RFID Fish Monitoring Tags in Pacific Northwest

Digital Angel deploys RFID monitoring solution on Federal Columbia and Snake River hydroelectric projects to monitor the native salmon population. ...

... "Destron Fearing unit has been awarded new orders for Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) fish-monitoring RFID tags from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The value of the new orders is expected to be in the range of $1.5 to $2.0 million over the next year. The Company expects to begin shipping product under the new orders within two weeks. The new orders extend the Company's participation in a project currently underway to continue to develop a PIT-tag system for monitoring salmonids using the spillways at hydroelectric projects in the Columbia and Snake River basins in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. " ...

Via Digital Angel: NEW ORDERS FOR FISH MONITORING RFID TAGS

RFID Senses Environmental Conditions

Savi implements an automated asset and inventory tracking system for the Expeditionary Logistics Center at the Sierra Army Depot in California. The depot supports the storage, maintenance, assembly, and containerization of operational inventory items, ready for deployment. ...

... "The Savi solution at the depot is designed to enhance the visibility and management of assets such as containers, trailers, generators and water purification units. In addition, the solution utilizes sensors that monitor the environmental conditions of DEPMEDS, which are hospitals in a container and include necessary medical supplies and equipment required for rapid deployment into the field of operations. " ...

Via Savi: Army Depot Visibility and Management of Inventory

RFID III Contract

Savi joins three prime contractors as participants in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) RFID III procurement contract for future task orders. This competitive bid contract will be in place for an initial three-year ordering period scheduled to begin in early 2009. ...

... "RFID III is an indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract established by the U.S. Army on behalf of all Services with a total value of $428 million for active Radio Frequency Identification hardware, software and engineering services. The competitively bid RFID III contract, administered by the U.S. Army’s Product Manager Joint-Automatic Identification Technology (PM J-AIT) office, is open to purchase orders from other U.S. Federal agencies and non-U.S. defense forces." ...

Via Savi: U.S. Department of Defense's RFID III Contract Vehicle

RFID Soldier Tracking

ODIN RFID Implementation

US Army RFID Contracts

The US Army Product Manager Joint - Automatic Identification Technology Office for total AIT and RFID solutions selects ODIN technologies as a prime contractor for the Passive Radio Frequency Identification (pRFID) contract. ...

... "The pRFID contract greatly streamlines the purchase of passive RFID solutions needed by the Government since ODIN technologies and its partner contractors bring turn-key pRFID solutions to address any and all requirement of the DoD. All of the hardware, software, and services that make up solutions can be purchased today through this contract. PM J-AIT evaluated and analyzed all of the various vendors before choosing the ODIN team, so that end-users can quickly and easily call on the provider to stand-up a solution. There is early interest in using this IDIQ to build upon the extensive infrastructure ODIN technologies installed for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at all of the Defense Distribution Centers (DDC) across the United States as well as to support specific projects in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. " ...

Via ODIN technologies: US Army Prime Contract Passive RFID

RFID Microchips for Military Personnel

RFID for military application as shown on CNN feature. ...

Solar RFID Reader Powers Asset Tracking System

Savi Technology deploys solar-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and signposts that lower energy usage and costs and enable real-time asset tracking. In many cases, Army bases may be in remote locations with limited power. Solar energy is being used more frequently in remote RFID networks. ...

... "Solar energy provides an energy efficient and environmentally friendly power source for users' RFID hardware, and also eliminates the need to install electrical infrastructure in remote areas where there is no fixed reader infrastructure. Savi engineers mounted solar panels and RFID signposts on poles located at a major U.S. Army supply facility in Kuwait. The solar-powered signposts activate RFID tags attached to vehicles or pieces of equipment. The tags then report the assets' positions to nearby RFID readers, which relay the information to Savi Site Manager software that automatically updates the assets' latest location. These tools enable the facility to track more than 25,000 tags per day. " ...

Via Savi Technology: RFID Asset Tracking Uses Solar Power

Savi RFID Active Reader Order Enables Tracking

Savi Technology received orders of more than $3 million from Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation for more than 6,000 Savi active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader modules, that will be used in tracking applications. ...

... "Comtech embeds Savi OEM active RFID reader modules into Comtech's satellite-based Movement Tracking System (MTS) kit atop the roof of the driver's cab, providing customers with two-way communications to automatically locate, manage and redirect ground shipments. MTS is used by the U. S. Army to automatically read and relay information of stockpiles at depots or in staging areas by driving MTS-mounted vehicles past RFID-tagged containers and supplies, providing mobile communications to the DoDs In-Transit Visibility network, the world's largest RFID-based cargo tracking system. Savi Technology holds a $424.5 million RFID II procurement contract with the U.S. DoD for active RFID products and services. Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation recently announced that it was awarded a new $605.1 million indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract with the U.S. Army for its Movement Tracking System. " ...

Via Savi Tech: RFID-GPS-SATCOM System Orders Surpass 10,000 Unit Mark

RFID Business Intelligence Implementation by US Army

US Army's Product Manager, Joint - Automatic Identification Technology (PM J-AIT) implements MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Platform to provide analytics for logistics data from radio frequency identification (RFID) solution created by Unisys Corp. ...

... "The Radio Frequency In-Transit Visibility (RF-ITV) program provides government and contractor personnel across four continents with instant access to critical information on military cargo, equipment, and supplies. MicroStrategy software was selected to improve the ability to access and analyze data, and provide better decisions to enhance the Department of Defense's worldwide logistics tracking system. Timely access to mission-critical information will enable decision makers throughout the logistics pipeline to plan, prioritize, and redirect logistics operations to improve warfighter readiness. " ...

Via MicroStrategy: US Army's PM J-AIT Implements MicroStrategy Software

RFID Hammer Tracking System Integrates GIS and Sensors

Army RFID research looks to improve the understanding of rapidly changing conditions in real-time using RFID, geographic information, and multiple sensor perspectives. ...

... "The HAMMERTM is modular in design. The technology may be configurable to accommodate a variety of plug and play components, wireless sensors (e.g., seismic, thermal, acoustic, temperature, chemical), and other peripherals via conventional connections (e.g., USB 2.0, LEMOTM). The core unit includes a computer running a WindowsTM XP operating system, which allows secure and encrypted robust computing and 80 GB of data storage capacity. An embedded ArcGISTM software platform allows for integrated complex geographical information system (GIS) analysis. Base unit features include: position acquisition as well as stand-off positioning; distance, pitch, and roll measurements; and still and video processing. Users can collect data instantly via the a rapid event-capture trigger. Additional functions may include night vision, image stabilization and video pattern registration, voice recognition software, and biometrics for secure operations. Voice annotations, as well as audio communications, may be achieved through a wireless, hands-free, headset. A marking/tracking system may be used to mark and monitor dynamic situations and events across diverse landscapes, via active and/or passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and hybrid bar code/RFID labels. " ...

Via US Army ERDC: HAMMER (Hand-held Apparatus for Mobile Mapping and Expedited Reporting)

DOD RFID Final Rule Adopted

DOD adopts final RFID rule and will require the use of Gen-2 RFID tags. ...

... "DoD has adopted as final, with changes, an interim rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to include additional commodities and locations that require package marking with passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The rule requires contractors to affix passive RFID tags at the case and palletized unit load levels when shipping packaged petroleum, lubricants, oils, preservatives, chemicals, additives, construction and barrier materials, and medical materials to specified DoD locations.

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (FEB 2007)

(a) Passive RFID tag means a tag that reflects energy from the reader / interrogator or that receives and temporarily stores a small amount of energy from the reader/interrogator signal in order to generate the tag response.
(1) Until February 28, 2007, the acceptable tags are --

(i) EPC Class 0 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 0 specification; and (ii) EPC Class 1 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 1 specification. This includes both the Generation 1 and Generation 2 Class 1 specifications.

(2) Beginning March 1, 2007, the only acceptable tags are EPC Class 1 passive RFID tags that meet the EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 specification. Class 0 and Class 1 Generation 1 tags will no longer be accepted after February 28, 2007. " ...

Via Federal Register: Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Radio Frequency Identification (DFARS Case 2006-D002)

RFID Nano-Battery Technology

mPhase Technologies plans to reinvent the design of batteries, that power portable electronic devices, freeing us from the fire-hazards of lithium ion batteries, ie. the ones that catch fire in laptop computers. mPhase is creating the Smart Nanobattery, which is a radical approach to energy storage using nanograss.

... "The company is developing a battery for potential use in consumer commerce and security applications like active RFID Radio Frequency ID tags; " ...

Via mPhase Tech: mPhase Technologies To Continue Its Development Of A Radical Improvement In Battery Technology Superior To Current Designs ...

RFID Army Depot MRO Maintenance Repair Overhaul ...

Tobyhanna Depot implements WhereNet's active RFID technology to manage MRO of command and control systems for the military. ...

... "WhereNet Corp. announced that Tobyhanna Army Depot has expanded use of the standards-based WhereNet active RFID, real-time locating system (RTLS) technology to streamline the repair and overhaul of defense electronic systems at the Pennsylvania facility. Tobyhanna Army Depot performs the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems for the Defense Department. Tobyhanna initially contracted with SYS-TEC to deploy the WhereNet system in late 2004 to optimize the refurbishment of the AN/TRC-170 Microwave Communications System and AN/TPS-75 Air Defense Radar System. After extended deployment in rugged environments while supporting America's armed forces, these communications systems are shipped to Tobyhanna, where each system is disassembled, overhauled, and tested before being shipped out to the field again. With assemblies, subassemblies, components, and spare parts spread across the more than 1.9-million-square-foot refurbishment areas, WhereNet's RTLS technology provides each work center with visibility of the AN/TRC-170 and AN/TPS-75 system's work in process. " ...

Via Wherenet: TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT EXPANDS USE OF WHERENET ACTIVE RFID REAL-TIME LOCATING SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY ...

RFID Research: Sensor Networks: IBM Consortium ...

IBM consortium wins contract to support the research and development of RFID wireless sensor networks to enable military operations. ...

... "The United States Army Research Laboratory and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence have selected an IBM-led consortium, the newly formed International Technology Alliance (ITA) in Network and Information Sciences, to undertake a research program exploring advanced technology for secure wireless and sensor networks to support future coalition operations, over a potential 10 year period, with a value of up to $135.8 million. Successful future military operations will depend on the capability of coalition forces to quickly gather, interpret and share battlefield information to coordinate actions, so the research will enable interoperability and communications across disparate military units, allowing them to operate more effectively. This Alliance represents a new way of conducting collaborative research by fostering close partnerships among government, academic, and industry researchers in both countries. The ITA creates a critical mass of private sector and government researchers focused on solving military technology challenges central to future coalition military operations; enabling staff rotations among all organizations in the Alliance; and facilitating rapid and affordable transition of technologies with an innovative transition model. " ...

Via IBM: IBM-Led Consortium Wins Ground-Breaking Transatlantic Defense Research Agreement ...

RFID Medical Record Army System ...

3M will implement RFID-enabled medical record system for the US Army that support their operational efficiency objectives and increase the quality of services through reduced errors. ...

... "3M has been awarded a $3.76 million contract to develop and install a system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track medical files at the U.S. Army's massive Fort Hood Installation in Texas. The system is expected to make a positive impact on operational efficiencies in health care delivery, the troop deployment process and the management of medical data collection. The active medical records of more than 150,000 servicemen and women and their dependents are housed at five sites at Fort Hood, and as many as 70,000 files may be in use at the base's six clinics during the course of a month.



The RFID system is intended to substantially reduce errors and inefficiencies associated with manual tracking, retrieval, filing and file merging methods. The tracking of Army medical records through RFID technology is an innovation led by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), a unit of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). Fort Hood, situated about 60 miles north of Austin, the state capital, is the nation's largest active duty domestic military installation, occupying some 340 square miles. The Army becomes the third federal entity to employ RFID systems from 3M, following similar decisions recently by the Tax Division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Tax Court. Unlike the other applications, however, the system in development for the Army requires higher-performance capability and a greater degree of continuous and automatic tracking of the files. " ...

Via 3M: United States Army Awards Contract to 3M for Pilot RFID Program To Track and Manage Medical Records at Fort Hood ...

DOD RFID Contract Value Doubled and Extended ...

DOD doubles RFID contract value with Savi Technology and extends the contract expiration date.

... "The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has increased its RFID II contract value with Savi Technology from $207.9 million to $424.5 million and extended the ordering period for the company's active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products and services by another two years -- through January 31, 2008. The contract amendments were made by the U.S. Army's Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), and the executive agent for the DoD is the office of the Product Manager, Joint-Automatic Identification Technology. In a public notice, the Department of the Army wrote: The extension of the ordering period and raising of the contract ceiling is necessary in order to continue to provide active RFID tags and associated supplies and services for shipments of materiel to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Savi Technology, a leading developer and provider of RFID supply chain solutions for allied defense forces and commercial enterprises, has provided RFID solutions to the DoD for more than a decade. The company helped build the DoD's In-Transit Visibility (ITV) network, which spans more than 45 countries and tracks military supplies through more than 2,000 sites. In addition to the DoD, the company provides RFID solutions for allies such as NATO, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, and Spain, among others. Savi Technology is building interoperable RFID-based networks for allies that enable them to improve the management of consignments for multi-national, joint-force operations. " ...

DOD RFID Contract Value Doubled and Extended: Via Savi Technology: SAVI TECHNOLOGY’S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RFID II CONTRACT CEILING INCREASED TO $424.5 MILLION: Procurement contract for RFID Products and Services Extended Two Years ...

Tags: Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, RFID Tag

RFID Cargo Tracking System ...

... "The Cargo Tracking System will use a Citadel Vista-10XL mobile computer with an IDENTEC SOLUTIONS Active RFID reader module. As the cargo is loaded, antennas mounted outside the truck will read active RFID tags attached to cargo containers. The cargo contents will automatically be recorded and reported, and actions will be launched, all without human intervention. Commanders will immediately know the location of all cargo containers in the supply chain. This is a future-proof RFID system that can easily support multiple tag technologies and future technologies via plug-in modules. " ...

RFID Cargo Tracking System: Via Identec Solutions: IDENTEC SOLUTIONS Selected to Supply RFID Cargo Tracking System for US Army Maneuver Sustainment Vehicle ...

DataRich Active RFID: Nato SupplyChain ...

NATO awards Savi contract to sustain operations of its RFID-based network, built to track the supply chain between Europe and Afghanistan. ...

... "The contract followed a year-long assessment of the RFID backbone Savi deployed for NATO. The contract calls for purchase of additional data-rich active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and readers as well as network wide software enhancements to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) supply chain, stretching from the Netherlands and Germany through Uzbekistan to Kabul in Afghanistan.

The contract calls for purchase of additional data-rich active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and readers as well as network wide software enhancements to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) supply chain, stretching from the Netherlands and Germany through Uzbekistan to Kabul in Afghanistan.

The new NATO contract calls for additional units of Savi’s readers (Savi Reader SR-650) to be placed at key transportation nodes along the ISAF Network, more Savi tags (ST-654) to be affixed to containers and air pallets, and for a network wide software upgrade to CMS 1.0, which will be hosted at NC3A’s facility in The Hague, Netherlands, where CMS will interface with the NATO LOGFAS Logistics IT system. " ...

DataRich Active RFID: Nato SupplyChain: Via Savi Technology: NATO AWARDS SAVI TECHNOLOGY A NEW CONTRACT FOR RFID NETWORK UPGRADES TO TRACK DEFENSE CONSIGNMENTS: Savi’s New SmartChain® Consignment Management Solution Brings Real-Time Visibility of Joint Force, Multi-National Shipments from Europe to Afghanistan ...

Additional references on the NATO RFID supply chain network:

Focus on DLA: "In fact, asset tracking has become a NATO interest item with the recognition of the inability of traditional materiel management techniques to trace individual assets accurately. The 1998 NATO Ministerial Guidance prioritized the achievement of a common standard asset tracking system through the establishment of the Asset Tracking Interservice Working Group. "

International Asset Tracking & Materials Handling Standardization: "The aim of NATO standardization is to enhance the Alliance's operational effectiveness, achieve the closest practicable cooperation among forces, and to improve efficiency in the use of available resources. LOGSA PSCC supports NATO standardization under the NATO Standardization Agency for asset tracking and materials handling as to increase multinational force compatibility (MFC). As our defense resources diminish, we can make more efficient use of resources through MFC. Our prime goal is to establish Standardization Agreements (STANAGs), which are agreements among several or all 19 member nations to adopt like or similar military equipment, ammunition, supplies, and stores; and operational, logistic, and administrative procedures. "

Supply Chain Systems Transformation - Portfolio Management - Milestones: "IUID STANAG ratification by NATO Asset Tracking Working Group"

Anytime Anywhere RFID Technology: Military Applications ...

Imagine the convergance of radio frequency identification and global positioning. Objects identify themselves and their position to enable real-time, global visibility. Bob Brewin explores the Army's vision for next-generation radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. ...

Anytime Anywhere RFID Technology: Military Applications: Via FCW: Army wants any time, anywhere RFID tag

... "The Army wants some help in developing next-generation radio frequency identification (RFID) tags with built-in global wireless connectivity that will allow the service to locate shipping containers any time, anywhere. " ...

Ubisense Sensors: RFID Active Tags

Ubisense support accelerated customer growth in RFID and associated UWB sensor technology with process efficiency, tracking, and security. ...

Ubisense Sensors: RFID Active Tags: Via Ubisense: UBISENSE REPORTS 60 NEW CUSTOMERS AS DEMAND FOR HIGH ACCURACY INDOOR LOCATION TECHNOLOGY INTESIFIES: Ubisense enhances process efficiencies, space utilization and security for, healthcare, industrial, military and more ...

... "Ubisense provides innovative, sensor-driven technology that utilizes UWB to report person and asset location within one foot of accuracy. Small sensors are placed within the indoor environment and active tags worn by people or attached to assets provide location information that can be viewed in 3D. This location data can be used to determine the efficiency and security of any indoor space or training scenario. For instance, US-based DSCI provides live, virtual training scenarios for the Department of Defense (DoD) training centers. DSCI needed high resolution indoor tracking capabilities for Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training. Finding that WiFi and Radio Frequency ID (RFID) systems do not offer the near-precise accuracy and reliability required by the DoD, DSCI turned to Ubisense. " ...

Ubisense provides location-aware, sensor-driven technology that increases the usability and security of space. Ubisense utilizes advanced ultra-wideband (UWB) to deliver real-time location data within one foot of accuracy to more than 60 customers spanning workplace, healthcare, industrial and military organizations worldwide. The company is headquartered in Cambridge , England with offices in Denver , Colorado and Dortmund, Germany.

RFID Tag Data Query ...

Server Queries and Reports: HOW RFID TAG INFORMATION IS GENERATED AND DISPLAYED ...

... "Queries rely on information written to RF tags for the information that they provide. Queries will only provide you with valuable results if all the required information is correctly written to the RF tags. " ...

RFID Tag Placement Instructions ...

RFID Tag Placement Instructions: Hardware: RFID TAG and MSL PLACEMENT AND DOCUMENTATION ...

... "When attaching RFID tags to containers:

- Mount them on the same side as an MSL document normally right side near thetop.
- Mount the RFID tag in between the ribs in an indentation.
- When attaching the older Seal Tag, use the nylon strips and mount them to the front door. " ...

RFID Tag Scenario ...

Via Global Cargo Distribution - Domestic - Theater Booking Advisory for Cargo Movement to Iraq and Kuwait ...

... "Each individual package or piece must be tagged with an RFID tag and, except for vehicles/trailers, palletized or skidded to allow for mechanized handling. Lifting points must be clearly marked. After verifying cargo documentation including RFID tags, SDDC will arrange movement from the port to the TDC for onward movement to Iraq or a DODAAC destination within Kuwait. " ...

3G RFID SATCOM ...

3G RFID SATCOM: Improving RFID Technology: Via Army Logistician

Jeffrey D. Fee and Alan Schmack recommend improvements for RFID, such as third-generation satellite communications, 3G SATCOM ...

... "RFID integrated with satellite communications and a GPS results in a single device that can overcome the where is it now? asset tracking problem. A prototype of this new capability being tested by the Army Logistics Transformation Agency is called Third Generation Radio Frequency Identification with Satellite Communications (3G RFID w/SATCOM). It has the potential to provide DOD with unprecedented on-demand supply and equipment in-transit visibility without fixed infrastructure. " ...

DOD HandHeld RFID Computer ...

DOD HandHeld RFID Computer: Via Psion Teklogix: Psion Teklogix Rugged RFID Hand-Held Only One Tough Enough For DoD

Psion Tek secures DOD HandHeld RFID Computer contract ...

... "Psion Teklogix (LSE: PON), a global provider of solutions for mobile computing, wireless data collection, imaging and RFID, announced that its rugged EPC-compliant 7535 Hand-Held Computer with RD7950 Integrated UHF RFID Reader has been the only hand-held reader selected for use by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Coast Guard and several other federal agencies. Psion Teklogix partners CDO Technologies, SYS-TEC and WFI Government Services have each been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) from the Army Contracting Agency Information Technology, E-Commerce, and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), for passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Electronic Product Code (EPC) -1 for Multi-protocol (Class 0 and 1) Hand-held Readers. " ...

RFID BPM Asset Management Solution ...

RFID BPM Asset Management Solution: Appian Further Solidifies Lead in BPM Market, Offering RFID Integration to Enhance Process-Driven Solutions: Company Showcases RFID-Enabled, BPM-Based Asset Management Solution at 2005 U.S. Army DOIM/AKM Conference ...

Appian will demo RFID BPM asset management process at upcoming conference ...

... "Appian Corporation, the first Business Process Management (BPM) company to deliver advanced process, knowledge, and analytics capabilities in a fully integrated suite, will demonstrate it's RFID-enabled, BPM-based Asset Management solution at the 2005 Directorate of Information Management (DOIM)/Army Knowledge Management (AKM) Conference, August 23 - 25, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By offering integrated radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Appian's Asset Management solution allows organizations to capture critical information about their physical assets and significantly improve the way they manage their inventory and supply chains. " ...

With this new composite process solution, Appian further extends its leadership in the BPM Suite (BPMS) market as the first provider to combine integrated RFID technology with sophisticated process management and composite application development capabilities such as document management, rules management, real-time analytics, dashboards and portal functionality.

Co-Sponsored by AFCEA International and the Army Chief Information Officer (CIO/G-6) and NETCOM/9th ASC, the Directorate of Information Management (DOIM)/Army Knowledge Management (AKM) Conference is the premier forum for Government and Industry to exchange ideas about commercial best business practices and government implementations.

Embedded RFID Satellite Tracking

Embedded RFID Satellite Tracking: Via Comtech Telecommunications Corp.: Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Receives $4.7 Million Movement Tracking System Order for Its Next Generation Transceiver ...

Comtech Telcom receives order for embedded-RFID satellite tracking system ...

... "Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ:CMTL) announced today that its Maryland-based subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp., has received an order totaling $4.7 million on its Movement Tracking System, or MTS contract, with the U. S. Army. This order is for the purchase of Comtech's next generation mobile satellite transceiver, which features embedded RFID and secure GPS capabilities, along with ruggedized computers and control stations. " ...

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions. The Company conducts its business through three complementary segments: telecommunications transmission, mobile data communications, and RF microwave amplifiers. The Company offers niche products, systems and services where it believes it has technological, engineering, systems design or other expertise that differentiate its product offerings.

DOD Passive RFID Service Provider: BearingPoint

DOD Passive RFID Service Provider: BearingPoint: U.S. Army Selects BearingPoint for Passive RFID Technical Engineering Services: Blanket Purchase Agreement to leverage BearingPoint’s network of RFID providers ...

... "BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE: BE), one of the world's largest management consulting and systems integration firms, announced today that it has been awarded a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) by the U.S. Army to provide passive RFID technical engineering services. The contract was awarded by the Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), and is designed to provide RFID technical services, data integration software, and passive RFID middleware to meet Department of Defense (DoD) requirements. " ...

BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE: BE) is one of the world’s largest management consulting, systems integration and managed services firms serving government agencies, Global 2000 companies, medium-sized businesses and other organizations. We provide business and technology strategy, systems design, architecture, applications implementation, network infrastructure, systems integration and managed services. Our service offerings are designed to help our clients generate revenue, reduce costs and access the information necessary to operate their business on a timely basis. Based in McLean, Va., BearingPoint has been named by Fortune as one of America’s Most Admired Companies in the computer and data services sector.

RFID DOD Asset Visibility ...

RFID DOD Asset Visibility: RF-ITV System Mission

... "RF-ITV consists of the implementation and integration of RFID technology into the DoD supply chain and the asset visibility of logistics vehicles equipped with physical location/tracking capability (i.e., satellite tracking systems). " ...

Active RFID Decade Experience ...

Active RFID Decade Experience: FAQ

... "active RFID has been in use for almost a decade and was used successfully during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom on major items and consolidated cargo moving into theater to provide Commanders in-transit visibility. Use of passive RFID, largely designed for supply chain efficiency, has been limited to smaller initial implementations to date, but plans are to expand usage... " ...

RFID DOD Supply Chain ...

Army Logistician (RFID Vision in the DOD Supply Chain) ...

Alan F. Estevez writes ... The Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Supply Chain Integration believes that the real value of RFID lies not in what it can do today but in what it will do in the future. ...

... "Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an enabling technology that allows military logisticians to synthesize and integrate end-to-end information about assets. The Department of Defense (DOD) is a globally sophisticated user of active RFID, with more than a decade of experience in this technology and the most extensive RFID network in the world. Now, DOD is attempting to standardize the use of active RFID and is moving ahead with the application of passive RFID technologies. (Active RFID uses a battery within the tag to power the tag and its RF communications circuitry. Passive RFID relies on radio frequency energy transferred from the reader to the tag to power the tag.) " ...

Alan F. Estevez is the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Supply Chain Integration within the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness.

DOD RFID Technology Webinar

RFID Technology Standards, with Ed Coyle, Chief, DoD Logistics Automatic ID Tech. Office, April ...

Upcoming RFID webinar focused on DOD RFID applications ...

... "Webinar: RFID for Defense Suppliers, May 4, 2005, 11:00 a.m. EST
Featuring: Ed Coyle, Chief of the DoD Logistics Automatic Identification Technology Office, DoD and LTC. Charles Burke, USA Chief, US Army Logistics Network Task Force" ...

SemiPassive RFID Tags

Types of Radio Frequency Tags ...

... "Semi-passive RFID tags are powered by a battery, allowing them greater range (tested at distances greater than 100 meters). This one was developed for the Army to detect and locate night-vision goggles on a cluttered battlefield. " ...

RFID Product Information Management RFID-PIM ...

RFID Product Information Management RFID-PIM: AAFES Expects to Decrease Operating Costs with GXS’ Product Information Manager ...

GXS PIM system will be used to manage information through the AAFES supply processes into customer systems, leveraging the DOD RFID technology ...

... GXS, a leading provider of B2B e-commerce solutions, today announced that the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) has selected GXS’ Product Information Manager (PIM) Retailer Edition to integrate inbound product information from its suppliers into its customer facing systems. ... In addition, the PIM solution establishes a single source for product data, creating consistency across departments and disciplines. For AAFES, PIM Retailer Edition will be the foundation for price and promotion synchronization, scan-based trading and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The U.S. Department of Defense now requires that RFID be implemented by all military vendors. ...

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) brings a tradition of value, service and support to its 11.5 million authorized customers without regard to where they may be stationed. AAFES operates 12,000 facilities in more than 35 countries and in all 50 states. These include 3,150 retail facilities, of which 160 are main stores on Army, Air Force and Marine installations throughout the world.

GXS (Global eXchange Services) is a leading worldwide provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that simplify and enhance business process integration and collaboration. Organizations worldwide, including over half of the Fortune 500, leverage the GXS Trading GridSM to achieve the perfect balance of supply and demand. Active in the global standards arena, GXS solutions enable customers both large and small, to connect with global partners, synchronize product information, optimize inventory levels and demand forecasts, and accelerate the execution of supply chains. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., GXS provides sales and support to businesses and their partners worldwide.

RFID Sensor Integration: Capability to Monitor Status ...

The Combat Feeding Directorate Global Asset Visibility (GAV) Program is exploring the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology ...

... "The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is a unique number that identifies a specific item in the supply chain. Passive RFID tags are made up of a microchip holding an EPC and an antenna that receives an RF signal. Powdered by a reader, passive tags emit a radio signal that transmits the EPC and other information back to the reader. Sensor integration on tags provides the capability to monitor the status of an item, pallet or container by detecting temperature, vibration, rough handling, chemical/ biological contamination (stretch goal), etc." ...

RFID Historical Perspectives ...

RF/ID ENABLES RAPID OFF-LOAD OF

Randall McClure and Thomas J. Kershaw write ...

... "While preparing final plans for loading its prepo ships in late 1994, the Army decided that radio frequency/identification (RFID) tag technology like that used in Haiti would aid in rapidly identifying the contents of containers deployed aboard the ships. After a series of feasibility meetings, the Army decided that soldiers could use handheld interrogators and RF tags affixed to shipping containers to locate quickly items packed in the thousands of containers arriving for a contingency. Handheld interrogators and RF tags manufactured by Savi Technology were selected for this task. Remarkably, this automatic identification technology could work even in an austere environment without computers or external power sources-exactly the conditions often found during the initial offloading of prepo container ships in an oversea theater. " ...

RFID Warehouse Robot

NEWS

... "The robot can conduct continuous surveillance along one of several pre-established paths, steer itself to stay on the path and avoid obstacles, and inventory specified items as it moves through a storage area. The robot's built-in RF interrogator scans RFID tags affixed to items in storage and sends the information to a collection point for appropriate action. The MDARS robot reduces the need for safety and inventory control personnel and can help prevent losses of high-dollar or controlled items. Other benefits anticipated with the use of the robots include improved inventory control, reduced risk to security personnel, and quick detection of intruders, fire, and toxic spills. Future plans include linking the MDARS RF-based product assessment system to other depot systems, such as the Distribution Standard System (DSS). For more information, call Jerry Edwards, Office of the Product Manager for Physical Security Equipment, Army Materiel Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, at (703) 704-2412 or DSN 654-2412, or send e-mail to jedwards @belvoir.army.mil. " ...

RFID In-Transit Visibility Server ...

PM J-AIT // Office of the Product Manager, Joint-Automatic Identification Technology

... "Radio Frequency In-Transit Visibility (RF-ITV): PM J-AIT is the responsible agent for the RF-ITV infrastructure. We provide assistance and act in an advisory capacity to user commands, organizations, agencies, and system Program Managers regarding frequency allocation and assignment for products offered on the AIT and RFID contracts." ...

RFID Interrogators Support Maintenance and Repair ...

Stairstep Technologies in the Supply Support Activity

Major Peter D. Crean writes ...

... "To get the most current information on the movement of critical maintenance repair parts, SSA's can use an RF interrogator to access a USAREUR data base that is kept current by established sites, both in the United States and in Europe. The 1st Armored Division used data provided from RFID technology to improve readiness and build confidence among its units in the supply and transportation system. Because they were confident that the part was on its way, they could reduce stocks on hand and avoid reordering, which allowed them to save money. " ...

RFID Interrogators At Choke Points: Keeping Track Of Shipments Using Automatic Identification Technology

Keeping Track Of Your Shipments Using Automatic Identification Technology

Sergeant First Class Angel L. Luciano Gonzalez and Hans Hollister write ...

... "RF interrogators are installed at border crossings, railheads, bridges, and base camps in the European theater. These are known as choke sites. As the RF tag passes by an RF interrogator, all the shipment information contained on the RFID tag is collected and sent to the RF retriever. Once received by the RF retriever, this information is transmitted to the in-transit visibility (ITV) server located in Mannheim, Germany. By accessing the ITV server, the supply service activities' operators and item managers are able to track and locate their shipments. " ...

RFID Interrogator Challenges ...

2d Armored Cavalry Regiment Unit Move

Major General Larry J. Lust and Brigadier General Mitchell H. Stevenson write about how unit's redeployment from Bosnia to Louisiana provided an opportunity to test automatic identification technologies ...

... "USAREUR DCSLOG's challenges were numerous, because a unit deployment is normally a busy time. Training on TC-AIMS II and the AIT peripherals had to be planned carefully. Equipment such as RF interrogators was erected in host-nation facilities where there were no communications or electricity. In addition to these challenges, the 2d ACR's redeployment date was accelerated by almost a month, which put a strain on the delivery of equipment from technology vendors. The Commanding General of Task Force Eagle, Major General Larry Ellis, wanted to use Bosnian rail lines to transport the cargo and rolling stock from Brcko and Lukovac, Bosnia, instead of convoying to Taszar, Hungary, to use the railheads there. " ...

RFID Interrogator Infrastructure ...

Logistics Automation Support of OJE ...

Thomas Manzagol writes a personal account of some significant lessons learned in search of solutions to logistics support problems experienced during Operation Joint Endeavor ...

... "Early on, this small group of personnel, outfitted with aging M1010-series ambulances and a meager inventory of tools and repair parts, attached RF tags to containers, installed satellite transponders in vehicles, and trained unit personnel in the use of satellite, AMS, and RF technology. They built an initial RF interrogator infrastructure that eventually provided intransit and in-the-box visibility of consolidated shipments over an area of operational responsibility (AOR) that spanned nearly 1,000 miles. During the March meetings, when LIA was asked what support it could provide, the answer was clear-assist with the application of AIT, specifically RF and satellite tracking, and attempt to integrate disparate data from numerous sources. The first opportunity to do just that was the 1st Armored Division's redeployment. " ...

Cargo Deployed With RFID

USARPAC News - 599th DDST begins split operations in Thailand

... "RFID tags are used for 100 percent of deploying cargo. The information contained within the tags provides commanders with information on what the equipment is and where it is going. This helps to develop a common operating picture on demand, which in turn provides leaders visibility of their capability flowing to the devastated areas of Thailand." ...

America’s Army in the Pacific... a Tailorable, Highly Deployable Multi-Component Contributor to Joint and Multinational Teams... Capable of Quick Crisis Response and Decisive Victory... Ready, Responsive, and Engaged... Values-Based... Supporting and Caring for Our Soldiers, Civilians, and Families... Supporting PACOM’s Strategy of Promoting Peace, Democracy, Security, and Peaceful Development in the Asia-Pacific Region.

RFID Transponders Programming ...

CHAPTER 4

... "The RFID labels are known as tags or transponders. They contain information that can range from a permanent ID number programmed into the tag by the manufacturer to a variable 128-kilobyte memory that can be programmed by a controller using RF energy. The controller is usually referred to as a reader or an interrogator. An interrogator and a tag use RF energy to communicate with each other. The interrogator sends an RF signal that wakes up the tag, and the tag transmits information to the interrogator. In addition to reading the tag, the interrogator can write new information on the tag, thus permitting a user to alter the tag's information within the effective range. Interrogators can be networked to provide extensive coverage for a system." ...

RFID Hardware Procedure ...

Hardware

... "The RFID Tag will list all cargo within the container, including:Document Number (DOC) or TCN, National Stock Number (NSN), Nomenclature (NOMEN), Line Item Number (LIN), Quantity (QTY), and Unit of Issue 6. Before vehicles and containers depart home station, units must upload the RFID Tag data using the software provided with the write station." ...

Mobile RFID Realtime Tracking

Joint Tactical Radio System - JTRS

... "The AeroScout T2 Wi-Fi Tag is a small, long battery life, active RFID device that transmits its information using standard 802.11 protocols rather than passively waiting to be read. It has an indoor range of 80 meters and an outdoor range of 200 meters. " ...

RFID Enabler Load Tracking ...

Army Logistician (Configured Loads: A New Look at an Old Concept )

Major K. Eric Drummond, USAR, writes ...

... "The future of distribution and accountability looks even brighter with the advent of RFID. RFID allows information on all items in a load, regardless of supply class, to be written on a tag. RFID helps make accountability and tracking easier and more accurate. Industry standards still have to be agreed upon, and a Department of Defense (DOD) infrastructure must be developed and fielded to capitalize on this enabler." ...

RFID OIF Distribution Learning's ...

Army Logistician (Analyzing the Lessons of OIF Distribution)

Suzi Thurmond, Directorate of Combat Developments for Combat Service Support, at the Army Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia, writes ...

... "The CSS community needs to establish ownership and responsibility for RFID at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. RFID technology should be used during peacetime operations so soldiers are comfortable with the equipment. RF tags should be used during combat training center training scenarios and during installation and deployment operations." ...

RFID Supply Support Logistics ...

Stairstep Technologies in the Supply Support Activity

Major Peter D. Crean, Office of the Quartermaster General, Fort Lee, Virginia, writes ...

... "Radio frequency identification (RFID) equipment. RFID refers to a system consisting of tags, an interrogator (reader), a computer, and a docking station. It is an omnidirectional data collection and storage device that uses radio frequencies to read and transmit data. RF tag information can be sent to a data base either by conventional phone lines or by international maritime satellite. The standard SAVI systems RF tag currently used in DOD has 256 bytes of standard memory storage and 128 kilobytes of extended data storage capacity. " ...

RFID Movement Tracking System

MTS Is Revolutionizing Logistics on the Move

Kelly M. Tapp writes ...

... "Other plans for MTS improvements include interfacing MTS with radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID achieves in-transit visibility by letting users receive accurate reports of the location of supplies at all stages of their movement. An RFID network can track the transportation of supplies such as ammunition, baggage, and medical equipment from Army depots to regional distribution centers and then to Army installations in Europe and other theaters." ...

RFID Learning and Improvement ...

Army Logistician (Relearning Lessons Learned)

Colonel Glenn W. Walker, ARNG AGR, writes ...

... "During Operation Iraqi Freedom, containers arrived in theater with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags carefully mounted and full of data on what was inside the containers. However, no one was at the port to forward the containers to their correct destinations when they came off the commercial vessel, so all that labeling work was a wasted effort." ...

RFID Interrogator Information Jam

Corps Distribution Center Operations in Iraq

Captain Bret D. Jones, USAR, and Lieutenant Colonel Emmett C. Schuster, USAR, write ...

... "Initially, the inbound radio frequency identification (RFID) tag interrogator was perched on top of the CDC control building near the sustainment cargo, a position that could adversely affect the tags on the cargo stored in the area. Multiple pinging of the RFID tags on containers that sit in the arc of an interrogator depletes the tags' batteries and can cause an information jam in the interrogator system. " ...

RFID Radio Queries ...

Embedded Chips and Radio Queries: A Look at the Future

Major Stephen M. Rutner, Ph.D., USAR, writes ...

... "It is easy to imagine a future RFID system that improves management of the transportation process, including ITV. Assume that there is a time when all major end items have embedded RFID chips containing all of the information that is currently available on barcode labels, plus a great deal more. A unit is ordered to deploy. RFID readers verify that all of the information on the chips is updated for the new mission. Deployment support teams verify the dimensions and weight of each item with a quick scan before it leaves the installation; this reduces the need for staging areas before items arrive at the port. Satellite readers track the items to the port of embarkation (whether air or sea)." ...

RFID Medical Supply Support Pilot ...

Medical Supply Support to Kosovo ...

Major William M. Stubbs, Lieutenant Commander Gary Rakes, USN, and Captain David Turnbull write ...

... "USAMMCE began using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for all shipments to Kosovo and Skopje. This allowed personnel with access to the Joint Total Asset Visibility System, the Global Transportation Network, or the automatic identification technology site in Friedrichsfeld, Germany, to track USAMMCE shipments going to Kosovo or Skopje or any other destination. USAMMCE has just begun adding commodity data to its RFID tags. Before that, only a transportation control number, which was actually the lead document number, was associated with each tag. With RFID tags, a customer can track each pallet and the commodities on each pallet. This system was not all-inclusive, because some items arrived late and were put on a pallet without enough time to add the data to the corresponding RFID tag. " ...

RFID Improves Reverse Logistics

Defining and Improving Reverse Logistics, RL ...

Robert Banks, Army Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia, writes ...

... "From this beginning, three tenets of Reverse Logistics RL have emerged: predictability, reliability, and visibility. We can predict successfully when a retrograde item will arrive, our prediction is reliable to the 95th percentile, and we have visibility of the shipment throughout the process. With a system in place that can meet these tenets, maintenance personnel can schedule maintenance activities and more accurately order repair sets or kits. Central shipping and receiving personnel also can adjust workloads to handle inbound or surge shipments as well as to schedule outbound trucks or containers more accurately. The question now becomes: how do we gain this predictability, reliability, and visibility? The answer is a combination of supply discipline and SARSS data, coupled with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology; both are in use throughout the Army but are nowhere more prevalent than in U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). " ...

RFID Parts Tracking Tool ...

Parts Tracker - Unique Tool for the Warfighter ...

Francis Leong writes ...

... "If a shipment is moving by military transportation and an RFID tag is attached to the container, the information on the tag can be accessed through Parts Tracker's RFID tag query. Many layers of information can be obtained through this query the current date, time, and location of the container; the consignor, consignee, and carrier owner; the container's consolidation transportation control number (TCN); and all shipment-related TCNs. A query by RFID tag number will show the historical record of the container, including locations, dates, and times for each of its movements. A detailed query of the RFID tag will provide information on all items in that container by nomenclature, document number, package suffix code, national stock number, quantity, hub receipt date, and ship date." ...

Transportation Control Number (TCN): The single standard shipment identification number for all DOD-sponsored movements (i.e., materiel and equipment and all vendor shipping transactions involving DOD materiel). The TCN is a 17-position alpha-numeric data element assigned to control a shipment unit through the transportation system (to include CONUS shipments, shipments entering the DTS, and commercial Systems).

3G RFID SATCOM System ...

Improving RFID Technology

Jeffrey D. Fee and Alan Schmack write ...

... "The 3G RFID w/SATCOM system would be particularly useful in the beginning stages of a deployment, when regional combatant, joint task force, and other commanders find that their asset management information needs are most critical, by helping them in assessing their combat effectiveness. Under these circumstances, commanders require near-real-time and on-demand visibility." ...

RFID Benefit Potential Estimates ...

Commentary - Radio Frequency Identification (RFID Technologies: Potential for the Department of Defense)

CW4 Pablo A. Brown writes ...

... "Business practices in the private sector demonstrate the impact of using RFID. A study by Accenture, a global consulting firm, concluded that RFID could lower inventories by at least 5 percent or as much as 30 percent. In one practical application, Procter & Gamble Company plans to use RFID technology to monitor its tagged cases. Procter & Gamble hopes this will reduce its inventory by 40 percent. Using Accenture's lower 5 percent estimate, the DLA can reasonably assume a savings of $4 billion to its $80.5 billion wholesale inventory. The DLA might save as much as $24 billion if it can reduce the inventory it carries by 30 percent. If the DLA could achieve Procter & Gamble's 40 percent reduction, this would save the DLA an estimated $32 billion. Clearly, the DOD stands to benefit tremendously from the use of RFID." ...

CW4 Pablo A. Brown wrote his article on the potential of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technologies for the Department of Defense while working in the Army’s Training With Industry program at the Logistics Management Institute in McLean, VA.

RFID Tamper Evident Controls ...

Tamper Evident Combat Rations

... "The feasibility of incorporating TE features into combat ration distribution and packaging systems will be determined. Mechanical and/or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor-based TE systems will be explored and evaluated. These technologies include pressure-sensitive labels, multi-layer films, shrink-wrap, seals, electronic bolt tags and other container security devices. Many materials have been commercially developed that alter their appearance upon tampering. " ...

RFID Technical Demonstration ...

What's Hot at Natick Soldier Center?

... "On February 23rd,, 2004, at Defense Depot San Joaquin, DOD Combat Feeding, in partnership with DLA, conducted a technical demonstration using passive RFID tags at the case and pallet level and sensor equipped semi-passive RFID tags to track operational rations from vendor-to-foxhole in a simulated end-to-end supply chain." ...