did:blox: A Secure and Efficient Decentralized Identifier Method for Scientific IoT Ecosystems Leveraging the Bloxberg Blockchain

Abstract

Distributed IoT sensors used in scientific research create a reproducibility problem: without a reliable way to verify device identity and data provenance, results cannot be independently confirmed. This paper introduces did:blox, a W3C DID method purpose-built for scientific IoT ecosystems.

The method uses a hybrid on-chain/off-chain architecture. Immutable cryptographic anchors live on the Bloxberg blockchain — a permissioned Ethereum network built for academic institutions — while larger metadata is stored off-chain. This keeps transaction costs low and throughput high while preserving full auditability.

The paper defines the DID document structure, the resolution algorithm, and the key management lifecycle for IoT devices operating in multi-institution research environments. A prototype implementation was evaluated against the W3C DID specification and tested with devices from two laboratories.