Ternoa, the blockchain behind the project
Ternoa is a blockchain project whose main objective is to transcend the current limitations of digital and physical data storage, whatever form that may take. At the heart of the challenges posed by data storage, one encounters over and over again the issues of data security, data sustainability, and the importance of respect for the integrity of all forms of data (privacy and integrity). To address these challenges, Ternoa allows its users to store information in any format, while guaranteeing that they can manage access to and availability of this data. Furthermore, the project ensures that this information will still be available many decades down the line.
So let’s explore how the Ternoa Blockchain works in a little more detail. In essence, Ternoa allows its users to create time capsules whose opening and reception methods are chosen by the creator of the capsule. The user decides when and how the capsule can be opened and received, and by whom. The sustainability, transparency, and above all the security of the Ternoa project are guaranteed by the power of blockchain technology. Among others, the Ternoa Blockchain uses the Polkadot blockchain as well as the Substrate framework, which is a development environment facilitating the technical deployment of Ternoa’s functionalities. The Polkadot network, meanwhile, facilitates interactions between the Ternoa Blockchain and other blockchains while preserving a high degree of network scalability.
The Ternoa Blockchain is based on a Nominated-Proof-Of-Stake consensus (very similar to DPoS), which addresses many of the limitations of other major protocols, such as Bitcoin’s PoW or Ethereum’s PoS. We will also see later that the operation of the Polkadot blockchain is extremely relevant in the context of the Ternoa project because the blockchain is often required to communicate with other decentralized ecosystems. Finally, the entire Ternoa project is open-source. It is based on the development of Smart Contracts, which allow it to create transparent data transfer protocols to the community, while also making use of encryption processes. These will not be detailed in this article but are available on the project’s official white paper.
The aforementioned interoperability, as enabled by the Substrate framework and the Polkadot blockchain, allows the Ternoa network to communicate with blockchains which are highly specialized in certain data protocols. For example, the Ternoa Blockchain redirects files stored in time capsules to blockchains who specialize in decentralized file storage (such as Arweave, Sia or Storj) while keeping a copy of the file on its own network. The advantage of this process is to increase the security of the data storage entrusted by the user to Ternoa, since the file is then copied (fragmented) to several locations. In addition, interoperability makes it possible to connect the Ternoa Blockchain to Chainlink, the leading blockchain for decentralized oracle solutions. Broadly speaking, Chainlink helps to make sure that certain terms and conditions in the management of a capsule’s issuance and delivery, in particular challenges related to time and demographics, are respected.
The Ternoa Blockchain also has its own token, the Ternoa token, the precise tokenomics of which will be developed in a future article. But suffice to say, these tokens have a number of interesting features. Not only do they allow us to create data-carrying time capsules, but they also make it possible to finance the decentralized storage of those capsules over a long period of time, while simultaneously ensuring their encryption. The tokens also help to ensure that the masternodes of the Ternoa Blockchain are remunerated. It’s worth pointing out that the Ternoa Blockchain operates by NPoS consensus and therefore has Validators and Nominators that guarantee the integrity of the network — for this reason, they are remunerated in tokens.
Importantly, the time capsules take the form of non-fungible tokens (commonly called NFTs). The creation of a time capsule is associated with the creation of different encryption keys dispersed between the different masternodes of the Ternoa Blockchain, and whose assembly is necessary to allow the opening of the time capsule. This diagram from the official white paper summarizes the workflow of these NFTs :
It should be noted that the issuance of NFTs requires that the user has Ternoa tokens in their wallet as this is necessary to finance the previously stated fees.
In addition, the Ternoa Blockchain develops data transmission protocols through five main Smart Contracts. In the long term, dApps will be able to use these protocols proposed by the Ternoa team. These protocols are as follows;
- The Safe Protocol: This Smart Contract allows data to be stored decentrally on the Ternoa Blockchain and on the other blockchains mentioned above, and makes it possible for the data to be consulted at any time. In short, this is a form of storage that is quite basic in its concept, but one that is associated with all the security and transparency inherent in the Ternoa project.
- The D-Day Protocol: This Smart Contract makes it possible to define the exact date of reception of a time capsule to a given recipient. We can put this protocol in a safe that can only be opened on or after a specific date.
- The Consent Protocol: This Smart Contract lets users decide on the authorization for the issuance of a capsule by a group of users. The creator has a right-of-remorse for a predefined period regarding this authorization which they can assert once the group of users has made the request to issue the capsule. Without opposition from the creator during the aforementioned period of time, the protocol judges that the creator still consents to the sending of the capsule.
- The Death Protocol: This Smart Contract allows the capsule to be sent once the creator has died. Thus, the capsules transmitted through this protocol contain posthumous data.
- The Countdown: This Smart Contract allows the creation of a countdown (surprise, surprise) before the capsule is sent. This countdown can be rebooted at any time by the capsule creator.
Additionally, by using Substrate, the Ternoa Blockchain ensures democratic governance of the project and its evolution through a voting system addressed to network users holding Ternoa tokens. Submitted ideas are listed in queues and will then be voted on by referendum. It should be noted that the weight of a vote is proportional to the quantity of tokens held by the voter.
To conclude this brief summary of the Ternoa Blockchain, we will point out that the technology is largely characterized by its openness to other decentralized ecosystems, thus constituting a pillar of development that is as solid as it is malleable for new performances and functionalities. The Ternoa Blockchain is also strongly marked by its transparency and security. For more information, do not hesitate to consult the white paper of the project.
