Location data technology company Blis has announced a pilot platform to add transparency across the data ecosystem.

Backed by Unilever, Endeit and Beringea, the platform is in response to increased industry challenges around transparency and verification of data, including location and demographic data, and will run on the IBM Blockchain Platform.

With this new platform, the source of the geographical data is written to the blockchain, aiming to give advertisers and data providers greater confidence in the provenance of the data by giving them access to a transparent blockchain that is immutable and verified.

The pilot partner on the platform, Unilever, will help evaluate and refine the service Blis can provide to advertisers and data providers moving forward.

Blis CEO Greg Isbister said: “We’ve taken an innovative approach to tracking geographical data for digital advertising to solve a critical problem.

“Combining our deep expertise with blockchain technology will allow us to deliver a new solution that will address the growing trust, accountability and transparency needs that are pressing the advertising industry.”

Luis Di Como, executive vice president of global media at Unilever, said the company is committed to partnering with organisations which create better digital infrastructure.