Any air traveler understands the joys of checking-in luggage and the frequently frustrated expectation which goes with trying to retrieve it at the other end of the journey.  Jokes abound of how luggage handlers all seem to wear the same boot size, (size 16) because this is the imprint seen on luggage no matter where it comes from or gets to!  In addition, there is the real problem with ensuring that luggage gets on the same aircraft as the passenger and is not left behind, or worse and yet still quite common, ends up on a completely different aircraft and engages in a round the world trip on its own.

By tagging luggage with RFID technology, the luggage handling process can be streamlined and made more reliable.  At the same time, luggage which is equipped with an RFID tag at check-in can be associated with a particular passenger and tracked through the chain which takes the luggage from passenger to air side, to aircraft and then disembarkation at destination and finally, back to the passenger.

The implications for airline security and enhanced customs control are all too apparent.  The benefits for frustrated passengers seeking to reunited with their luggage are equally apparent.  With an RFID tag, the luggage is capable of being tracked much more effectively and identified and associated with security procedures at check-in and throughout the trip.  In addition, using the check-in data, it will be possible to aggregate the luggage cargo to ensure further items, which may obviate check-in and security procedures, cannot be added to the aircraft manifest, such as a bomb for instance.

Biometric passports are also evolving, however they are the source of many social and adoption problems.  The privacy concerns in particular are causing many Western governments to question the necessity for the second generation of biometric passports which are being proposed.  Such has the furore been over privacy and concerns over data theft from biometric passports, that one leading political party in the UK has threatened to abolish them if elected.

The threat may be electioneering, however it has some grass roots support in the wake of a Mossad secret service operation carried out by Israel in the Middle East.  Mossad agents carried out an assassination of an Arab target in the Middle East using forged biometric passports which had been copied from British, Irish and French tourists to Israel.  The data collected by Israeli border control was then used to forge “new” biometric passports for their secret service agents who entered an Arab country to carry out the hit.  Despite the claims that biometric passports are harder to forge, in this instance a glaring weakness has been exposed and how a foreign country can seriously misuse the information it collects as a consequence of the biometric component.

This affair is likely to have an impact on US homeland security – foreign travelers are required to have a biometric passport to enter the country, however if the rest of the world seeks to slow down or halt implementation of biometrics, this will have a severe impact on travel to America.

RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification) are used to track assets using a radio signal which can be received and used to determine the exact location of the asset to which they are attached.  Modern developments have now made it possible for RFID tags to be much smaller and even more effective in their tracking function while the cost has also dramatically dropped.  This allows FRID tags to be used in ever more situations and the medical field is a perfect example of how RFID tags can be used to track multiple assets and provide enhanced security and identification protection.

Medications, specimens, laboratory samples and even patients can now be tracked – and tracking time sensitive assets, such as an organ for transplantation, or a patient who needs to be continuously monitored, say someone suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, is now practical and cost effective.

RFID tags also possess the ability to contain information, including patient data, but also information on dates of manufacture, application, dosage and warning information.  RFID tags also provide the ultimate level of authentication; many medicines used in developing countries are in fact counterfeited by unscrupulous criminals looking to make huge sums of money which many drugs command on the market.  An RFID tag is almost impossible for counterfeiters to replicate, so the presence of such a tag is a good indicator that the medicines are in fact genuine.

RFID tags come in two main forms: a short-range tag, known as an HF tag (High Frequency), and UHF tag (Ultra High Frequency) with a longer scanning range.  HF tags are suitable for use in tracking medical samples and specimens such as blood and tissue samples because they work effectively in proximity to liquids and human samples.  UHF tags are affected by close proximity to liquids and can be affected by close proximity to tissue samples (the human body is primarily made up of water), and it is also important for proper “tuning” of UHF tags in a medical environment because they are also affected by proximity to metals and radiation (some things which are commonly found in hospitals and medical laboratories).

RFID tags being used for patient tracking has caused some controversy in terms of the invasion of patient privacy, however, where patients are at risk to themselves, such as those suffering from dementia or temporary mental incapacity, they are invaluable for securing identification and monitoring patient status.  Certainly, one use of RFID tags appears to have gained the seal of approval from patients when used to track newborn infants – there can be no doubt that the baby you take home from the hospital is the child which you gave birth to with no possibility of hospital mix-ups!

Patient safety can also be significantly enhanced using RFID tags; for instance, when you need to locate a crash cart (a defibrillator) for a patient in cardiac arrest, you need to find it fast.  RFID tags provide the ability to accurately and quickly pinpoint the location of the cart which can be brought into action much faster for patient assistance.

In terms of hospital administration, RFID tags help to automate inventory management and reduce the administration costs of managing a broad range of sometimes, extremely expensive items, many of which are used as commodity stock items but which are in fact, extremely expensive.  Simple scalpels for instance, are a commonly used item in hospitals and medical institutions, however they are very costly and need to be tracked and managed effectively to avoid wasting money.  RFID tags open the door to significant cost savings by ensuring all instruments and equipment are accounted for at the end of an operation or medical procedure.

Asset Labels Tracking the War on Terror

In 2003, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) instituted an asset tracking program in order to track DoD property under the control of external contractors.  This arose amidst claims of of contractors misappropriating assets, employing wasteful practices and generally charging exorbitant sums for work which should not have been charged.  Some readers may recall the issues associated with $200 hammers or thousand dollar toilet seats which plagued NASA, and in the realm of defense spending, there were many instances of inappropriate billing by contractors which was met by the extremely large budget of the Dod and ultimately, the taxpayer was footing the bill.

The Unique Identification program (UID) ensures that government property and assets are all marked by a special asset tag – the individual asset is allocated an Individual UID (known as the IUID – the military are renowned for their use of acronyms) and this in turn produces a Unique Identification Identifier (UII).  All equipment delivered to the DoD by an external supplier must bear a UII which comes in the form of a 2D matrix (a barcode), and this in turn feeds into the billing program of the external contractor which must be managed and presented in a format which meets DoD standards.

With the “War on Terror” commencing in 2003, the DoD is taking delivery of equipment throughout the sphere of operations as well as its main logistics deployment establishment established in Richmond, VA.  There are numerous problems associated with ensuring that equipment is delivered and gets to where it is needed most, especially for those operations involving combat and security duty in high risk areas such as Afghanistan.  At the same time, while the focus is on combat and operational effectiveness, it is very difficult to effectively manage equipment and supplies which are delivered direct into the sphere of operations by external contractors.  When you are getting shot at, you are less likely to be concerned with accounting for equipment!

The UII tags remove the need for such intensive management by personnel in the field, and simplifies the entire tracking and inventory management process.  The program has already resulted in savings worth several billions of dollars in the 6 years which it has been in operation, and has also been used as the  basis for billing adjustments with external contractors who otherwise would have billed for equipment and supplies not delivered as well as reversing overcharges.

One application of the UID program has seen enormous savings in the area of containerization.  The  DoD is the largest customer for cargo containers in the Middle East area with enormous amounts of cargo being transported and stored at a variety of ports and externally managed supply centers prior to onward transportation to the “front”.  Cargo containers are extremely expensive pieces of kit, and they are not in fact owned by the DoD – the containerization system relies upon them being leased or rented (typically for a $2,000 per week).  These containers are spread around a huge geographical area, greater than the size of the U.S., and in a large number of disparate locations.  It is vital to track them and establish which are in use and which are nt being used – by ensuring that idle use is minimized, and advising the owner of non-use, significant savings have been incurred by not paying for containers which are in fact, sitting idle in the owners depot or are still on the lease book but in fact, are not being employed.

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New Year is just around the corner and we are getting ready for welcoming 2009 in and waving goodbye to 2008 as it heads for the history books.

This last year has seen a range of developments in technology which have massively broadened the application of tagging and carrying information – this is after all what the point of a tag is – to carry information.

I expect to see greater application of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology with labeling and not just in security functions to protect goods from shop lifters but also in delivering information to consumers.  Already, there are several test programs for carrying RFID tags on food products so the customer can use a scanner provided by the store not only to automatically add the item to the bill but give the buyer a history of where the food is from, who grew or produced it, when it was made and what went into it and a host of other good stuff.  This is not so far fetched as you may think and they are already introducing this technology in the UK with leading grocery store, Sainsbury’s.

I’m also going to predict a dramatic increase in the application of biometric tagging in both identification and security functions.  Biometrics have still to achieve their full potential and there is the money in the market for it – the government is throwing huge sums not just at biometric development but in furthering the application of reliable technology.  There is just too much money being invested for this to fall flat on its face.

What else takes my fancy?

I think that there will be some of the first integrated scanning technology delivered for use in cell phones – in fact, I’ll confess, I know this is going to happen as a friend of mine writes cell phone reviews and Visa has been teaming up with several handset manufacturers so a cell phone will also be able to scan intelligent tags and act as a money payment device.  Still in its infancy but the Europeans are stepping up the momentum here and I expect we’ll catch up with them on this sooner rather than later.

That’s all from me for 2009, drive safe if you are going out to party and enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you all next year

RFID has far more constructive uses than just making sure a crook sticks to a curfew. RFID tags are used to track containers and shipments even down to the individual parcel in certain cases, but the technology has recently been enjoying new application.

Wells Fargo has the job of tracking thousands of laptops from hundreds of locations and knowing when one can leave a location and who ought to have possession of it has been a security nightmare.  Using RFID, each laptop has been implanted with a tag which has upon it the information necessary to automatically detect whether it can in fact leave their offices and in who’s possession it ought to be.  More than this, in the event of a lost or stolen laptop, RFID can be employed to track the location of the device in order to recover it.

Though the concept behind RFID is simple, the technology required is in fact extremely complex.  In this instance, complex technology does mean high cost for individual readers and tags and the price tag for most RFID solutions is beyond the budget of individual customers when insurance and ensuring back-up procedures are so much more cost effective.  An RFID kit from Tiktag will probably cost in the region of $190 yet insuring the laptop against loss of theft will cost a fraction of that amount.

RFID technology is not limited to tracking assets and determining the location of missing items for big companies with car tracking technology having been around for over a decade and the benefit certainly outweighs the cost in such instances.  When it comes to smaller, portable devices such as laptops, smart phones and personal items the cost effective technology for RFID tagging for personal use is still some distance away.

Article provided by MaverickLabel.com, a good source for custom property ID labels & RIFD labels.