RFid Blog

It is yet another achievement of RFID. The Australian Defense Force (ADF) has embraced RFID technology to track the supplies it delivers to the Middle East countries and also in its own country.

According to media reports, the ADF has shipped its first active RFID-tagged cargo from Sydney’s Mascot Airport on airplanes destined for Iraq and Afghanistan. These supplies will be automatically tracked by interoperable RFID networks built for coalition forces including USA, UK and NATO.

Lockheed Martin-owned Savi Technology will develop the networks and provide RFID supports for the implementation and execution of Track and Trace System that uses RFID tags to track supplies delivered by ADF. Savi also provides its RFID solutions to the coalition forces.

Based on ISO 18000- 7 standards, the Savi RFID technologies are widely used for the interoperability of RFID-tagged consignments pass through diverse networks.

ADF hopes this system will provide real-time information about the consignments until they reach their destinations.

Shall we prefer a technology if it is influenced by regulation rather than market driven forces? This is what happening with the RFID technology in recent years.

Despite the varied advantages, the technology is widely criticized because of privacy factors. Therefore, the consumer protection groups always debate for strong rules and regulation for this technology.

For instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California who at once rejected the Information Protection Act 2006 on the ground that it could be excessively preventive to state agencies, will decide upon the the five bills, which have reference on the use of RFID technology.

Not surprisingly, the bills would be introduced by none other than Sen Joe Simitan, who earlier tabled the Information Protection Act 2006. The mandates of the five bills are more or less similar to that of Information Protection Act 2006.

The commonality of these bills is to regulate use of RFID technology in government documents.

According to the bills, the state would impose a three-year restriction on the use of RFID technology in California driver’s licenses and school IDs and set safeguards for existing RFID-enabled government IDs. The bill will also impose restrictions on the companies who compel their employees to bear RFID tags.

If the bills were approved by the senate, then there would be a proper code of conduct for the controversial RFID technology.

Last year, the government of Germany implemented RFID technology in the FIFA World Cup 2006, as part of the security measure and got the result. Now, same thing is happening with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

According to an RFID Journal story, Barbados is implementing RFID technology to ensure security for the final match of the ongoing mega cricketing event. The final match will be held on Saturday, 28 April.

The Port of Bridgetown in Barbados has joined hands with AXCESS to deploy an integrated RFID and sensor system to keep a vigilant eye at the vehicles and people that pass through the port to reach the venue.
The port authorities will use AXCESS ActiveTag, wireless sensors, underwater cameras that work in concert to detect and manage security threats.
During FIFA World Cup, the organizers used RFID technology in the tickets to obtain all vital data regarding the seat number, sponsor of the game and personal information of the ticket holder.

Correos, the state-owned postal service in Spain has gone RFID way, deploying a Radio Frequency Control System at its 16 Automated processing centers and four bulk Admission Centers throughout the country.

As part of the RFID program, the postal department has embraced Sybase iAnywhere RFID software that manages data most effectively and efficiently in the asset tracking applications.

In a press release, Regina Defarges, Organizational Deputy Director at Correos expressed,

The use of RFID Anywhere enhances Correos’ competitiveness as a result of more efficient management of postal processes and an improvement in the quality of its services.

With this deployment, the Spanish Postal Service aims at monitoring the status and transmit time of the letters during the delivery stats and sort out the problems that persist in the delivery system.

Last year a lot of credit cards were issued, cards that were equipped with RFID. As per researchers the cards are easy to use. The data is stored in a chip in the credit card and can be read by a reader.

The chip inside the card contains information like the name of the cardholder, the card number etc. all these details can be transferred as soon as the card comes near the RFID reader. There have been issues of loss of personal data with the use of such cards. To take this into account, Visa USA Inc. has now prohibited the transfer of information like the name of the customer while the use of such cards is made to make payments.

Another step taken to reduce the risk of theft of personal information is to reduce the frequency range. American Express has reduced the range for its Tripplett card. The purpose of all these steps is to prevent the theft of personal information and to make the transactions secure.

Via banknet360

A developer of award winning MarkMagic Bar Code Labels, RFID tags and Forms software for the IBM System i server, CYBRA Corporation has launched EdgeMagic Integrated RFID Control Software for the IBM System i at the RFID World 2007 Conference.

EdgeMagic is designed to manage edge devices, read RFID tags and is totally integrated with System i ERP/WMS applications. The native System i solution for reading RFID tags and managing Electronic Product Code (EPC) compliance mandates fulfills customer requests. The features of the new EdgeMagic are:

1) EdgeMagic controls fixed and handheld RFID Readers, light stacks, sensors, diverters, and other edge devices.
2) It also supports readers, including Motorola/Symbol XR400 Fixed Reader and the Motorola/Symbol MC-9090G Mobile RFID Computer
3) EdgeMagic includes EPCGlobal Gen 2 SGTIN-96, SSCC-96, DOD-96 and other RFID Tag commissioning.
4) The award-winning MarkMagic print engine supports RFID smart label printers and printer applicators from Avery Dennison, Datamax, Paxar/Monarch, IBM, Intermec, SATO, Printronix , and Zebra.
5) EdgeMagic includes an EPCGlobal Application Level Event (ALE) compliant interface to filter what information the System WMS applications and I ERP need from the raw stream of RFID reads.
6) EdgeMagic manages pallet and case relationships to retain the integrity of transport units with load units.
7) EdgeMagic retrieves item, pack, and order information from such leading ERP/WMS packages as VAI S2K Enterprise Management Software and JD Edwards.

According to president of CYBRA Corporation, Harold Brand, the system enables i customers to implement advanced RFID applications without custom programming.

Via: More RFID

Cigarette smuggling is steadily increasing in UK with unofficially records showing the quantity of illegal cigarette seizure is nearly 2 billion every year. While, the UK market for duty-paid tobacco is declining. In 2005, nearly 28 percent of cigarette consumption was non-UK duty paid, up from five percent in 1994.

With a view to wipe out cigarette smuggling in the country, the UK government has announced the introduction of anti-counterfeit technologies on cigarette packets in the next six months.

Although, the government has not decided the kind of technology it is going to implement, it is widely believed that the Customs department is likely to embrace RFID for the purpose.

The Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA) explains the government is ready to the use of a ‘covert security mark’ on cigarette packets and will provide customs staffs small hand-held readers to authenticate cigarettes.

As of now, a clear picture is not emerging among the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and TMA on the type of technologies to be introduced to curb out cigarette smuggling. However, the media reports hinted that RFID tags will be applied.

The proposed RFID bill that supposedly keeps the interests of the consumers has been deferred and returned to the House Rules Committee of House of Representatives because it was not tabled on the House Legislative floor calendar by March 14.

Washington State Representative, Jeff Morris-authored RFID bill makes it mandatory to seek consumers’ approval before implementing RFID tags to collect, maintain and disclose information on them.

The bill, HB 1031 is now virtually failed to pass legislation and there would be no further discussion in the full House on the bill in 2007.

An RFID Journal story adds the Washington RFID bill clarifies selling or issuing RFID tags that are not disabled, deactivated or removed at the point of sale or issuance must use ‘industry-accepted best standards to secure the data on tag.

EU government has taken a strict stand on RFID and it is making all efforts to ensure that privacy and security is given utmost importance before its widespread adoption in EU and for this purpose it would be coming out with a set of guidelines in the later part of the year. EU has learned from the last year’s episode where the public comments on RFID which it called for displayed a lack of awareness and concern among the citizens regarding RFID.

An EU executive stated on this issue:

It would work to stress the absolute need for citizens to decide how their personal data is used in an effort to help the technology gain ground in Europe.

In the case of Europe the adoption of RFID has been quite slow and one of the reasons behind this could be that EU is giving a lot of consideration to the ethical implications of this technology. Probably EU wants to play safe in case of RFID which is termed as a sensitive technology.

Via komotv

A recent study has claimed that RFID or ‘Radio Frequency Identification technology’ is widely used by major aviation industries in developing their asset-based applications.

RFID is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.

ABI Research, a technological research group in New York, has reported that aerospace giants such as Boeing and Airbus are deploying RFID systems for parts tracking and other processes. RFID technology is being exploited by both aviation and defence industries in their quest for low cost and increased efficiency.

To get the most out of this technology it must be combined with other advanced applications like the GPS technology states Michael Liard, the firm’s RFID research director.

Airbus plans to use RFID tags on all the removable sections of its new double-decker A380 aeroplane.

This seemingly latest technology is not so new as a technology very similar to this was invented by the British in 1939 and was routinely used by the allies in World War II to identify airplanes as friend or foe.

Source.