Articles of Interest New tag addresses privacy fears - GS1 New ...

Articles of Interest
New tag addresses privacy fears – (By Unknown Author, Food Week (ABIX
Abstracts))
Fine Times For RFID – (By Susan Kuchinskas, Internetnews)
China Tests RFID System For Tracking Bird Flu – (By Unknown Author, CMP
TechWeb)
Kenetics goes big on niche RFID solutions – (By Roland Lim, Business Times
Singapore)
Savi Release Rugged US Defense RFID Reader – (By Unknown author, Supply
Chain Review)
Toppan Forms' Bendable RFID Label Suits Curved Metal Products – (By
Unknown Author, Nikkei Report)
RFID Vendors: It's About ROI, Not Price – (By Dennis Gaughan, AMR
Research)
KTC to test 'touch and go' payment cards; RFID cards more convenient
than cash – (By Somporn Thapanachai, Bangkok Post)
Biometrics and RFID tracking on anti-crime wish-list – (By Steve Ranger,
Silicon.com)
Asset Management Gets Fancy With RFID – (By Unknown author, CIO Today)
Monitoring Bird Flu With RFID – (By Unknown Author, Wireless Heathcare)
FCC Grants ODIN Experimental License – (By Mary Catherine O’Connor, RFID
Journal)
Labs unit to address network challenges – (By Madeline Bennett, VNU)
Intermec Embeds IBM Stack Into RFID Reader – (By Unknown author,
Computer Business Review)
Full Stories
New tag addresses privacy fears
By Unknown Author, Food Week (ABIX Abstracts)
18 November, 2005
IBM has created a new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that could
resolve consumer privacy concerns. The most recent protocol on RFID tags by

EPCglobal already includes provisions for "kill commands" to disable RFID tags.
However, they do not provide consumers with visual proof that the tag has
stopped working. IBM has developed an alternative to the "kill command",
which allows consumers to remove the RFID aerial in the tag themselves. It is
looking at two methods: the first is an aerial that can be scratched off, while the
second is a perforated antenna that can be torn off.
Fine Times For RFID
By Susan Kuchinskas, Internetnews
Friday, November 18, 2005
It's a fine time to be an RFID vendor. A second round of Wal-Mart RFID
mandates will kick in on January 1, 2006. It's looking like this RFID thing might
really take-off.
While manufacturers and suppliers worried about whether the expense of
installing RFID systems would pay off, large purchasers demanded that they at
least tag pallets and cases of goods.
Wal-Mart's (Quote, Chart)original mandate that its top 100 suppliers begin
tagging shipments beginning January 1, 2005 jump-started the industry.
Albertsons Stores and the U.S. Department of Defense soon joined in the
demand.
Now, purchasers are upping the ante.
On January 1, 2006 more Wal-Mart suppliers must begin tagging goods going
to Wal-Mart.
Meanwhile, on November 14, a new ruling from the Department of Defense
took effect. It requires tagging of all supplies except liquids heading for Iraq.
The DoD also rolled out RFID infrastructure at two more depots.
Phil Lazo, vice president and general manager of the RFID infrastructure
division of Symbol Technologies (Quote, Chart), said this expansion should help
push RFID out of its early-adopter phase.
While Lazo wouldn't discuss specifics of how much Symbol's RFID business has
grown since the mandates, he estimated the entire RFID industry's revenue for
2005 at $40 million. He called the prospects for 2006 "exciting."
"We'll see more rollouts across a number of verticals," Lazo said. "We'll see new
readers come out that will be more miniaturized: smaller, faster, cheaper and
more embedded." RFID technology will be embedded into a wide range of
equipment used in business, from forklifts and conveyors to copying machines,
he said.

Another trend Lazo sees is writing applications directly onto smart readers. "We
see business logic and business rules being applied directly onto the reader
appliance, so you can make quicker decisions right on the edge."
According to Lazo, RFID is entering its next phase, a predictable one for any
new technology: Costs come down, the technology gets smaller, and
managing the network becomes easier.
Several vendors made RFID announcements this week:
Vue Technology released TrueVUE RFID Platform, a hardware/software
combination designed for tagging and tracking individual items, as well as
cases and pallets, through the supply chain.
IBM (Quote, Chart) added Intermec to its roster of hardware vendors
embedding its RFID "intelligent reader" middleware.
Zebra Technologies (Quote, Chart) landed a contract to provide ) professional
services and engineering support, as well as RFID smart label printer/encoders,
software and media, to the Department of the Navy.
Sun Microsystems (Quote, Chart) released RFID Industry Solution for Drug
Authentication, a package for tracking the shipment and pedigree of
pharmaceuticals.
While there may be RFID vendors galore, there remains a serious lack of
qualified professionals to help companies transition from barcodes to tags. To
fill the talent gap, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA),
a trade organization for IT professionals, has launched a professional
certification program.
The CompTIA RFID+ certification is a vendor-neutral professional certification
for pros with between six and twenty-four months of experience. It covers a
wide range of topics related to the installation, configuration and maintenance
of RFID hardware and device software, including interrogation zone basics,
testing and troubleshooting, standards and regulations, tag knowledge, design
selection, installation, site analysis, RF physics, and RFID peripherals. A beta
version of the exam became available on October 31.
"It's a real opportunity to prove their skills, and, because of the organizations
involvd in the effort, it will be the industry standard for 'skilling' RFID
professionals," said Dave Sommers, CompTIA vice president of electronic
commerce. He said that the certification is designed for technologists, those
with skillsets more advanced than those of technicians but below those of
systems architects.
CompTIA's new program is a response to a recent survey that found that 80
percent of respondents didn't believe there was a sufficient number of skilled
professionals to help them.

Moreover, 53 percent of these companies said that this lack of talent would
have a negative impact on the adoption of RFID in the next two to three years.
Or even sooner.
Said Sommers, "You could characterize 2005 as being the year of pilot projects
and initial implementations. In 2006 and 2007, I believe you'll see a lot more
production implementations, particularly in the supply chain management
arena. It will be a period of it extending beyond the early adopters into the
mainstream."
China Tests RFID System For Tracking Bird Flu
By Unknown Author, CMP TechWeb
22 November, 2005
China is testing Smart-tek Solutions' RFID monitoring and tracking
technologies at a poultry farm in an attempt to prevent the spread of bird flu.
The California-based company announced the development Monday after
Chairman and CEO Donald Gee visited with Chinese officials. Gee met with the
country's science and technology leaders last Tuesday -- two days before China
confirmed its first human death from the avian influenza virus. The country also
announced that a second death may have been caused by the virus.
"For the Chinese government, this is an area of such immediate and grave
concern in their fight against the spread of the bird flu," Gee said in a prepared
statement. "The sheer number of birds, of all species in China, is simply
astonishing."
The World Health Organization's leading official in Beijing, Henk Bekedam, has
said that outbreaks are more common in autumn and winter.
The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has created a team charged
with monitoring the flu and is seeking solutions to track poultry and livestock,
Gee said. The ministry has the authority to issue a national mandate for the use
of RFID at poultry farms, said Goodwin Wang, managing director of SES
Investments Ltd. in China.
Gee hopes to leverage Smart-tek's expertise in security, surveillance, and
monitoring to help the country contain the virus. The company can tag and
count bird, track species, document ownership and log inspection dates, using
RFID protocols. And the system can be tailored with end-user defined rules or
for specific government requirements.
Kenetics goes big on niche RFID solutions
By Roland Lim, Business Times Singapore
23 November, 2005

Fancy being able to count the number of sheep in different pens on a farm in
an instant? Despite being 'brought up' in urban Singapore, homegrown
Kenetics Innovations has been able to develop innovative wireless solutions
such as this livestock-tracking solution, spanning a broad range of industries.
Kenetics Innovation was started in 2001 by its current president and chief
executive Ken Wong, its vice-president of finance and administration Chan
Huang Mong, and two of its current engineers.
With over 10 years of experience in the IT industry, Mr Wong decided to focus
on wireless solutions, in particular Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
solutions, which he felt was a nascent technology with great potential.
Next-gen barcode
RFID is an emerging wireless technology looked upon by retailers and the
logistics industry as the next-generation barcode replacement. While it offers
the logistics and supply chain industry the ability to track and collect
information about goods quickly and wirelessly, Kenetics focuses on niche
solutions that go beyond supply chain solutions.
Besides its livestock solution which it had implemented in Australia, Kenetics is
working on solutions in industries as diverse as the food and beverage industry
and the security industry.
One of the projects it is working on is the tracking and identification of
potentially hazardous laundry for the healthcare industry. Its solution is able to
track the laundry as it goes through various stages of the washing process, so
as to offer better accountability of these potential biohazards.
Kenetics has filed patents for a few of its RFID designs, which has spawned a
range of products including the EzIT - a handheld computer that integrates six
wireless technologies.
Judging from his company's performance in the past few years, Mr Wong's bet
has certainly paid off. At the end of 2004, Kenetics reaped about $2.3 million in
sales, and is expected to grow about 30 per cent this year to $3 million. 'Next
year, we hope to reach the $10 million mark,' said Yeong Hin Yuen, vicepresident
of corporate development at Kenetics.
'We've been profitable since our second year of operations,' said Mr Chan. In
the span of four years, the company has also expanded from its initial four
people to its current 20, all located in its worldwide headquarters in Singapore.
It was among the winners of the e50.startup awards this year.
Overseas recognition
While based in Singapore, Kenetics has also taken its solutions beyond our
shores to countries such as China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and
India. It is also gaining worldwide recognition for its expertise in wireless
solutions. 'We have companies from all over the world who come to us for
customised solutions,' said Mr Yeong.

Currently, its overseas business accounts for about 30 per cent of its revenue,
while its local business accounts for the other 70 per cent. 'We hope to reverse
this to 70 per cent overseas and 30 per cent local in the near future,' said Mr
Yeong.
Recognising the lack of radio frequency engineering expertise locally, Kenetics
has also embarked on a strategy to train local engineers in its bid to help boost
expertise in this field. 'We have a problem of getting enough RF engineers, thus
we have taken to hiring fresh graduates and training them up to hopefully lead
certain divisions within the company in a few years. However, even that is not
enough to keep up with our organic growth, and we might have to look
overseas for engineers to help our expansion,' said Mr Yeong.
With the future looking bright for its RFID solutions, Mr Yeong added that the
company is 'exploring the possibility of an IPO' to fund its future expansion.
Savi Release Rugged US Defense RFID Reader
By Unknown author, Supply Chain Review
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Savi Technology and Intermec Technologies Corporation have released a new
active RFID reader system designed specifically to read both barcodes and
active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
The RFID reader system is said to enhance the ability of the US Department of
Defense's (DoD) logistics personnel to identify and keep track of in-transit
military supplies marked with bar code and active RFID technologies.
First orders and shipments of the dual-frequency reader system already have
been made to the US DoD.
The ruggedised reader system includes additional functionality and is lighter,
smaller and more robust than previous generations of similar devices, Savi says.
It is able to read from and write to Savi's active, data-rich RFID tags and also can
scan and process data from standard linear, matrix, stacked and composite bar
codes.
The RFID reader system integrates three key technology components:
• A special edition of Intermec's powerful 700 Series color mobile
computer with a full alphanumeric keypad. It supports batch 802.11standard
wireless LAN and GSM/GPRS wide-area wireless capabilities
and offers integrated bar code scanning options.
• The Savi Mobile Reader (SMR-650). The SMR-650, based on Savi's
EchoPointTM technology, uses both 123MHz radio frequency for shortrange
transmissions and 433.92 MHz radio frequency for long-range
radio transmissions up to 200 feet. The SMR is a low-profile, lightweight,
battery-operated reader that commissions, reads and writes to Savi's

active, data-rich RFID tags. The SMR-650 mounts on the back of the
Intermec mobile computer.
• Savi SmartChain Mobile Manager software, which is installed on the
Intermec mobile computer, enables users to read, write and edit active
RFID tag data through the SMR. SmartChain Mobile Manager also
provides export features that allow data files to be transferred between
the Savi Site Manager software and the handheld device.
The system provides capabilities previously unavailable in RFID handheld
reader systems used by the DoD, including:
• More than 300MB of memory, compared with 32MB in a previous
version
• Omnidirectional RFID read ranges of up to 200 feet; prior handhelds
used directional antennas that provided a read range of up to 100 feet
• A bracket to mount the Savi SMR-650 onto the Intermec mobile
computer, which allows the SMR to draw power from the handheld and
eliminates the need for a separate charger. The SMR-650 also can be
interfaced with other models of Intermec 700 Series mobile computers
• A docking station to upload data collected by the Intermec mobile
computer into the DoD's information systems, including the Total Asset
Visibility network.
Toppan Forms' Bendable RFID Label Suits Curved Metal Products
By Unknown Author, Nikkei Report
21 November, 2005
Toppan Forms Co. (7862) has developed an RFID (radio frequency ID) label that
can be attached to metal objects and is flexible enough to fit curved surfaces.
The new label can be used to keep track of complexly shaped metal molds and
metal components on which regular RFID labels are hard to attach.
The labels have a built-in antenna for data exchanges with the RFID reader. The
exchange requires a magnetic field to be generated between the antenna and
the reader. Since metal can absorb the magnetism from the reader and prevent
the field from being generated, the RFID labels for metal products must be
equipped with a special antenna backed with a magnetic material containing
such compounds as ferrite. This backing is typically around 5mm thick,
preventing the label from bending.
Toppan Forms created a bendable RFID label for metal products by developing
a type of magnetic ink that can be spread on the back of the label in a layer less
than 0.5mm thick. The result is an RFID label that is as flexible as a piece of
paper.

The company has not revealed pricing yet, but said it has begun taking orders
and hopes for annual sales of 500 million yen, including readers and
peripherals.
RFID Vendors: It's About ROI, Not Price
Monday, November 21, 2005
By Dennis Gaughan, AMR Research
The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) industry’s latest fascination is the
ongoing cost reductions associated with RFID infrastructure.
First, we saw a flurry of news about reduced prices for inlays and tags. Next,
came the reader vendors cutting prices. Now, companies are offering free tags
and tag placement services. The whole industry has been possessed by the
spirit of electronics pitchman “Crazy Eddie”—their prices are “insane!” How do
you make money when you give stuff away for free? Will they make it up in
volume? This is not the viable long-term answer for jump-starting the market.
The fact is that vendors are headed in the wrong direction, focused myopically
on lowering the cost to get people to buy. This is a flawed direction. Only by
demonstrating value will people invest—tell me why I should invest in RFID.
That is the question that end users want an answer to.
Don’t get me wrong; cost is an important part of the overall answer to the
question of what is holding back the growth in RFID. However, customers we
speak with are largely unmoved by the price reductions. The questions we get
from customers are rarely about who is offering the cheapest tags; 9 out of 10
are from companies asking if anyone has found successful use cases in their
RFID deployment.
At AMR Research’s recent Executive Leadership Conference, I had lunch with a
customer in the government sector who was most interested in whether
anyone in the commercial sector had success with RFID, while they have
struggled. Sadly, with a few exceptions, the answer was no. Even if the costs of
the technology approach zero, enterprises are not going to deploy the
technology unless there is a business reason for doing so.
The RFID community has struggled to provide definitive answers to the
questions posed by prospective buyers:
What does RFID technology give me (either in new business capability or lower
costs) that I can’t currently do today?
What are the required process changes to take advantage of this new
technology?
Can you give me examples of other companies that have taken advantage of
RFID?

There have been a few examples, but not enough empirical evidence to meet
the strict Return on Investment (ROI) requirements that form the basis of most
companies’ IT investment strategies. Demonstrate the value of a new
technology, and people will buy. Focus exclusively on cost, and people will
perceive little or no value.
The vendors that focus myopically on lower prices will never achieve the
growth that will truly move the market forward. So stop focusing on cost, and
start telling people of the success that customers are having. I can guarantee
that people will listen. In fact, tell me (dgaughan@amrresearch.com), and I will
showcase them.
KTC to test 'touch and go' payment cards; RFID cards more convenient
than cash
By Somporn Thapanachai, Bangkok Post
22 November, 2005
Krungthai Card Plc, the country's largest credit card operator, will test new
payment cards embedded with RFID (radio frequency identification) chips next
year.
Chief executive Niwatt Chittalarn said the RFID cards would offer cardholders
an added level of convenience, particularly at "touch-and-go" payment
channels.
Payments could be deducted simply by waving a card in near a scanner, similar
to the way Bangkok subway gates read fares through embedded chip "coins".
Mr Niwatt believed credit card development will move toward the touch-andgo
system especially for daily spending in supermarkets, fast-food outlets or
gasoline stations.
The launch of RFID cards will begin modestly due to the high investment costs -
- currently 140 baht per card, double the cost of a chip-based card.
"We will just test the market. If it doesn't work, we can drop it," Mr Niwatt said.
The attempt to introduce more convenient cards is part of KTC's efforts to
increase card use.
KTC has introduced more than 300 payment projects this year to encourage
card spending over cash. It also plans to distribute discount cards or nonfinancial
membership cards to highlight KTC cardholder benefits and establish
a database of potential customers.
As well, it aims to offer credit cards that can be used across the region by
working with foreign financial and non-financial institutions.

According to the company, this could be the first time Thai credit card holders
would be afforded the same discounts and benefits in Singapore, Malaysia and
Hong Kong.
KTC has worked with OCBC Bank of Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation
Group which is well-established in Singapore and Malaysia, and with private
organisations and companies in Hong Kong.
Mr Niwatt said the new KTC MasterCard Titanium would be launched in
Singapore next week to attract executives and individuals who like to travel to
other Asian countries.
He said the company planned to introduce more new cards that can be used in
different countries, especially favourite destinations for Thai tourists such as
Japan and China.
KTC will launch another two premium cards including Visa Platinum, which will
offer travel-related benefits, and Visa Infinite card, which will only be available
to selected customers.
Mr Niwatt said the company would have a credit card portfolio of 20 billion
baht and 10 billion baht for personal loans and for small and medium business
at the end of this year.
"With the total portfolio of 30 billion baht, we will have sufficient income to
support our growth next year," he said.
The company plans to be careful with its investments due to concerns about
the rising cost of funds. It is in the process of issuing a new lot of bonds, which
it expects will carry about 6% interest.
Next year, it will invest in replacing data transfer via telephone lines to an
encryption system to make its database more secure.
KTC, a unit of Krung Thai Bank, reported third-quarter profits of 166 million
baht, up from 151 million last year. Nine-month profits were 494.2 million,
compared with 453.7 million in the same period last year.
KTC shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 20.40 baht,
up 50 satang, in trade worth 6.01 million baht.
Biometrics and RFID tracking on anti-crime wish-list
By Steve Ranger, Silicon.com
22 November, 2005
The government has revealed a wish-list of technologies it wants to use to fight
crime and tackle terrorism, including greater use of biometrics and RFID
tracking.

The Home Office has published its Science and Innovation Strategy which gives
details of the technologies it believes can help the government implement its
policies. For example, the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB)
is pioneering a new way to test motorists to see if they are under the influence
of legal or illegal drugs, using spectroscopy to analyse saliva under a beam of
laser light.
HOSDB is also currently developing millimetre wave technology for detecting
threats under clothing, which could be able to identify materials as well as
locate objects.
Home Office minister Andy Burnham said in a statement: "We are dealing with
increasingly sophisticated, organised criminality and we need to ensure that
our use of science and technology meets the challenge."
The report also said the future will see increased use of biometric identification,
and plans to create a "Biometric Centre of Expertise" to help find other uses for
the technology.
It added: "We are also looking at how miniaturisation technologies like 'lab on a
chip' can help deliver improved forensic analysis both at crime scenes and in
the lab."
Another priority is tracking technologies and RFID. The report said that tracking
technologies are already being used for the surveillance of criminals and
terrorist suspects, and the management of offenders by the use of tagging and
satellite tracking.
The Home Office said it has encouraged the use of RFID tags to track goods to
reduce counterfeiting and enable the recovery of stolen goods, and added: "We
believe that tracking technologies have further applications and we are keen to
keep abreast of developments and influence the commercial market to meet
emerging national and international requirements."
It added: "Similarly, there will be significant benefits when the systems for
automatic tracking and identification from CCTV pictures are reliable enough to
meet our real-world applications."
Asset Management Gets Fancy With RFID
By Unknown author, CIO Today
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Besides loss prevention, Mike Braatz, vice president at asset-tracking company
PanGo, points to the compliance benfits of RFID. He says it helps companies
establish a clear chain of custody and a corporate-asset audit trail, as is required
by legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Instead of spending $2 million each year to physically inventory the contents of
its Newark, Calif., testing lab, Sun Microsystems spent about $200,000 to
implement a system that uses wireless-sensor technology to find gear.

The 6,000-square-foot facility houses more than 10,000 servers and other
computing devices. By tagging each with an RFID label, Sun can verify the
location down to the server rack -- and physical characteristics of every lab
asset, whether or not it's linked to a network.
"In this kind of environment, assets go online and offline quite a bit, and they
get moved around," says Julie Sarbacker, director of Sun's RFID business unit.
Traditional network-based asset-management software doesn't keep tabs on
non-networked assets, so devices that weren't in use often weren't accounted
for, she says.
Sun isn't alone in turning to technology for help in locating and managing
expensive physical assets, according to The Yankee Group. Enterprise adoption
will drive the market for real-time location systems from $20 million in 2005 to
$1.6 billion by 2010, the research firm estimates. The surge is caused in part by
accelerating Wi-Fi deployments and the availability of more-mature RFID
technologies.
The primary users of real-time location systems are healthcare , manufacturing
and logistics companies, says Marcus Torchia, a senior analyst at The Yankee
Group. Healthcare companies use location systems to keep tabs on easily
misplaced hospital mobile medical equipment, for example.
To date, tracking enterprise assets, such as servers, with RFID is a very small
subset of the market, but it's a valid scenario, Torchia says. The beauty of the
technology is you can tag any asset and have visibility to it, inside a building or
on a campus. It doesn't really matter where it is or what its application is."
In the past Sun hired an outside contractor every year to take a physical
inventory, which required scanning bar codes on the back of each device. It
could take 5 to 20 minutes to inventory the contents of a single server rack, and
a lab-wide inventory took weeks, Sarbacker says. Now, because RFID tags don't
have to be seen to be read, the lab can conduct an inventory on its own in less
than an hour.
The result is that Sun can better track how its assets are allocated and avoid
duplicate or unnecessary hardware purchases, says Jim Clarke, the company's
chief RFID architect. "Because there's better visibility, we're better able to
manage the resources and don't have to buy more computers when some get
misplaced," he says.
In addition to the Newark lab rollout, Sun tried out the asset-tracking system in
its Milpitas, Calif., distribution center, which handles trade-show equipment.
The success of these internal projects prompted Sun to put together a
commercial version of the RFID-based technology, which it announced late last
month.
The RFID Industry Solution for Physical Asset Tracking includes Sun's RFID
middleware and services, as well as third-party products, such as Applied
Logistics Solutions' mobile asset-management system. Combined, the products
allow users to keep track of an item's location, and monitor its maintenance

history and utilization statistics. If an asset is not in its designated location, the
software sends an alert to management.
Sun isn't alone in pursuing the market for wireless-enabled asset tracking. Startup
PanGo Networks -- which has inked partnerships with Cisco , Hewlett-
Packard and Intel -- offers a location-management platform that uses standard
Wi-Fi networks so companies can build off their existing wireless LAN (WLAN)
infrastructure investments.
In addition to the need to reduce loss and improve asset utilization, there's a
compliance-related driver spurring enterprise interest in asset-tracking
technology, says Mike Braatz, vice president of business development at
PanGo. Asset tracking helps companies establish a clear chain of custody and a
corporate-asset audit trail, as is required by financial-reporting legislation, such
as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
"Certainly the IT department needs to know where its stuff is. That's important,"
Braatz says. "It's also extremely important that the financial community within a
company has a good handle on its assets and can do an accurate accounting
and inventory of expensive assets."
John Halamka, CIO of CareGroup Healthcare System, says the Boston
healthcare organization tracks more than 8,000 IT assets using traditional asset
tags. (In addition, it has deployed location-based tracking technology for
keeping labs on certain medical equipment and on patients and staff.) Adding
technology that pinpoints where IT devices are could be beneficial. "Since
many of our assets are mobile, such as laptops, computers and PDAs , it would
be very helpful to know their location," Halamka says.
Location-specific information could enable more detailed management, for
example. "Beyond simple asset-tracking, geo-location can be used as a form of
security or decision support," Halamka says. Such a system could automatically
grant firewall access to a laptop user inside a hospital or automatically limit a
laptop user located in the intensive-care unit to viewing ICU patient
information.
In a university setting, location-based data culled from wireless-enabled
laptops could be used to limit students' access to certain applications,
depending on where they are, Yankee Group's Torchia suggests. For example, a
university might wish to prevent access to an MP3 network in its classrooms.
Some vendors have incorporated location-identification technologies into
enterprise security products, Torchia says.
Newbury Networks, for example, uses location-based technology to detect
wireless rogue access points and restrict unauthorized access to enterprise
WLANs . Users outside a designated physical border are denied access, even if a
wireless signal is present.
Looking ahead, a key reason corporations will adopt closed-loop sensor
systems (or asset tracking is the clear ROI, says Erik Michielsen, director of RFID

and ubiquitous wireless at ABI Research. Broader projects, such as pursuing an
RFID-enabled supply chain , are more complicated.
"There's usually a more identifiable and achievable ROI tied to an asset-tracking
project, because it's going to be a small project," Michielsen says. "It s a closed
loop, so you don't have to worry about handoffs to other companies or
interoperability or standards. The business benefits register more clearly with
users."
Monitoring Bird Flu With RFID
By Unknown Author, Wireless Heathcare
23 November, 2005
Smart-tek Solutions thinks it has a strategy that may assist in the containment
and delay the spread of the H5N1 virus, also known as the avian influenza and
bird flu virus.
Smart-tek Solutions, Inc.'s strategy for the containment of the Bird Flu virus is to
leverage its expertise in the security, surveillance and monitoring sectors and
apply its available technologies to prevent and/or deter poultry farmers and
bird keepers from falsifying their records of the number of birds under their
control, ownership and/or care. In Asia, it has been reported that poultry
farmers and bird keepers regularly and frequently falsify their records to
prevent the culling of their livestock. The primary reason for falsifying their
records or not disclosing cases of bird flu virus is normally the result of a lack of
or inadequate amount of compensation for the culling of their birds.
Many poor nations currently affected by the H5N1 virus lack adequate
surveillance and reporting mechanisms and cannot compensate farmers for
poultry culls. Africa, which many experts believe will be the next front line in
the fight against bird flu, faces similar problems.
In a joint statement, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World
Animal Health Organization said, "The immediate challenge is to control avian
influenza at source in the infected countries and stop the possible spread of the
virus to other regions." They further added, "The battle against bird flu can only
be won if more efforts and resources are directed to containment of the virus in
animals in rural areas."
Smart-tek Solutions, Inc. technology includes the ability to tag, program and
count the specific number of birds, with end user-defined rules, utilizing RFID
protocols. Data such as 1) the number of birds tagged 2) owner information 3)
location information 4) species information and 5) inspection dates can all be
programmed utilizing case-by-case specific needs of Organizations,
Governments and Agencies.
On his way to China to meet with Chinese officials, Donald Gee, Smart-tek
Solutions Chairman and CEO said, "Worldwide fear and panic is spreading
about a possible pandemic from the H5N1 bird flu virus." He further added, "We

elieve the containment and delay of the spread of the avian flu virus by
monitoring bird movement and utilizing good surveillance techniques is
priority number one and paramount."
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, during an inspection tour of an affected province
said, "Bird flu has not been totally controlled in China, and the danger of its
spread still exists in some areas."
FCC Grants ODIN Experimental License
By Mary Catherine O’Connor, RFID Journal
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted ODIN
Technologies an experimental license to test RFID equipment using
frequencies restricted in the United States but permitted elsewhere in the
world. Located in Dulles, Va., the systems integrator provides RFID and product
performance testing services.
Without special permission from the FCC, U.S. companies can utilize ultra-high
frequency (UHF) tags operating only between 902 and 928 MHz. In Europe, UHF
tags and readers must operate between 865.6 MHz and 867.6 MHz, while
Japan's regulations mandate the use of frequencies above 950 MHZ. In May,
India announced it had licensed 865 MHz-867 MHz for UHF RFID (see India
Adopts 865-867 MHz for RFID). Japan cleared 950 to 956 MHz in April, and
Singapore set aside 866 to 869 MHz in November. The Australian
Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has designated the 920-926
MHz segment for UHF RFID readers (interrogators) transmitting up to 4 watts of
radiated power (see Australia’s UHF Readers Get a Boost).
ODIN, however, says the FCC is allowing its Dulles laboratory to test equipment
transmitting at frequencies ranging from 866 MHz up to 956 MHz at up to 8
watts of power. Bret Kinsella, vice president of operations and marketing,
claims this will benefit ODIN's multinational clients because it enables the
company's lab to provide testing services for UHF tags and readers for
operation in all countries in which they will be deployed. ODIN believes this will
give it a competitive advantage over other firms offering testing services to
RFID users in the United States that cannot test UHF equipment for operation
in other regulatory environments without physically being there.
In the United States, the FCC normally restricts the maximum power of
unlicensed frequencies, such as the HF (13.56 MHz) and UHF (902-928 MHz) ISM
bands used by many RFID systems, to 1 watt per channel. While no countries
allow actual RFID systems to operate at 8 watts, Kinsella says the wider poweruse
margin will give ODIN more visibility into how specific RFID equipment
functions. "Having this high power level enables a better use-case design
process. If a use case works at high power and not at low power, we can
conclude that power is a contributing issue. If a use case still does not work at
high power, some other parameter is likely at fault," he says.

According to Kinsella, the experimental license also gives ODIN more flexibility
when using test equipment to prototype specific RFID scenarios for operation
within the United States, but outside the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range.
Occasionally, he says, a company might identify a specific frequency outside
this band and make a special request to the FCC for permission to use it only
with a specific location. "Many of these special permissions are granted each
year by the FCC for specific commercial applications," he says.
ODIN could, therefore, use its new license to help companies test tags and
interrogators for these types of specific use cases. Such cases, he says, are
generally used for asset tracking in a closed-loop system, rather than for
moving products through the supply chain.
ODIN is not the only U.S. company to receive experimental licenses. U.S.
manufacturers of RFID equipment designed to operate in Europe or Asia also
obtain them to test their equipment outside the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range.
Still, Kinsella says he knows of no other RFID testing facility that has been
granted one, including MET Laboratories, which certifies EPC Gen 2 UHF tags
and readers for EPCglobal.
Instead, MET Labs places RF shields around equipment to perform tests to
certify that it can operate within European and Asian regulatory environments.
Rather than simply test the performance of tags and readers in a shielded
environment, however, ODIN runs RFID systems through simulated real-world
business processes in which shielding all of the RFID equipment would not be
feasible.
Labs unit to address network challenges
By Madeline Bennett, VNU.net
21 November, 2005
Mobility, network convergence and service-oriented architectures (SOAs) will
be the biggest technology trends of the next few years, according to CA.
Speaking at last week's annual CA World event in Las Vegas, chief technology
officer Yogesh Gupta said the key drivers for mobility will be further growth of
smartphones, wireless networks and RFID radio tags.
On the network side, running voice and data over a single converged network
will cause challenges for reliability and quality.
"Some people will prioritise voice and want the phone always-on, but the data
part needs a higher support level in some cases," Gupta said. The firm is
establishing a CA Labs division to develop technology for the new
requirements.
"We'll focus on the advancing areas of technology and applications beyond the
current or next product release, three to five years ahead," said Gabby
Silberman, senior vice-president at the research unit. Commenting on the trend

for hosted software, Gupta said, "Delivering software over the web is the way
the world is going to work for certain applications. But it's going to be a hybrid
environment. Some people will still want to use the applications when they're
not connected to the internet."
Gupta said CA is working on the "first part" of offering software as a service -
designing programs so they can be run over the web. "The second part is
hosting, but I don't see CA doing this."
Instead, the firm is interested in pursuing deals such as its recent agreement
with AOL under which the ISP will use CA's anti-spyware technology to protect
subscribers via the web.
Intermec Embeds IBM Stack Into RFID Reader
By Unknown author, Computer Business Review
Thursday, November 17, 2005
One of the leading RFID hardware and services vendors in the US, Intermec
Technologies Corp, today will announce it has embedded IBM's WebSphere
middleware into one of its RFID readers.
IBM's WebSphere Device Infrastructure middleware gives the Intermec IF5 RFID
reader the ability to make on-board decisions.
In other words, the reader can automatically route and managing incoming
data from RFID tags, including those from remote locations.
And by essentially giving the reader edge-server capabilities, the companies
said it promises to reduce network traffic.
Data that is collected and processed on the reader also can integrate with RFID
information platforms used elsewhere in the enterprise, as well as enterprise
applications.
"As the proliferation of RFID deployments continue, the amount of data that
flows between RFID tags and readers expands exponentially," said Mike Wills,
VP of Everett, Washington-based Intermec. "Yet the benefits of RFID are only as
good as the data that streams into the system."
The first RFID reader to be embedded with IBM's middleware was from Alien
Technology Corp in early August.
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