ProvenanceWho

ProvenanceWho is a framework and platform designed to capture, store, and verify the provenance of both tangible and digital assets. It seeks to provide a transparent, tamper-evident record of an asset’s origin, custody, and transformations across its lifecycle, enabling users to trace lineage from source to present steward through a standardized data model and verification process.

The concept emphasizes interoperable provenance data that can be shared across organizations and systems. It typically relies on a structured provenance graph, cryptographic proofs, and time-stamped records to ensure data integrity. In practice, ProvenanceWho aggregates inputs from creators, custodians, registries, and marketplaces, and it may utilize distributed ledger technology, trusted third-party attestations, or centralized ledgers depending on the deployment model. Data formats and APIs are designed to support cross-border and cross-domain use, from art and collectibles to supply chains and data products.

Governance and standards are central to ProvenanceWho. Projects often propose common schemas for origins, events, ownership, custody changes, and transformations, along with privacy controls to protect sensitive information. Adoption typically involves industry coalitions, open standards, and interoperability testing to ensure that provenance records remain verifiable when exchanged between different systems.

Applications and benefits span art markets, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, food supply chains, and data governance. Benefits include increased trust, fraud reduction, enhanced accountability, and improved traceability for compliance and recalls. Challenges include balancing privacy with transparency, ensuring data quality, achieving broad interoperability, and incentivizing widespread participation.