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Emirati Platform Uses Blockchain to Display Heritage Items and Protect Against Theft

Amid thefts of artworks and cultural artifacts from museums, the Emirati academic Mohamed Al-Hemairy is designing a blockchain platform to showcase the United Arab Emirates’ cultural heritage and convert physical objects into digital assets known as NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.

Al-Hemairy is the lead researcher on a project launched last fall by the University of Sharjah and the BSV Blockchain Association, based in Switzerland, to develop the system.

In an interview, Al-Hemairy told Al-Fanar Media that the project would employ the immutable, highly secure nature of blockchain technology to preserve the intellectual property and heritage of the Emirati people, and to design a virtual exhibition space for Arab culture and Islamic heritage. The platform is likely to be launched within six months, he said.

“The platform’s reliance on blockchain technology will help prevent tampering with the ever-growing databases, and allow for a secure exchange of valuable items displayed on the platform, for sales, purchases, or exchange with other items,” Al-Hemairy said.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger of transactions that uses encryption to secure information about each transaction. Museums have recently been exploring how they can use this technology to help them manage their collections and provide other benefits.

The project marks the second time the University of Sharjah and the BSV Blockchain Association have joined on a research project involving blockchain technology.

Al-Hemairy said a motivation behind the new project was his desire to employ technology to introduce new generations of Emiratis and expatriates to cultural legacies through NFTs. Anyone will be able to buy, rent or exchange these digital assets on the platform.

The platform also aims to preserve rare documents and historical holdings.

“The platform’s reliance on blockchain technology will help prevent tampering with the ever-growing databases, and allow for a secure exchange of valuable items displayed on the platform, for sales, purchases, or exchange with other items.”

Mohamed Al-Hemairy, head of technology transfer at the University of Sharjah and the project’s lead researcher

“The project research team will work on archiving rare photos and videos of the founders and leaders of the U.A.E., converting them into NFTs and preserving them on the blockchain network as a historical legacy,” Al-Hemairy said.

Interest in Intellectual Property

An expert on intellectual property and technology transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship, and blockchain/Web3.0, Al-Hemairy is head of the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Sharjah.

His interest in computer science and intellectual property began during his undergraduate studies at the United Arab Emirates University’s College of Science, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2002. As a researcher, he then joined scientific research and postgraduate studies at the university.

He went on to advanced studies in the United Kingdom, obtaining a master’s degree in information and data technology from the University of Edinburgh in 2014, then a Ph.D. in software engineering and biomedical systems from Coventry University in 2016. 

He explained that the new cultural heritage project included two phases. The first entails developing and designing the platform’s operating system and linking it to the “metaverse.” In the second phase, the platform will be marketed commercially and made available to everyone around the globe.

The project’s research team has begun to discuss signing partnerships with museums and government agencies to display their heritage holdings on the platform. Citizens are also enthusiastic about displaying their holdings on the new platform, said Al-Hemairy.

Secure Exchanges of Ownership

Manar Abu Talib, a member of the project’s research team, said that the platform would use blockchain’s “smart contracts” feature to organise the processes of owning, exchanging ownership, or selling and buying heritage assets, without the need for a third party, in a secure, decentralized, automated environment.

“The integrated system will use an open-source solution that will be shared with a huge community of developers, both individuals and institutions, to promote further improvements, enhancements, and community engagement.”

Abu Talib, a professor at the University of Sharjah and a member of the project’s research team

“The integrated system will use an open-source solution that will be shared with a huge community of developers, both individuals and institutions, to promote further improvements, enhancements, and community engagement,” said Abu Talib, who is an associate professor of computer science and software engineering at the University of Sharjah.

Al-Hemairy aspires to take his project from a local platform to a global one that allows everyone around the world to benefit from its technical characteristics, to display property and collectibles of intangible value, protect them from thefts, and enhance and maximise their effects for new generations.

Nabil El-Kadhi, a researcher in computer science, believes that the use of blockchain technology to identify historical products and legacies reflects an awareness of this technology’s role in redefining trust, transparency, and inclusion all over the world. He told Al-Fanar Media that the technology will facilitate easier and safer transactions, and, most importantly, it will protect the intellectual property rights of these ancient heritage products against theft.

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