Method for reliable data collecting in edge networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a method that allows to deploy sensor nodes and to make the data they generate ad-hoc available to data collecting nodes. The sensor nodes are trusted as data sources through their registration in a distributed ledger to which the data collecting nodes have access. The data collecting nodes are able to authenticate any detected sensor node on-the-fly at the edge of the network, close to the data sources, without relying on a backbone infrastructure.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR RELIABLE DATA COLLECTING IN EDGE NETWORKS

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The present invention lies in the field of data communication networks.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] Edge network architecture have been proposed following the increase of distributed sensor networks or Internet of Things, loT, systems. The idea is to ease the computational load at that is otherwise imparted on a central entity or on a cloud infrastructure, and to perform data processing closer to the edges of the system, where data is collected. Currently, machine learning tasks, including training and / or classification or prediction tasks, are run in centralized cloud infrastructures. The performance of machine learning model is greatly dependent of the quality and quantity of available training data, which is often generated or collected at loT devices.

[0006] There appears to be a trend to remove pressure on the centralized cloud and give the network’s edge infrastructure more options and capabilities to perform artificial intelligence, Al, and related tasks. But this increases the concerns on security, trust, and reliability when it comes to absorbing information from loT devices.

[0007] In massive connectivity of objects of things, different systems share information for specific common goals (loT to drones, loT to autonomous cars, drones to infrastructure, e.g., building towards drones, etc.). It is required to measure and distinguish the specificity of information shared from loT devices from edge to swarm to ensure reliable data sources and enable continuum computing. This implies the need to facilitate information flow while maintaining information security, reliability, and trust.

[0008] Swarms of loT devices may be used for gathering data from the environment, infrastructure, energy plants. Relying on data from multiple sources is challenging and requires verification. To be able to claim the data stems from relevant sources, it is required that data sources can be verified, so that the gathered data is trusted, secure, and has not been tampered with. However, in known architectures, secure communication and reliability of the gathered data is lacking in loT-Swarm-Edge environments. Technical problem to be solved

[0009] It is an objective to present method and device, which overcome at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a method for reliable data collecting in a data communication network is provided. The data communication network comprises at least one data collecting node, which is configured to collect data for at least one specific task, and a plurality of sensor nodes that generate data. The method comprises the steps of: providing a distributed ledger on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network, in which unique digital identifiers of sensor nodes are stored and associated with tasks; at the data collecting node, using detection means, detecting a sensor node and interacting with the sensor node using data transmission and data reception means, in order to obtain the sensor node’s unique digital identifier; at the data collecting node, collecting data transmitted from the sensor node, wherein the data comprises data generated by the sensor node, if the obtained unique digital identifier is registered in the distributed ledger and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task.

[0012] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a method for reliable data collecting at a data collecting node in a data communication network is provided. The data collecting node is configured to collect data for at least one specific task, and the method comprises the steps of: at the data collecting node, using detection means, detecting a sensor node and receiving, using reception means, a unique digital identifier from the sensor node; at the data collecting node, receiving, using reception means, collected data from the sensor node, if the unique digital identifier is registered in a distributed ledger hosted on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network, and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task.

[0013] Preferably, said collected data may be used to perform said at least one specific task. The set of blockchain nodes may preferably comprise said data collecting node.

[0014] Preferably, at least one sensor node may be capable of generating a plurality of data types, and wherein each type of generated data is associated with respective tasks in the distributed ledger.

[0015] A smart contract may preferably be deployed on said blockchain network, which stores the associations between unique digital identifiers and tasks.

[0016] Preferably, the data communication network may further comprise a backbone network, to which the data collecting node transmits the collected data.

[0017] It may further be preferred that the backbone network comprises at least one computing node that performs said at least one task using the collected data.

[0018] Preferably, at least one task may be performed at the data collecting node using the collected data.

[0019] The method may further preferably comprise the preliminary step of generating a unique digital identifier for a sensor node, associating the data that the sensor node is capable of generating with at least one task, and associating the unique digital identifier with said at least one task in said distributed ledger.

[0020] In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, a data collecting node comprising detection means, data reception means, data transmission means, a memory element and data processing means is provided. The data processing means are configured to: detect a sensor node using the detection means and receive, using the data reception means, a unique digital identifier from the sensor node; receive, using the data reception means, collected data from the sensor node, if the unique digital identifier is registered in a distributed ledger hosted on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network to which the data collecting node has access, and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task.

[0021] The data processing means may further preferably be configured to carry out the method steps in accordance with aspects of the invention. Preferably, the data collecting node may be implemented in a mobile computing device such as a mobile phone, an automotive vehicle, or a drone.

[0022] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a computer program comprising computer readable code means is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method in accordance with aspects of the invention.

[0023] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer-readable medium on which the computer program according to an aspect of the invention is stored.

[0024] In accordance with a final aspect of the invention, a data communication network is provided. The data communication network comprises at least one data collecting node, which collects data for at least one specific task, a plurality of sensor nodes that generate data, and a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network on which a distributed ledger is hosted in which unique digital identifiers of sensor nodes are stored and associated with tasks. The at least one data collecting node is a data collecting node in accordance with aspects of the invention.

[0025] Preferably, the sensor nodes may comprise any of an audio sensor, image sensor, air pollution sensor, hygrometry sensor, a proximity sensor, position sensor, or any combination thereof, without being limited thereto.

[0026] By using the proposed invention, it becomes possible to deploy sensor nodes and to make the data they generate ad-hoc availably to data collecting nodes. The sensor nodes are trusted as data sources through their registration in a distributed ledger to which the data collecting nodes have access. The data collecting nodes are able to authenticate any detected sensor node on-the-fly at the edge of the network, close to the data sources. This alleviates the interactions with the cloud network and speeds up the authentication process, while ensuring that only data from trusted and reliable sensors is collected for any specific task. Brief description of the drawings

[0027] Several embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of figures, which do not limit the scope of the invention, wherein: figure 1 provides a basic workflow diagram, showing the main steps of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; figure 2 provides a schematic illustration of a data communication network according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, configured to performing a method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; figure 3 provides a schematic illustration of a data communication network according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, configured to performing a method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Detailed description of the invention

[0029] This section describes aspects of the invention in further detail based on preferred embodiments and on the figures. The figures do not limit the scope of the invention. Throughout the description, like numerals will be used to describe like concepts in different embodiments. Details that are described in the context of a particular embodiment are applicable to other embodiments and can be combined to features of other embodiments, unless otherwise stated.

[0030] Throughout the description, the word “node” is used in the context of a communication system to describe a logical entity implementing a specific function in a blockchain network. A node may be run on any computing device that is equipped with a wired or wireless networking interface. Examples of a device running a node include but are not limited to a Personal Computer, PC, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, loT device, and the like. A node runs an operating system and has access to an information storage system, such as a file system or a structured database. A node may further comprise at least one data processor operatively connected to a memory element, such as a Random-Access Memory, RAM, element, a hard disk drive and / or a Solid-State Drive, SSD, and to a structured data repository. Nodes are interconnected via wired or wireless data communication channels, often using multiple intermediary routing nodes. Cloud Computing, CP, is a distributed computing model that provides virtual computing resources, in the form of a shared pool of configurable computing, e.g., server, storage, network, application, data and services, and software solutions that exist in a distributed cloud computing infrastructure. These computing resources are accessible through a data communication network.

[0031] The Internet of Things, loT, is recognized as one of the novel technologies that has made a major impact in the transformation of various processes. By adding the ability for physical objects to communicate with applications, loT technology has enhanced different vertical domains by improving the quality of service, QoS. loT describes a set of devices that are able to collect, exchange, and share information. loT devices sense data from objects and their context, perform computing and establish communication between devices and data transmission channels and actuation. The loT is considered a distributed processing model since loT devices may perform some processing on data before sending it to the backend servers.

[0032] Distributed ledger technology, DLT, presents a distributed and decentralized database, shared among multiple parties, known as network participants. DLT is contrary to centralized technology, meaning that the database in DLT is decentralized, synchronized, and shared among network participants. In DLT, information is stored based on consensus ("witnessing") and shared among multiple parties. Adding a new transaction record in the ledger is possible only after the "witnessing" by the majority of network participants. Blockchain technology is an instance of the distributed ledger, with the significant difference that in blockchain, the grouped transaction data ("block") are chained together with the previous block, thus forming the BC.

[0033] Blockchain, BC, is a decentralized-distributed append-only database that enables storing of the immutable set of transactions, organized in a hash tree (Merkle Tree). The transactions present any financial data, textual or numeric data, that are encapsulated in transactions by users. These transactions are that gathered into a candidate block by miners that compete with the intention to validate this new block. Miners are high-performance computers that are allowed to add a new block on the chain of blocks. The block, contains, besides the transactions, other significant components such as timestamp, block header, mathematical difficulty puzzle usually called as ‘nonce’, and the hash of the previous block, thus forming a chain of blocks or “blockchain”. Different consensus algorithms exist today to enable high data throughput, enabling high scalability networks.

[0034] The blockchain network is an extensive set of devices communicating in a peer- to-peer, P2P, mode. The nodes are computer servers that are geographically distributed, and they contain the same copy of the ledger or blockchain, making it a distributed ledger. The consensus algorithm that allows these notes to agree on the state of the data, removes the need for a trusted third party, thus making blockchain entirely decentralized. For agreeing on the state of the data, blockchain uses a consensus mechanism, e.g., Proof-of-Work, Proof of Stake, etc. . . . as known in the art. Once a miner solves a computational mathematical puzzle, it distributes the “nonce” to the other miners. All the miners verify the solution of the puzzle by applying the “nonce”, then approve adding the new block in the chain of blocks, and all nodes are updated by adding a new block. The transactions added to the blockchain are cryptographically signed. Once the transactions appear in the blockchain, they remain immutable. Any tendency to change them will change the transaction root of Merkle Tree, and the consensus algorithms will deny this change by comparing the current changed block with other blocks from other nodes that contain the same blockchain. The properties of immutability and data integrity enforce the properties of non- repudiation. The blockchain network maintains availability, even if some nodes fail to response. If several nodes fail or are disconnected, the blockchain still remains available on the remaining nodes and works properly. When the “offline” nodes come back on “online” mode, they receive the last state of the distributed ledger.

[0035] A smart contract, SC, is an autonomous computer programming code that runs on the BC and is executed when a specific event happens based on specified parameters. An SC deployed on the BC is assigned a unique address that identifies it. BC users can invoke the SC by sending a transaction to the SC address. The smart contract encodes any set of rules emerging from the source of the SC into the programming language.

[0036] Edge computing is a new cloud computing paradigm referring to a subset of networks that is closed to the end-user. Edge computing enables calculation of and processing of client or sensor data (received from different inputs) closer to the data source, instead of sending this information on the cloud-based or centralized server. Edge computing improves response time, reducing processing latency (by performing calculations on the edge node instead of sending data to the cloud and back), the security and performance of applications, performing complex calculations etc... To ensure the functionality of edge computing, three main components need to be in place: loT (swarm devices), communication networks, e.g., cellular 4G, 5G (to enable information transition) and Cloud Computing (storage, and further data processing).

[0037] A Decentralized Identifier, DID, is a type of unique digital identifier, which is attributed in a decentralized way to network entities, in accordance with the specification found at https: / / www.w3.org / TR / did-core / .

[0038] A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2. The embodiment provides a method and system for reliable data collecting in a data communication network 100. Reliable data collection implies that the source of the data, as well as the data itself, is secure and trusted among entities in the data communication network. The data communication network 100 comprises data collecting nodes 120, 122, 124. By way of example, three such data collecting nodes are shown, but larger or smaller pluralities are also covered by the present invention. It is sufficient that the data communication network comprises at least one data collecting node 120, which is configured to collect data for at least one specific task. The task may for example be the measurement of meteorological parameters, the inspection of a facility, the detection of objects or humans, or any other task that relies on data in order to be completed. The data collecting node 120 is considered to be an “edge” device in a cloud computing architecture. The communication network 100 further comprises a set or swarm comprising a plurality of sensor nodes 110, 112, 114, 116. Each sensor node may be equipped with a specific sensor, or with a plurality of different sensors, comprising but not limited to any of an audio sensor, image sensor, air pollution sensor, hygrometry sensor, thermometer, barometer, proximity sensor, position sensor, gyroscope. The sensor nodes 110, 112, 114, 116 generate data. A sensor node may for example be a smartphone, an loT device, or a drone, such as an airborne drone.

[0039] In a first step 01 of the method, a distributed ledger 130, comprising by way of example a blockchain is provided on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network. While the data collecting node 120 may be one of the blockchain nodes holding a copy of the distributed ledger, the blockchain nodes and the set of data collecting nodes 120, 122, 124 may also form disjoint or overlapping sets of network nodes, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the data collecting node 120 may be one of the blockchain nodes holding a lightweight copy of the distributed ledger, wherein only information that is required to authenticate sensor nodes based on their unique digital identifier is stored in the lightweight copy.

[0040] On the distributed ledger 130, data entries or transactions 132, 134 store pre-recorded unique digital identifiers 113, 115, 119, which are associated with tasks. The unique digital identifiers may preferably be compliant with the DID, Decentralized Identifier, standard. If the distributed ledger 130 associates the digital identifier 113, which is associated with sensor node 112, with task Tl, this implies that data generated by sensor node 112 can be accepted and trusted for completing task Tl . By way of example, sensor node 112 may comprise a camera sensor which has been verified to capture images at a resolution high enough for the task Tl of “intruder detection” to be fulfilled using the data generated by the sensor node 112. Other sensor nodes, although they might be equipped with camera sensors, may not be trustworthy or may not have the technical capabilities for generating the type of data that is required by task Tl .

[0041] The sensor nodes 110, 112, 114, 116 are typically loT devices that are deployed in an environment. They may comprise mobile nodes quipped with sensors such as smartphones, or they may be stationary once deployed. Similarly, the data collecting nodes 120, 122, 124 may be mobile relative to the sensor nodes. The at least one data collecting node is equipped with detection means, for example using data network scanning or other known techniques, for detecting a sensor node in the environment 101, contacting the sensor node and for interacting with the detected sensor node using data transmission means 125 and data communication means 127, in order to obtain the sensor node’s unique digital identifier, which is stored on the sensor node.

[0042] In the example situation of figure 2, data collecting node 120 is within detection reach of sensor nodes 110 and 112. The data processor 121 of the data collecting node 120 is programmed by appropriately formulated software code instructions to perform all described tasks, including communicating with the detected sensor nodes 110 and 112 to obtain their respective unique digital identifiers 111 and 113. The data collecting nodes then verifies whether any of the unique digital identifiers 111, 113 is associated in the distributed ledger 130 with the task Tl that it is itself associated with. The data collecting node may either collect data for a task that is performed elsewhere, or for a task that it performs and completes itself. In the provided example, the digital identifier 111 is not associated with task Tl, so that the data collecting node 120 refuses to collect data from the corresponding sensor node 110. The digital identifier 113 is associated with task Tl. The corresponding sensor node 112 is therefore trusted as a data provider for task Tl .

[0043] At step 03, the data collecting node 120 therefore collects data 117 that is transmitted from sensor node 112 and stores it in a local memory element.

[0044] Step 03 is only performed if the previous authentication step has been successfully validated. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, at least part of the received data from the sensor node 112 may also be used at the data collecting node to verify the integrity of the sensor node 112. By way of a non-limiting example, the data collecting node 120 may be configured to verify whether the received data indeed corresponds to the type of data for which the sensor node 112 has been cleared (e.g., verify that it is receiving temperature data if temperature data is required by task Tl, and sensor node 112 is trusted for providing temperature data). Only verified data may then be used to perform the task.

[0045] Similarly, the data collecting node 122, which is associated with a different task T2, has detected sensor node 114. After obtaining the unique digital identifier 115 from the sensor node 114, and verifying the association of the identifier 115 with task T2 in the distributed ledger 130, the sensor allows data 118 generated at the sensor node 114 to be received. It should be noted that the sensor node 114 is capable of generating two different types of data (for example temperature data 118 and acceleration data 119). One or more types of data may be required for a given task, and only the corresponding type of data is allowed to be received at the corresponding data collecting node. By way of example, task T2 may be registered on the distributed ledger to only rely on temperature data from identifier 115, so that only temperature data 118, and no acceleration data 119 is received by the collecting node 122. To complete the example shown in Figure 1, a third data collecting node 124, associated with a third different task T3 relying on acceleration data (by way of non-limiting example), has also detected the sensor node 114 in its detection reach. It obtains the unique identifier 115 and verifies whether it is associated with task T3 in the distributed ledger 130. In the illustrated scenario, this test is positive, so that the data collecting node 124 receives acceleration data 119 (only, and no temperature data 118) from the sensing node 114.

[0046] It should be noted that the authentication of sensor nodes is done at the network edge, using the data collecting nodes, which rely on the data registered in the distributed ledger. Ideally, each data collecting node is part of the blockchain network and therefore has direct access to a local copy of the distributed ledger 130. Once a new sensor node is deployed, a corresponding unique digital identifier is associated with the sensor node and stored thereon. Further, possibly at least one data type that the sensor node is capable of generating is associated with one or more task on the distributed ledger. From that moment on, once the distributed ledger has been updated for each node in the blockchain network, each data collecting node that is associated with a corresponding task, and that might detect the newly deployed sensor node at any point in time, will immediately be able to verify from the distributed ledger whether it can accept and trust data generated by the newly deployed sensor node. This allows for on-the-fly deployment and on-the-fly authentication of loT swarm devices in an Edge-IoT network infrastructure.

[0047] Figure 3 illustrates another preferred embodiment, which shares most of the features and technical effects described in the context of the embodiment shown in Figure 2, unless otherwise noted. The data communication network 200 comprises data collecting nodes 220, 222, 224. By way of example, three such data collecting nodes are shown, but larger or smaller pluralities are also covered by the present invention. It is sufficient that the data communication network comprises at least one data collecting node 220, which is configured to collect data for at least one specific task Tl. The data collecting node 220 is considered to be an “edge” device in a cloud computing architecture. The communication network 200 further comprises a set or swarm comprising a plurality of sensor nodes 210, 212, 214, 216. Each sensor node may be equipped with a specific sensor, or with a plurality of different sensors, that generate data of possibly different types, as previously explained.

[0048] In a first step 01 of the method, a distributed ledger 230, comprising by way of example a blockchain is provided on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network. While the data collecting node 220 may be one of the blockchain nodes holding a copy of the distributed ledger, the blockchain nodes and the set of data collecting nodes 220, 222, 224 may also form disjoint or overlapping sets of network nodes, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0049] On the distributed ledger 230, data entries or transactions 232, 234 store pre-recorded unique digital identifiers 211, 213 which are associated with tasks. In the illustrated example, the unique digital identifier 211, which is stored on and associated with sensor node 210, is trusted to provide data for task T2. Task T2 is associated with the data collecting node 222. The unique digital identifier 213, which is stored on and associated with sensor node 212, is trusted for providing data fortask Tl. Task T1 is associated with the data collecting node 220.

[0050] The sensor nodes 210, 212, 214, 216 are typically loT devices that are deployed in an environment 201. They may comprise mobile nodes quipped with sensors such as smartphones, or they may be stationary once deployed. Similarly, the data collecting nodes 220, 222, 224 may be mobile relative to the sensor nodes. The at least one data collecting node is equipped with detection means 223, for example using data network scanning or other known techniques, for detecting a sensor node in the environment 201, for contacting the sensor nodes and for interacting with the detected sensor nodes using data transmission means 225 and data communication means 227, in order to obtain the detected sensor node’s unique digital identifier, which is stored on the sensor node.

[0051] In the example situation of figure 3, data collecting node 220 is within detection reach of sensor node 212. The data processor 221 of the data collecting node 220 is programmed by appropriately formulated software code instructions to perform all described tasks, including communicating with the detected sensor node 212 to obtain its unique digital identifiers 213. The data collecting node then verifies whether the unique digital identifier 213 is associated in the distributed ledger 230 with the task Tl that it is itself associated with. In the provided example, the digital identifier 213 is associated with task T 1. The corresponding sensor node 212 is therefore trusted as a data provider for task Tl .

[0052] At step 03, the data collecting node 220 therefore accepts and collects data 217 that is transmitted from sensor node 212 and stores it in a local memory element. The data collecting node 220 does not perform the task Tl itself, but it rather relays the collected data 217 to a cloud architecture or backbone network 240 which provides more computing and / or power resources. The backbone network 240 comprises a plurality of computing nodes 242, 244, 246 of which at least one is configured to complete task Tl with data 217 transmitted from any of the data collecting nodes.

[0053] The depicted architecture may be described as comprising several layers: the swarm layer comprising the sensor nodes 210, 212, 214, 216 generates any possible types of data. A higher edge layer comprising the data collecting nodes 220, 222, 224 accepts, through on-the-fly authentication of detected sensor nodes using the distributed ledger 230, only trusted and useful data from the swarm layer. This data processing and filtering close to the data source, implies that only relevant and trusted data is ever sent to the third cloud layer or network backbone 240. Compared to known architectures, the proposed method and system improves on the data reliability and trust, provides the ad-hoc availability of sensor data once new sensors are deployed, and it reduces data communication with the backbone or cloud network to include only relevant, useful, and trusted data.

[0054] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that once data collecting node 222 detects sensor node 210, it may accept to collect its data, as the unique digital identifier 211 of sensor node 210 is associated with task T2 in the distributed ledger 230.

[0055] It should be noted that features described for a specific embodiment described herein may be combined with the features of other embodiments unless the contrary is explicitly mentioned. Based on the description and on the figures that have been provided, a person with ordinary skills in the art will be enabled to develop a computer program for implementing the described methods without undue burden and without requiring additional inventive skill.

[0056] It should be understood that the detailed description of specific preferred embodiments is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. The scope of protection is defined by the following set of claims.

Claims

Claims1. A method for reliable data collecting in a data communication network (100, 200) comprising at least one data collecting node (120,122,124 ; 220, 222, 224), which is configured to collect data for at least one specific task (Tl, T2, T3), and a plurality of sensor nodes (110,112,114,116 ; 210,212,214,216) that generate data, comprising the steps of: providing (01) a distributed ledger (130, 230) on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network, in which unique digital identifiers (111,113,115 ; 211,213) of sensor nodes (110,112,114 ; 210,212) are stored and associated with tasks; at the data collecting node (120, 220), using detection means (123, 223), detecting (02) a sensor node and interacting with the sensor node (110,112,114; 210,212) using data transmission (125, 225) and data reception means (127, 127), in order to obtain the sensor node’s unique digital identifier (111,113,115 ; 211,213); at the data collecting node (120, 220), collecting (03) data (117,118,119 ; 217) transmitted from the sensor node, wherein the data comprises data generated by the sensor node, if the obtained unique digital identifier (111,113,115 ; 211,213) is registered in the distributed ledger (130, 230) and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task (Tl, T2, T3).

2. A method for reliable data collecting at a data collecting node (120, 220) in a data communication network (100, 200), wherein the data collecting node is configured to collect data for at least one specific task (Tl, T2, T3), comprising the steps of: at the data collecting node, using detection means (123, 223), detecting a sensor node (110,112,114; 210,212) and receiving, using reception means, a unique digital identifier (111,113,115 ; 211 ,213 ) from the sensor node ; at the data collecting node, receiving, using reception means, collected data (117,118,119 ; 217) from the sensor node, if the unique digital identifier is registered in a distributed ledger (130, 230) hosted on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network, and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said collected data (117,118,119 ; 217) is used to perform said at least one specific task (Tl, T2, T3).

4. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the set of blockchain nodes comprises said data collecting node (120, 220).

5. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one sensor node (114) is capable of generating a plurality of data types (115, 119), and wherein each type of generated data is associated with respective tasks (T2, T3) in the distributed ledger (120, 130).

6. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein a smart contract that is deployed on said blockchain network stores the associations between unique digital identifiers and tasks.

7. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein the data communication network (200) further comprises a backbone network (240), to which the data collecting node (220, 222, 224) transmits the collected data (217).

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein at backbone network (240) comprises at least one computing node (242, 244, 246) that performs said at least one task (Tl) using the collected data (217).

9. The method in accordance with any of the previous claims, wherein at least one task is performed at the data collecting node using the collected data.

10. The method in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further comprising the preliminary step of generating a unique digital identifier for a sensor node, associating the data that the sensor node is capable of generating with at least one task, and associating the unique digital identifier with said at least one task in said distributed ledger.

11. A data collecting node (120, 220) comprising detection means (113, 213), data reception means (125, 225), data transmission means, (127, 227) a memory elementand data processing means (121, 212), wherein the data processing means are configured to: detect a sensor node (110,112 ; 210, 212) using the detection means and receive, using the data reception means, a unique digital identifier (111, 113) from the sensor node; receive, using the data reception means, collected data (117) from the sensor node (112), if the unique digital identifier (113) is registered in a distributed ledger (130, 320) hosted on a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network to which the data collecting node has access, and if it is associated therein with said at least one specific task (Tl).

12. The data collecting node in accordance with claim 11, wherein the data processing means are further configured to carry out the method steps in accordance with any of claims 3 to 10.

13. The data collecting node in accordance with any of claims 11 or 12, wherein it is implemented in a mobile computing device such as a mobile phone, an automotive vehicle, or an drone.

14. A computer program comprising computer readable code means, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method in accordance with any of claims 1 to 10.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium on which the computer program according to claim 14 is stored.

16. A data communication network (100, 200) comprising at least one data collecting node (120, 220), which collects data for at least one specific task (Tl, T2, T3), a plurality of sensor nodes that generate data, and a set of blockchain nodes forming a blockchain network on which a distributed ledger (130, 230) is hosted in which unique digital identifiers of sensor nodes are stored and associated with tasks, characterized in that the at least one data collecting node is in accordance with any of claims 11 to 13.

17. The data communication network in accordance with claim 16, wherein the sensor nodes comprise any of an audio sensor, image sensor, air pollution sensor, hygrometry sensor, a proximity sensor, position sensor, or any combination thereof.

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