An efficient blockchain-based resource allocation and secure data storage model using Fire Hawk Optimization and entropy in health tourism

Tourist healthcare plays a vital role in fostering economic growth. Nevertheless, it faces significant challenges related to secure data processing and storage. Existing solutions often leverage fog and cloud computing in conjunction with blockchain technology. However, this area requires further investigation. In this paper, we introduce an efficient Blockchain-based Smart Tourism Healthcare (BSTH) model leveraging Fire Hawk Optimization (FHO) and entropy for resource allocation and secure data storage. First, a novel Computational Resource Allocation mechanism based on FHO (CRA-FHO) combined with entropy is proposed to efficiently assign healthcare data processing tasks to appropriate fog nodes, with escalation to cloud resources when necessary, ensuring optimal resource utilization. Next, innovative data storage structures—including matrix-Merkle blocks and an odd/even chain of blocks—are introduced to improve the scalability and trustworthiness of the blockchain by reducing storage space requirements. Additionally, a new Reputation-based Proof of Authority (RPoA) consensus protocol, grounded in entropy, is proposed for securely verifying transaction blocks. To evaluate the effectiveness of BSTH, we conducted assessments across various scenarios. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in the required storage space for the matrix-Merkle block and the odd/even chain of blocks, as well as in energy consumption and latency when using CRA-FHO. Additionally, BSTH prevents fork occurrences and protects against potential attacks such as Sybil, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), and Eclipse.