Measuring Blockchain Decentralization with EDI
The Edinburgh Decentralisation Index (EDI), developed by the Blockchain Technology Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, is an initiative aimed at defining and measuring the decentralization of blockchain systems. By incorporating metrics from diverse fields such as economics and network science, EDI provides a comprehensive assessment of blockchain networks beyond conventional measures.
EDI is more than just a set of numerical indicators; it introduces an innovative framework with user-friendly tools and interfaces designed to support the blockchain community in a collaborative and transparent manner. With its alpha release, EDI examines key elements of blockchain architecture, including the consensus, tokenomics, and software layers, offering valuable insights into decentralization dynamics.
The Big Ideas Accelerator: Fuelling Innovation Across Disciplines
The Big Ideas Accelerator is a new internal seed-funding scheme at the University of Edinburgh, aimed at fostering radically interdisciplinary ideas that span across multiple Colleges. Designed to support innovative collaborations and disruptive ideas, the fund provides financial assistance for projects that require proof of concept or further development—initiatives that would otherwise fall outside the scope of external funding or existing internal schemes.
The funding panel prioritizes proposals that can strategically enhance cross-college research connections in interdisciplinary domains with the potential to address the critical issues of tomorrow.
EDI Secures Big Ideas Accelerator Grant
We are excited to announce that EDI successfully applied for and was awarded the Big Ideas Accelerator grant. This funding has enabled continued support for hardware and data archiving facilities crucial to the project’s long-term success.
To achieve this, EDI leverages the Edinburgh International Data Facility (EIDF), a high-powered analytics and storage service built and managed by the University of Edinburgh’s supercomputing centre.
Edinburgh International Data Facility (EIDF): A Backbone for EDI’s Infrastructure
The EIDF plays a pivotal role in long-term hosting and curation of regional, national, and international datasets, serving a wide range of academic, industry, and government stakeholders.
EIDF provides high-performance computing environments, supporting both cloud-like and supercomputing capabilities for research and innovation. It offers Safe Haven services for secure data access, benefiting healthcare and government users. Its resilient, high-capacity infrastructure is housed at EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility, ensuring robust data management.
EPCC, part of the University of Edinburgh, stands as the UK’s leading centre for Supercomputing and Data Science expertise, hosting three UK National Supercomputing Services.
Trademark Protection for EDI
Thanks to this funding, we have also successfully registered trademarks for both the name and logo of EDI in the UK. Additionally, we have recently filed for trademark protection in the USA and Switzerland, reinforcing our commitment to establishing EDI as a recognized and trusted standard in blockchain decentralization research.
We are excited about these developments and look forward to further advancing EDI’s mission to enhance transparency and decentralization in blockchain networks globally.
