DECENTRALIZED IOT-BASED ARCHITECTURES FOR TAMPER-PROOF AGRICULTURAL SENSOR NETWORKS: ENSURING END-TO-END DATA INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE

Abstract

As communication technologies evolve, the IoT has transitioned from nascent development to near maturity, driving exponential growth in data transmission and processing. This advancement imposes increasingly stringent performance requirements on the management of globally distributed IoT infrastructures. Current centralized IoT device management platforms, however, face critical technical limitations, including vulnerability to cyber-attacks, single points of failure, and scalability challenges. To address these issues while adhering to regulatory mandates for data confidentiality, this study proposes a blockchain-integrated IoT sensor system designed to enhance data security, transparency, and accessibility. The framework combines IoT-based sensor networks with blockchain technology to establish an immutable, decentralized ledger for device interactions, ensuring tamper-resistant data records and secure access control. A smart contract governs the application’s business logic, automating rules for user-device interactions, data monitoring, and device management. The system’s efficacy is validated through a prototype implementation using NodeMCU microcontrollers and permissioned blockchain networks, with performance evaluated across metrics such as latency, throughput, and resource utilization. A case study in cotton field agriculture demonstrates the platform’s practical application, integrating irrigation automation to optimize water consumption. Empirical results indicate a 35% reduction in water usage while maintaining crop yield, alongside robust resistance to unauthorized data tampering. Comparative analysis highlights the solution’s superiority over centralized alternatives in scalability and resilience, particularly for resource-constrained IoT environments. By harmonizing IoT’s sensing capabilities with blockchain’s decentralized security, this work advances agricultural management practices, offering a robust, transparent, and efficient paradigm for modern IoT deployments. The findings underscore the transformative potential of blockchain-IoT integration in fostering sustainable, data-driven decision-making across diverse industrial sectors.