An article from Coindesk (http://www.coindesk.com/vermont-approves-blockchain-impact-study/) confirms that the state of Vermont has commissioned a study to determine the economic costs and benefits of blockchain technology. Blockchain is a distributed database used to maintain a continuously growing list of records, called blocks. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previous block. Blockchains are inherently resistant to modification of the data and once recorded the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network. The first blockchain was implemented as a core component of the digital currency bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for all transactions. Now blockchain is being used all over the world to improve other businesses including health care, land record systems, and investments.