Australia’s Monash University has recently launched a centre that will bring together world-leading researchers in blockchain technology in order to push the frontiers of research in the rapidly expanding field.
About the Centre
- According to a recent press release, the Monash Blockchain Technology Centre (MBTC) will develop secure foundations for this technology from fintech to supply chain management.
- In addition, it will demonstrate its usability and practical outcomes.
- The centre will also positively impact the community through ground-breaking research involving a variety of industries and societal sectors.
- Through the Centre, people can be better educated on how blockchain technology can be used to solve real-world challenges.
- The visionary research will bring this closer to realising its true potential.
- Blockchain is currently being used in areas such as digital health services, supply chain management, and the delivery of energy across smart grids.
- The global blockchain market is forecast to grow to an estimated US$ 60 billion by 2024, and Australia has the capacity to play a leading role, according to Professor Jon Whittle, the University’s Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology (IT).
Who are Involved?
- Monash is the birthplace of big ideas in computing and IT.
- Working with various faculties and international partners in the Asia-Pacific region will also elevate the Centre’s innovative work.
- These partners include Shanghai Jiao Tong University and CollinStar Capital.
- The Centre was created to serve as a platform for gathering like-minded organisations and faculties across the University, such as law, medicine, business and engineering.
- Cross-organisational and interdisciplinary collaborations will help in applying the innovations in a wider range of contexts.
- Through training and targeted micro-credentials, the MBTC will empower those leading the change in order to enhance the efficiency, security and performance of blockchain technology.
Improving Injury Prevention and Safety
In other news, the University’s Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit (VISU) has developed a new interactive online tool that provides unprecedented access to injury data in Victoria.
It aims to easier translate injury data into practice as well as spur injury prevention and safety promotion programs for the benefit of local communities.
The interactive online tool is expected to be utilised by state and local government agencies, health and injury prevention organisations, media, business and industry, education institutes, researchers and the community.
The VISU Injury Atlas of Victoria offers hospital admission data on unintentional injuries such as falls, drowning, transport, and poisoning, among others. It also has a dedicated focus on sports injuries.
Key technical features of the software include the ability to:
- Explore unintentional injury and sports injury data for the years 2006-17 extracted from the Victorian Admitted Episodes dataset, in the unintentional injury atlas and sports injury atlas
- Explore injury data by selected causes, age groups, gender, body region injured, place of injury, bed days and year of hospital admission
- Visualise the injury data in tables, maps and graphs as counts, proportions or rates per 100,000 people where applicable
- Download maps, charts and data tables for free after registering with the Injury Atlas of Victoria
The VISU Injury Atlas will also include a link to the parent Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit data request service, which will continue to service more complex data requests.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is proud to support VISU in launching the new Injury Atlas online tool as it will make comprehensive injury data more accessible to the Victorian community.
