Radio Frequency Identification - Assignment Example

As a result, the active barcode scanning will be eliminated hence improving productivity. The MIT Auto-ID has been implemented leading to the creation of cheaper RFID tags. The enhancement has given rise to a standard or universal electronic product code (EPC). This enables the use of standard RFID tags which are competitively better than a printed barcode label. Zhang believes that “it is more than the actual internet because it creates a way in which companies use sensors in the identification of goods and it is effectively going to the method of tracking goods. We are introducing the Internet of things” (Zhang, 2008).

Research shows that the decision by Wal-Mart to ask all their suppliers to introduce RFID tag pallets has generated a lot of buzz on EPC technology but once implemented it would make commerce in general much faster and more efficient at speeds that even humans cannot understand. An example is the Joint Total Asset Visibility (JTAV) network which is part of the RFID network. It was introduced or built by the military and it comprises RFID tags and GPS locators which helped track military supplies. This move greatly improved military logistics. The technology’s capability was reading RFID information in over 400 places and 40 countries which included seaports, rail yards, military bases, etc. The military had real-time tracking of 270000 cargo containers via satellite. Shepard voices that the RFID technology devices which are put in companies' assets report every hour JTAV keeps track of their status and location (Shepard, 2005, 24-25).

This technology is further enhanced through integration with other devices like sensors that measure environmental changes. These changes can be temperature or force. A good example is the validity of organic products becomes a variable of time and temperature in that it can be automatically invalidated if temperatures exceed the given range. One very amazing RFID technology advancement is the “Smart Dust”. This comprises RFID particles distributed in the air in a peer-to-peer network for sensing humidity, vibrations, temperature, etc. (Wessel, 2009, 1-2).

Despite the good aspects of RFID technology, it raises privacy issues. The California state senator voices that the technology could invade the citizen’s privacy. People might use it to track others and this can lead to privacy issues.