No. 700005). The authors would like to thank Big Data Intelligence Centre and Department of SCM, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Department of ISE, Hong Kong Polytechnic University for supporting the research.
Citation
Tsang, Y.P., Wu, C.H., Ip, W.H. and Shiau, W.-L. (2021), "Exploring the intellectual cores of the blockchain–Internet of Things (BIoT)", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 1287-1317. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-10-2020-0395
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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