System and Method for Determining the Relative Timing of Events Occurring in Geographically Disparate Locations

A system for determining the relative timing of geographically distributed events, the system comprising:

• a plurality of nodes wherein the plurality of nodes are geographically distributed wherein each node comprises a public-key cryptographic signing mechanism, a storage system, and a network interface and wherein each node has a location and wherein each node is operative to maintain a blockchain comprising a chain of sequential, cryptographically-signed blocks wherein each block refers to an immediately-preceding block;
• for each node, an accurate time source in communication with the node;
• wherein a first node of the plurality of nodes is operative to receive a first block of data communicated from a user, to sign the first block of data cryptographically by operation of the public-key cryptographic signing mechanism of the first node with a timestamp of reception of the first block of data provided by the accurate time source in communication with the first node, the location of the first node, and a hash of an immediately-preceding block of the blockchain of the first node to form a first user event and to insert the first user event into the blockchain of the first node;
• and
• wherein a second node of the plurality of nodes is operative to receive a second block of data communicated from a user, to sign the second block of data cryptographically by operation of the public-key cryptographic signing mechanism of the second node with a timestamp of reception of the second block of data provided by the accurate time source in communication with the second node, the location of the second node, and a hash of an immediately-preceding block of the blockchain of the second node to form a second user event and to insert the second user event into the blockchain of the second node.