Information Modelling and Sharing for RFID-Equipped Objects Harri Hämäläinen WAWC’07 – Work In Progress -session Lappeenranta, August 16th 2007

Content -Introduction -Current approaches for adopting RFID -”Hybrid-model” -Use cases -Conclusions

Quote ”(In a conference) I’d like to know whom I have met before, when and in which context?” Prof. Josef Noll August 15th 2007 …relations…parents…childs…classmates…location …income…

Introduction to RFID -Should RFID just be considered as an identification technology? -Different types of tags -Read-only or read/write -Passive, active, semi-passive -RFID technology and Information Services and their meaning are often mixed while speaking of centralized or distrubuted models -Hype?

Item and information relations -Relatively low read rate (especially with low-price tags) requires alternate solutions if there is a need to identify multiple objects -Transportations and other parts of supply chain -Need for hierarchical modelling of information in databases -Location etc. information can be shared to other objects

”Tag-based” Model -Information about the product is stored in the tag itself -No need for centralized information systems -Rules between partners have to be set to make the information readable (e.g. xml schemas) -The information is only available when a tag is in read range -Linking of information between products partly useless

EPCglobal Network Model -Each tag has a unique ID -Information gathered during the lifecycle and stored into an information service that may have links to other services -Fundamental issues -Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) -Electronic Product Code (EPC) -Object Naming Service (ONS) -Product Markup Language (PML) -Information Services

Wireless Sensor Networks -Autonomous devices -Could measure temperature, sound, vibration, pressure,… -Radio tranceiver, microcontroller and battery -Communicates with each other -E.g. ZigBee

Hybrid model & policies -A combination of the two approaches -Sharing the item related information also between the items in real time (=>communication) -Making decisions based on available information -Handling instructions, rules and description stored -In a product itself -Company policies -Rules set by other instances -Intelligence in IS or Middleware -Instant decision making Information Server & RFID Middleware RFID Tag Internet

Sample use cases -Having detailed information -Spare parts -Controlling the warehousing and environment requirements -Location / warehouse / transport control -Temperature control for a product -Other conditions (e.g. fireworks/dynamite or other hazardous material) -Mobility

Conclusions -Relatively low read success rate requires alternate solutions -Need for hierarchical modelling of information in databases -Sharing the available information between the objects -So called ”Hybrid model”, one step towards sensor networks for RFID?

Contacts Harri Hämäläinen Researcher Jari Porras Professor Lappeenranta University of Technology P.O.Box 20 FIN Lappeenranta FINLAND Tel: Fax:

”Hybrid Model”