Sybase has announced a new version of its RFID Anywhere software that
adds location and certain environmental data to the mix of information that
can be collected.
RFID Anywhere 3.0 enables users to track assets from traditional passive RFID
New features include the ability to integrate and combine a variety of
sensor technologies to locate and track assets. Also, users will now be able
to store, query and represent the location of assets graphically or via
reports.
There is potential value to companies using Sybase’s solution to combine
different sensor data, such as temperature and location (e.g. being able to
find out if a shipment of produce was exposed to warmer-than-expected
temperatures during transport and for how long).
Sybase also said RFID Anywhere 3.0 lets companies access the data
collected via Web service applications in a service-oriented architecture
While more expensive than passive, active RFID tags have their own
batteries and transmit on their own.
“We enable the combination of different technologies for different
systems, from barcodes up to GPS,” Martyn Mallick, director of RFID and
mobile solutions for Sybase’s iAnywhere, told internetnews.com. “Then
we let you bring all the data from those systems into a single repository
and reporting system.”
In health care, for example, Mallick noted some providers are adopting
active RTLS to keep tabs on expensive and crucial medical equipment. “But
for things like wheelchairs, where it’s more inventory tracking –- how many
do we have on the third floor -– you can track them for less.”
He estimated
standard RFID tags cost less than $1 each, while active tags are closer to $25,
and RTLS tags are closer to $50.
Mallick said RFID Anywhere 3.0 plugs into warehouse and other data
management systems. In the produce example, an active tag could send an
alert when the temperature rises above or below a point that is considered
safe.
“It could even talk to the cooling system and adjust it proactively,”
said Mallick.
