Blockchain in the AECO industry: Current status, key topics, and future research agenda

Blockchain has attracted great attention in the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) industry. To capture its research trends, this study conducted a comprehensive review of blockchain development in the industry using a mixed approach of bibliometrics and content analyses. Ninety-four papers were filtered from the Scopus and Web of Science databases for this review. Bibliometric analysis revealed annual publication trends, journal distributions, country distributions, high-yielding authors, author cooperation networks, and keyword co-occurrence networks, whereas content analysis identified five key topics of contract management, supply chain management, information management, stakeholder management, and the integration of blockchain with other technologies. Research gaps and future research directions are articulated and explained within the research framework. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by synthesizing the current state and development areas of blockchain research, which would promote the strategic adoption and use of blockchain to a greater extent in the AECO industry.

Automated summary

This study conducted a comprehensive review of blockchain development in the AECO industry using bibliometrics and content analyses, identifying key research trends and topics which can promote strategic adoption of blockchain in the industry.