Design of tourism points exchange system based on block chain technology
Gui Xiangquan1,2 , Guo Zhili1 , Yang Yi2,3 , Qin Bingfeng4
1 School of Computer and Communication, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu, China
2 Key Laboratory of Tourism Information Fusion Processing and Data Ownership Protection, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu
3 School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu
4 Science and Technology Information Department of Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu
Abstract : Tourism points service is an important support to promote the development of the tourism industry, but the existing points system generally has problems such as insufficient credibility, poor circulation, and high maintenance costs, and has not yet achieved the expected scale effect. This paper analyzes the current research status of the domestic and foreign tourism credit industry, and proposes a blockchain-based tourism credit exchange system, which uses the decentralized, non-tamperable, safe and reliable features of blockchain technology to realize the free circulation of credits among users. The system architecture and functional module design are briefly described, and a tourism points test system is implemented based on the framework. Privacy analysis and experimental results show that the system designed in this paper has good feasibility, security and privacy. Finally, the existing challenges of the system are analyzed in combination with the existing technology and business environment.
Key words : blockchain; tourism; points; smart contract
Paper citation format:
Gui Xiangquan, Guo Zhili, Yang Yi, et al. Design of Travel Credit Redemption System Based on Blockchain Technology [J]. Big Data, 2023, 9(2): 147-162.
GUI X Q, GUO Z L, YANG Y, et al. Tourism points exchange system design based on blockchain technology[J]. Big Data Research, 2023, 9(2): 147-162.
0 Preface
As a strategic pillar industry of my country's national economy, tourism is a key field that implements the new development concept of "innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing". With the continuous improvement of the national economic level and the rapid development of information technology, the industrial chain of the tourism service industry is continuously extending, and the industry services are continuously deepening. In 2020, ten departments including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Opinions on Deepening "Internet + Tourism" to Promote the High-quality Development of the Tourism Industry". Networked and intelligent transformation and upgrading.
At present, tourism has become a popular and normal life demand of the people. In order to improve the quality of tourism services, enhance the consumption stickiness of tourists, and reduce the cost of promotion and marketing, most businesses have established customer loyalty programs. As an important marketing tool to enhance user activity and loyalty, the point system has been widely used, especially in industries with a wide range of user groups such as airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies (online travel agency, OTA). But the existing point system usually has the following problems.
● The points system has poor liquidity. Points issued by merchants can only be used in their internal system, and operations such as cross-platform transfer and consumption of points cannot be performed. Users usually have multiple platforms and different types of points at the same time, and these points are usually idle because the conditions for use have not been met. Although some merchants expand the scope of use by adding the function of points, they still cannot realize the cross-platform circulation of points and form a real freedom of point exchange.
● The centralized point system cannot guarantee the rights and interests of users. At present, users can only use points under the system established by merchants, and merchants' arbitrary changes to the use rules and accumulation system of points will cause damage to users' rights and interests. The opacity of the point system has led some merchants to deduct user points at will, causing users to lose trust in the point system. Users are at a disadvantage in the centralized point system, and there is a problem of difficulty in rights protection.
● The maintenance cost of the integral ecosystem is high. The point system requires a lot of manpower and capital investment from development, operation to promotion, and it is difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to maintain these expenses. Under the centralized points system, it is necessary to set up a professional department in order to realize the circulation of points between merchants, which will undoubtedly increase operating costs and hinder the development of points business.
Aiming at the above problems, a travel points redemption system based on blockchain technology is proposed. Blockchain technology is the basic technology for providing business services and data storage services. Using its characteristics of decentralization, non-tampering, safety and reliability, it forms an alliance chain involving tourists, scenic spots, transportation, accommodation and other related users. The system mainly has the following three advantages. ① Based on the blockchain technology to realize the travel points redemption system, the use of blockchain technology solves the problems of poor circulation and inability to guarantee the rights and interests of users in the traditional point system, and guarantees the security, fairness and privacy of users. ② Use smart contract technology to realize the free circulation of points. The points in the system are anchored by legal currency and issued in the form of tokens, which can reduce the liquidation steps between merchants, reduce the maintenance cost of the points system, improve the efficiency of point use, and expand the use of points range and other advantages. ③Set up the role of supervisor to supervise the transactions in the system, supervise and standardize the transaction behavior of users, deal with the problems caused by users in the transaction process, prevent the occurrence of illegal transactions, and prevent and resolve transaction risks.
1 Market Research and Related Research
1.1 Current situation of domestic and foreign tourism points market
In the domestic tourism points market, some provinces and cities have made new explorations and model innovations. As a "National Culture and Tourism Consumption Demonstration City", Nanjing City has led by the government to build a Nanjing cultural and tourism consumption point sharing platform, and opened up a ticketing platform in the field of performances based on a pilot program of performances, realizing the exchange of points between platforms. After consumers purchase tickets for Nanjing cultural consumption government-subsidized dramas on these ticketing platforms, the consumption amount will form consumption points, which can be deducted from the consumption amount when purchasing products related to cultural tourism. Secondary discounts on ticket prices have been realized through point subsidies, effectively attracting and motivating consumers for sustainable consumption. From 2017 to 2020, the point secondary consumption rate in Nanjing's performance market was as high as 34.6%. Tangshan City, Hebei Province cooperated with the library to organize the activity of "Reading to Earn Points Free Scenic Spots". Citizens of Tangshan can obtain points by borrowing books, participating in online activities held by the library and voluntary services. It can be exchanged for scenic spot tickets. The activity attracted more readers to the scenic spot, and the scenic spot also promoted the official account of the library through the display board in the service center, forming a benign interaction between the library and the scenic spot.
The foreign travel points market is mainly based on credit card points. For example, the Chase sapphire preferred card launched by Chase Bank of the United States provides high point rewards for travel services. Users can earn multiple points by consuming travel services on the platform designated by the bank. Points can be exchanged between airlines and hotels that cooperate with the bank in proportion, or can be converted into cash at a fixed value. In the case of realizing travel points redemption through a third-party platform, users of the points trading platform can trade and exchange their redundant airline mileage points or hotel points, including loyalty points in aviation, catering, finance, retail, travel and other fields Program points. Although there have been some application cases of domestic and foreign tourism point systems, the scope of use and circulation of points are generally limited.
1.2 Blockchain overview
The concept of blockchain was first proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin white paper in 2008. This research designed a point-to-point electronic payment system to solve the problems of low efficiency, high cost, and poor reliability brought about by the centralized payment system. question. Blockchain technology is composed of technologies such as distributed systems, consensus algorithms, cryptography, P2P networks, and smart contracts. The blockchain network is established in a peer-to-peer network and is jointly maintained by all nodes in the network. The system packs and stores transactions within a certain period of time in chronological order in a chained data structure, and uses hash functions and Merkle trees to ensure that data cannot be tampered with. The packaged blocks are synchronized to each node through the consensus algorithm, so that the distributed ledgers in the entire system are consistent. As a distributed system, the blockchain enhances the stability of the system. When one or some nodes fail to work normally, other nodes can also ensure the stable operation of the system.
Blockchain has the characteristics of decentralization, non-tampering, security and reliability, and can be divided into public chain, alliance chain and private chain according to the scope of opening. A public chain refers to a blockchain that is open to everyone. Anyone can use the services in the blockchain and jointly maintain blockchain data through a consensus mechanism. It has the highest degree of decentralization. The biggest feature of the public chain is to reward the nodes that maintain the network through the incentive layer, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, enterprise operating system (enterprise operating system, EOS), etc. The consortium chain is a blockchain that some organizations or institutions jointly participate in the management of. The data on the chain can only be read and written by members of the organization. The alliance chain has the characteristics of high throughput, low transaction cost, and high security, but compared with the public chain, its degree of decentralization is lower. Private chains are mostly used within companies or organizations, with the fastest transaction speed and the strongest privacy. At present, blockchain technology has been widely used in finance, government affairs, e-commerce and other industries, such as supply chain financial service platform, blockchain electronic license platform, trusted traceability platform, etc. Blockchain technology has become the basis for opening up industrial information value circulation and trust collaboration.
1.3 Current status of research and application of blockchain technology in tourism and points system
At present, many scholars have conducted varying degrees of research on the application of blockchain technology in tourism. For example, after analyzing domestic and foreign literature and industry status, Huang Xiankai pointed out that the application of blockchain technology in the information management of the tourism industry, the construction of a tourism sharing economic system, and customer loyalty management will reshape the tourism industry model. Through on-the-spot investigation and literature analysis, Hua Ping proposed a blockchain technology-based integrity management platform for the cultural tourism industry to solve the problem of integrity management in the cultural tourism industry. The problem. Luo L et al proposed BlockTour, an intelligent tourism platform based on blockchain, which uses the characteristics of blockchain technology to establish a trusted platform between tourists and scenic spots, and designs a consensus algorithm based on proof of participation to motivate tourists Explore more attractions. Xu Xiaolin and others analyzed the current problems in tourism services and the advantages and innovation prospects of blockchain technology. Yang Zhenzhi and others discussed the knowledge sharing mechanism behind smart tourism in a more in-depth manner, building a decentralized knowledge sharing alliance chain through blockchain technology, so that all stakeholders can obtain knowledge. Zhu Jiayao and others proposed a multi-party price control mechanism based on blockchain to solve the problem of information asymmetry in the tourism process and improve tourists' trust in the tourism industry. After analyzing and comparing the application of existing blockchain technology in the tourism industry, Rashideh W pointed out that the blockchain will lead the decentralization process of the tourism industry in the future. Rejeb A and others discussed the potential ability of blockchain technology to solve long-standing problems in the tourism industry, and proposed innovative solutions that blockchain technology may change the development and consumption patterns of the tourism industry. Ozdemir AI et al. proposed a set of blockchain application standards, and analyzed distributed applications in the tourism industry through blockchain governance models, blockchain platforms, consensus types, use of cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and tokens. case analysis. Bodkhe U et al. proposed a smart tourism blockchain framework called BloHosT, which provides tourists with digital cryptocurrency payment services in tourism services, and provides travel services to potential travelers based on the experience of previous travelers through deep learning technology. Location recommendation service.
In terms of the blockchain point system, Agrawal M et al. proposed a general-purpose loyalty program platform based on the blockchain, integrating individual loyalty points into a unified platform, allowing points to be exchanged among individuals Transfer and exchange, and facilitate brand collaborations between companies worldwide. Pramanik BK and others used the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain platform to establish a distributed point trading system. The system completes point transactions on the chain through smart contracts and then synchronizes them to off-chain applications, expanding the existing point system without establishing a new one. system. Sönmeztürk O and others proposed an ERC20-compliant loyalty program based on the Ethereum blockchain. Users convert points into Ethereum for circulation, and only need an Ethereum wallet to manage all member point services. Agrawal D et al. outlined the current status and challenges of traditional loyalty point systems, and analyzed the possibility of blockchain technology providing solutions for loyalty programs. Liao CH et al proposed a blockchain-based cross-organization comprehensive platform for issuing and exchanging reward points. The system is built on the basis of Ethereum, using smart contracts to issue reward points, and store transaction records and platform logs. Finally, The efficiency of the system is tested by simulation experiments, and the stability of the system is proved. Aiming at the problems existing in the traditional digital points mechanism, Ling Fei and others proposed a blockchain-based enterprise alliance sharing digital point management mechanism. The experimental results show that this mechanism is convenient under the premise of ensuring the security of user point data and enterprise alliance data sharing. It improves the user's use, reduces the management cost of the enterprise, and has practical feasibility. Dominguez Perez LJ and others have designed a loyalty program based on the blockchain platform Waves, which implements a decentralized points exchange through the platform's public nodes, but there is a fixed fee for each transaction.
In the relevant research on the combination of blockchain and tourism, some scholars combined the problems existing in the tourism industry to analyze the application prospects of blockchain technology in the industry and the possible model innovations. Some scholars have proposed solutions to specific problems in the tourism industry and conducted experimental verification. In the research on the application of blockchain combined with points, some scholars put forward different solutions according to the actual application scenarios and technical characteristics of points, and tested the feasibility of the system through experiments, which provided a reference for subsequent research. However, the current research results still have the following three problems. ① There are no research results on the points universal redemption system applicable to the tourism industry. ②The existing point exchange system cannot be applied to the domestic business environment. At present, some foreign scholars have established a points exchange platform through the public chain Ethereum, but in the process of trading Ethereum, users are required to pay handling fees, which virtually increases the user's cost of use. Moreover, business activities related to virtual currency are illegal financial activities in my country, and virtual currency transactions are prohibited. ③Currently, the credit exchange system based on the blockchain lacks a supervision mechanism, and users cannot effectively protect their own interests when illegal or fraudulent behavior occurs during transactions.
2. Design of Tourist Points Redemption System
2.1 System Design Objectives
The main purpose of the tourism point exchange system based on blockchain technology is to create a point exchange platform serving the tourism industry, improve the data value system of the tourism market, and further stimulate the potential vitality of the market. This paper mainly considers the following aspects when designing the system.
(1) Liquidity
The first thing to be solved in this article is the problem of poor point circulation. A reasonable and efficient point exchange platform is the key to the application of the system. The design mainly considers the use scenarios and application scope of the existing tourism points platform, so that the system can be compatible with the existing points system, break through the point barriers between different merchants, realize the free circulation of points, make silent points play their value, and further stimulate the industry Cooperative development potential. The point exchange function between merchants is the basis of the entire system and the key to realizing the value circulation of points. When issuing points, it is necessary to consider the issuance authority and value anchoring of points, otherwise it will cause over-issuance of points, leading to problems such as point depreciation on the points exchange platform. Points circulation services such as points issuance, points clearing, and points transfer can be realized through smart contracts. However, the consensus algorithm in the current blockchain technology has limited ability to process transactions. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to simplify business processes and improve core business efficiency at the beginning of design. .
(2) Fairness
Fairness refers to ensuring that users trade fairly in the system. The existing points marketing system is a traditional centralized system established by merchants, and the transaction rules for points are unilaterally formulated by merchants. How to use the characteristics of blockchain technology to ensure the fairness of transactions between users is crucial to maintaining the system ecology. It should prevent the occurrence of malicious points in the system, unreasonable deduction of points, opaque point consumption and other events that damage the rights and interests of users.
(3) Privacy
The privacy issues of all parties' data need to be considered in the system design. For users, the user's identity and transaction behavior data need to be protected in privacy, otherwise, with the support of big data, merchants are prone to "kill familiar" behaviors. For merchants, they need to obtain some transaction data of users to provide users with better personalized recommendation services, and their own business data also need to be protected for privacy. For regulators, it is necessary to monitor transaction data to prevent violations of laws and regulations.
2.2 System architecture design
2.2.1 Business Architecture Design
The participating roles in the system are mainly divided into three categories: merchants, tourists, and supervisors. The relationship between user roles is shown in Figure 1.
The role of merchants is mainly airlines, railways, scenic spots, hotels and other business organizations that need to establish a travel point service system. Through the software application interface provided by the blockchain system, merchants can not only directly use the business services provided by the travel point platform, but also carry out secondary development on this basis to connect with the original point service system. Merchants can realize the main functions such as point issuance, point transfer and point destruction through the travel point exchange system. Among them, the point issuance function refers to the issuance of points by merchants who have the authority to issue points. The points are circulated in the form of Tokens (tokens) that comply with the ECR20 standard, and the points are approved and issued by regulators. The point transfer function can realize point circulation between merchants, break through the barriers between points systems, and enable merchants to form point marketing alliances. The point destruction function can realize the merchant's control over the total amount of issued points, and destroy the issued point tokens by applying to the regulator for point destruction.
The role of tourists mainly refers to consumers who participate in tourism services. The business related to tourists mainly includes functions such as consumption, exchange, query, and transfer of tourism points. Tourists can perform integral operations through the integral service system provided by merchants, and can also perform integral operations through the integral redemption system. The point consumption function means that after the tourists' points reach a certain amount, they can perform operations such as physical exchange and point cashing, which will positively motivate tourists and improve their loyalty. The points exchange function can realize the exchange of points between different merchants, and make the redundant points play their value. The point query function provides tourists with an open and transparent point and consumption details acquisition service, improving the credibility between tourists and merchants. The points transfer function realizes the transfer of points between tourists or between different accounts of the same user.
Figure 1 User role relationship in the travel points exchange system
The role of the supervisor refers to the role of managing the travel point exchange system and supervising the behavior of users of the system. The main functions of the regulator include user management, blockchain system management, and business management. User management mainly refers to the management of the functional rights and accounts of merchants and tourists, and solves the problems and needs of users. Blockchain system management is mainly responsible for smart contract management, alliance chain certificate management, and node management. The business management function refers to the management of various business services in the travel point exchange system, including the issuance of CA certificates and the processing of business problems arising during point transactions.
The circulation relationship of points among users is shown in Figure 2. Points and RMB form a value anchor, and points are issued through RMB leverage. The minting authority of point tokens belongs to the supervisor. Before the issuance, merchants need to deposit a certain amount of RMB in the co-management account of the supervisor to prevent arbitrary issuance of points from causing point inflation. The supervisor mints coins and then transfers them to the merchant's account. The issued points can be directly used in the points marketing system of merchants, and can also be exchanged with existing merchants in the form of point exchange. The form of tokens not only reduces the difficulty of liquidation for small and medium businesses, but also anchors with legal currency or other points to stabilize the value of points. After the merchant applies for point destruction, it needs to transfer the destroyed points to the account of the supervisor, and can withdraw the same proportion of funds in the RMB co-management account.
Figure 2 Circulation relationship between points among users
2.2.2 System technology architecture design
The travel point exchange system adopts a 6-layer architecture, which is the access layer, interface layer, service layer, blockchain layer, supervision layer, and basic service layer. The system framework is shown in Figure 3. The access layer directly provides point application services to merchants, tourists, and regulators. The interface layer provides business interface services for the access layer. The core business functions of the travel credit redemption system are provided in the form of interfaces to users who have CA certificates. The CA certificates are provided by the blockchain system, and users or applications need to be in the CA service. After registration, a CA certificate is obtained to interact with the blockchain. Merchants can either directly call the access layer to use the system point exchange service, or carry out secondary development through the interface layer to connect with the original point system to realize the point exchange service. The service layer mainly includes blockchain smart contract service interfaces for point issuance, point transfer, point liquidation, point query, and point destruction. The blockchain layer provides blockchain services for the entire system, mainly including core functions such as consensus algorithms, distributed ledgers, signature encryption, and smart contracts. The consensus algorithm promotes consensus on transactions between distributed nodes, verifies whether each transaction is true and valid, and prevents wrong or false transactions from being executed. In addition to storing the credit transaction data on the blockchain, the distributed ledger also records the operation and execution process of all smart contracts. Smart contracts are the basis for system business realization. The content of the contract is open and transparent and visible to members. It does not require a third-party agency to enforce the content of the contract and avoid the risk of human cheating. The regulatory layer mainly includes travel point management system, transaction management, user management, node management, etc. The travel point management system is mainly responsible for the system business management of the travel point exchange platform, which is operated by the administrator. The transaction management function is responsible for viewing and handling problems that occur in travel point transactions. User management service provides registration and login and certificate issuance services for merchants and tourists in the system. Node management is responsible for joining and exiting blockchain service nodes. The basic service layer mainly includes underlying system resources such as resource monitoring, log service, and database management, providing guarantee for the entire travel points exchange system.
Figure 3 Framework of travel point exchange system
3 system realization
3.1 System Implementation Architecture
Merchants and regulatory agencies participating in the tourism industry are members of the alliance, and the open source distributed ledger technology platform Hyperledger Fabric is used as the underlying technology to build a travel point exchange alliance chain and realize a travel point exchange system. Hyperledger Fabric is an open source enterprise-level distributed ledger platform. The modular architecture and configurable service components provide a flexible solution for the system, and can provide blockchain services for the travel point exchange system at low cost and safely. The architecture of the system and the interaction relationship between each system are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 System architecture and interaction between systems
The blockchain system network is shown in Figure 5. The system implements the merchant organization (Org 1 ) and the supervisory organization (Org 2 ) respectively. The merchant organization includes nodes Org 1 -peer 0 and Org 1 -peer 1 , and the supervisory organization includes node Org 2 peer 0 , Org 2 -peer 1 . Nodes are used to store distributed ledger data (L 1 ) and execute smart contracts (S 5 ). The participating nodes together form a blockchain (C 1 ). When an application needs to access data in the blockchain or submit a request, it can be connected through the application programming interface (API) provided by the blockchain system . The system also implements an ordering service (O 1 ), which handles transaction consensus among member nodes through the Raft consensus algorithm. When developing the chain code (smart contract), the system establishes the points and user data model in JSON format, and uses CouchDB as the state database. It supports more complex queries than the default LevelDB, and can implement content-based JSON queries to improve query efficiency. The chain code is written in Go language to realize the business function of travel points redemption, and the functions of the chain code are shown in Table 1.
Figure 5 Blockchain system network
The travel point management system (A 1 ) and the travel point mall (A 2 ) implemented in the blockchain network are developed using Node.js language, the database uses MySQL, and the blockchain system is realized through the Node.js version SDK officially provided by Fabric interact. The tourism point management system mainly simulates the supervisor to realize functions such as point token casting, point token destruction, and transaction management. The travel point mall mainly simulates the operations of merchants and tourists, and realizes point issuance, point destruction, point transfer and other merchant operations, and travel point mall registration and login, point query, point exchange, point consumption and other tourist operations. The system also implements a blockchain browser (A 3 ) to view information such as blocks, transactions, chain codes, and nodes. The above applications need to register with the CA service (CA 1 , CA 2 , CA 3 ) before accessing the alliance chain network , and can interact with the blockchain system interface only after obtaining the corresponding CA certificate.
The point transaction process is shown in Figure 6. After the merchant completes the registration to issue points, it needs to submit an application for point issuance to the regulator. After receiving the request for point issuance and the number of issued points, the regulator will execute point token casting and transfer the generated tokens to the merchant. Merchants can use point tokens in the original points system after they get them, or they can be converted into merchant points in proportion for use. Integral tokens can be circulated between tourists and merchants, and only need to transfer a fixed number of integral tokens to the other party's account address to complete. When tourists transfer points between different merchants, the merchant points can be transferred to other merchants after being converted into point tokens, which realizes the universal exchange of point tokens between different point systems. Finally, merchants can apply to the regulator to destroy the point tokens, transfer the point tokens to be destroyed to the supervision account, and the regulator will perform the point destruction function. After the destruction, the merchant can withdraw the corresponding funds in the co-management account, forming a closed loop of the entire point token circulation.
Figure 6 points transaction process
In terms of system fairness, the system will generate a hash string transaction number (TransactionID) according to the visitor's identity and random codes for each transaction to ensure the uniqueness of the transaction. Visitors can view the information contained in each blockchain through the blockchain browser. You can also query the specific transaction content through the transaction number. The points transaction details are shown in Figure 7. In the transaction details, you can view the transaction initiation node, verification node, smart contract invoked and other information, including the data read and written on the chain of the transaction, so that the transaction data is open and transparent to tourists. The anonymous display of user information such as transaction objects ensures the privacy protection of user information. The fairness of system transactions is guaranteed by establishing a regulatory platform and establishing regulatory roles. All transactions are executed through smart contracts, and any operation will be recorded in the block and cannot be tampered with. It provides transaction data protection for both parties involved in the transaction, and also provides strong data and evidence support for regulatory roles.
Figure 7 Points transaction details
The schematic diagram of system privacy and security is shown in Figure 8. First, the system is established on the alliance chain between relevant users of the tourism industry. Through the Fabric membership service provider (Membership service provider, MSP) realizes the authorization of blockchain data permissions. Control, so that data on the same chain can be shared among designated members, providing a more flexible and subdivided protection mechanism for data security. Each member in the system has an X.509 digital certificate issued by an authorized alliance chain certificate authority. The certificate contains the user's identity information and determines the information access rights that the user has in the blockchain network. Excluded to prevent data leakage on the chain. The digital certificate combines the zero-knowledge proof algorithm to realize the identity mixer mechanism, which enables the user to realize the anonymity and untraceability of the initiator during the transaction process, and protects the privacy and security of the user transaction. Secondly, inside the alliance chain, the channel access strategy is configured in the blockchain network. The channel refers to the set of nodes that maintain the same ledger. The purpose is to isolate the channel information, so that entities outside the channel cannot access the information in the channel, so as to realize transactions. privacy. The system also implements private data collection through the private data mechanism, so that only users with permissions in the same channel can access it, providing users with more fine-grained privacy protection. Finally, the system uses the transport layer security (transport layer security) protocol to ensure the security of communication between nodes, ensuring the confidentiality and data integrity between communication nodes.
Figure 8 Schematic diagram of system privacy and security
Blockchain performance has always been one of the main challenges for the application of blockchain technology. The performance indicators of blockchain mainly include transaction throughput and delay. Transaction throughput refers to the number of transactions that can be processed at a fixed time, and latency refers to the response and processing time of transactions. This paper tests the performance of the smart contract through Caliper, the performance testing tool officially provided by Hyperledger, and simulates and tests the throughput and maximum transaction delay of the smart contract under different numbers of blockchain service nodes. The experimental results are shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10 . From the experimental results, it can be seen that the throughput of various services is less affected by the increase of the number of nodes, and the average throughput of the system reaches more than 1 000 TPS. It can be seen from Figure 10 that the maximum transaction delay of each business is stable, and is less affected by the increase in the number of nodes. The maximum transaction latency of transferring credits and issuing credits is much different than that of querying credits, because the query operation is a read-only operation, and the latest data can be directly read in the status database.
Figure 9 Smart contract throughput under different number of blockchain service nodes
Figure 10 Maximum transaction delay of smart contracts under different number of blockchain service nodes
According to the data scale of the system, the block size generated by each business is tested. In the case of different numbers of peer nodes, 1000 tests were performed on the operations of transferring points, issuing points, and destroying points respectively, and recorded and calculated the average block size of all nodes. The experimental results are shown in Figure 11. It can be seen from Figure 11 that with the increase of peer nodes, the block sizes generated by different business operations have little difference, and the data usage is very small, accounting for only about 7 KB.
Figure 11 block data volume test
For the size of the entire block file, 1 000, 3 000, and 5 000 times of transfer point operations were performed under different numbers of nodes, and the experimental results are shown in Figure 12. As the number of nodes increases, the block file size grows exponentially. In the experiment, it is found that after the transaction is completed, the ledger data of each node is synchronized in real time, and the file data volume increases at the same rate. The total amount of data generated by 10,000 transactions is only about 66 MB, so the system also has the advantage of low storage capacity.
Figure 12 block file data volume test
Through experimental testing, it is verified that the various business processes of the system meet the system design goals of circulation, fairness, privacy, and stability. The system supports multi-nodes and multi-users at the same time, can flexibly add or delete nodes, and has scalability. The overall business of the system is complete and the process is simple. The system supports merchants to use it without deploying local nodes after approval, which reduces the user's cost of use. The system has high throughput, low data volume, computing and storage advantages, and can meet the practical requirements of large-scale application scenarios.
4 Existing challenges
4.1 Throughput
Compared with the centralized system, the throughput of the system designed in this paper still needs to be improved. The consensus algorithm in the blockchain system is the main factor affecting the system throughput. Although some scholars have improved the performance of the consensus algorithm, the throughput of the blockchain system still has room for improvement in order to cope with higher concurrency requirements. . Therefore, for different business scenarios, designing reasonable and efficient business processes and improving the efficiency of consensus algorithms are the main ways to further improve system throughput.
4.2 Data authenticity
The blockchain already possesses the technical characteristics of irreversible data and irreversible timing, which guarantees the feasibility of transaction process traceability. However, if the merchant uploads invalid or fake data for some reason, the blockchain itself cannot identify it. Therefore, ensuring a reliable source of data is the basic guarantee for the authenticity of the entire system, and it is necessary to establish a more complete credit management system to restrict user data fraud from the source.
4.3 Cross-chain technology
As the blockchain technology gradually matures, more and more blockchain applications will be implemented, and the collaborative operation and value circulation between different chains will become new demands. The key to data value, such as cross-chain interaction with related blockchains such as credit information chains or product traceability chains, further expands the application scope of the system in tourism-related industries.
4.4 Law and Economics
This paper considers the design of the travel point exchange system based on blockchain technology from the perspective of technology and user needs, but does not analyze the system from the perspective of law and economics. At present, the my country Securities Regulatory Commission requires that any organization and individual shall not illegally engage in token issuance and financing activities, and there is no restriction on functionally circulated tokens, but relevant regulatory measures and laws and regulations still need to be improved. From an economic point of view, the economic risks and economic benefits of the travel point system based on blockchain technology need further in-depth research.
5 Conclusion
With the maturity of blockchain technology, relevant policies and industrial applications have been implemented one after another. This paper analyzes the current application status of the travel point industry and blockchain technology in the point transfer system, designs a travel point transfer system based on block chain technology, and verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the design scheme through experiments. The innovative application of technology in different industries provides a reference.
About the Author
Gui Xiangquan (1981-), male, Ph.D., associate professor of the School of Computer and Communication, Lanzhou University of Technology. His main research directions are cloud computing and big data analysis, complex network theory and application, and blockchain technology.
Guo Zhili (1996-), male, master student in the School of Computer and Communication, Lanzhou University of Technology, the main research direction is blockchain technology.
Yang Yi (1980-), male, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University. His main research directions are big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Qin Bingfeng (1966-), male, director of the Science and Technology Information Division of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, whose main research direction is smart tourism.
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