NEWS DESK

Ekahau Deploys First Mobile Tracking Solution in Madrid Public Transport Complex

Ekahau Inc. (www.ekahau.com) has announced that the Ekahau RTLS is being used to streamline and facilitate the movement of thousands of busses through Madrid 's emerging public transport complex, which is governed by Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM).

Ekahau has been working with local partner, Neomedia, since 2005 to create a solution that can track as many as 2,000 busses through the transport hub 's four underground transport interchangers, which are centers where the subway, busses, and trains intersect for passengers to transfer between systems.

An essential element in the system is a Linux-based client Neomedia designed in collaboration with Ekahau to track moving vehicles. "Our DLA device configures itself depending on the average speed of the vehicle," says Miguel Caballero, Business Development Director at Neomedia. "The accuracy we get with the 'speed parameter' is higher than with tags, which are usually used for tracking purposes."

The mobile tracking solution provides CRTM with the ability to better manage and coordinate busses when they go into the underground interchangers, complementing the GPS solution they have for outdoor location tracking. With the WiFi-based RTLS solution, interchanger operators now have more control over bus scheduling and are able to inform commuters where busses are at any given moment. In fact, they can locate busses in real time with an accuracy of two to three meters. The tracking technology also assists with maintenance, giving the location information to mechanics so they can quickly reach the bus and fix any problems.

"Tracking fast-moving objects posed a new challenge for our technology – one that we have conquered together with Neomedia in CRTM's application," says Jarmo Ikonen, Ekahau's Sales Director. "I believe that the success of this project will pave the way for similar projects in other countries. "

With the two-year pilot scheme now successfully completed, implementation of Ekahau RTLS will expand as new interchangers are built in the CRTM complex. By the time of its completion, the Madrid project will represent one of the most ambitious and innovative public transport developments in Europe.

Canadian Public Library Is Committed to BiblioChip

The Brampton Library in Ontario, Canada, has selected Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems as its RFID supplier. The Brampton Library is comprised of four branches and two interim sites that house a vast collection of more than 562,000 items. The Public Library opened its doors in 1887. Today, Brampton Library provides exceptional access to highly valued services through a full complement of contemporary facilities. Arthur Sykes, Manager of Library Systems for Brampton Library states: "It became obvious during our site visits that the BiblioChip RFID Library System was superior. Bibliotheca's system will help improve productivity and assist the Library in meeting customer expectations for the present and foreseeable future."

BiblioChip features read/write non-proprietary second generation RFID labels that can be affixed directly to all items in the library's collection, including CDs and DVDs. "Bibliotheca has designed very powerful software that facilitates and speeds up the conversion process, " says Bob Dougan, Bibliotheca's Canadian CEO.

The BiblioChip System is the leading RFID library system in Europe with over 280 libraries using Bibliotheca products worldwide. All components are designed from an ergonomic viewpoint, combining staff comfort with increased productivity. Bibliotheca continuously discusses system requirements with librarians and library staff and develops a system that is easy to use, provides the required functionality, and results in significant improvements in efficiency. Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems is committed to continued system development and improvements, and is allocating the required resources to ensure that the Bibliotheca system remains the leading RFID system in the world.

Sybase to Deliver RFID Anywhere® for Mutual Drug

Sybase iAnywhere (www.ianywhere.com) announces continued momentum for the adoption of its leading RFID Anywhere ® software infrastructure to power innovative applications developed for Mutual Drug (as well as MGF Logistique, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, and Throttleman). RFID Anywhere is Sybase ® software infrastructure that provides a customizable environment for developing and managing robust, highly distributed RFID and sensor solutions.

Mutual Drug (also known as North Carolina Mutual Wholesale Drug Company) is the wholesale distributor of choice among independent pharmacies in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The company was formed in 1952 by pharmacists for pharmacists. Mutual Drug provides its approximately 500 customers with a wide variety of merchandise, including scheduled drugs, over-the-counter medications, and other non-medical merchandise commonly found in pharmacies.

Mutual Drug implemented RFID Anywhere to reduce shipping errors and associated costs due to conveyor belt "spin-off" incidents that led to merchandise being loaded on the wrong delivery trucks and improve customer satisfaction. The successful solution resulted in zero shipping errors, substantial cost savings, streamlined loading of trucks, and increased customer satisfaction.

Sirit Plug-n-Play Readers Authenticate Sports Memorabilia

Sirit Inc. (www.sirit.com) announces that Prova Group, Inc. has selected Sirit's Plug-n-Play SDIO reader as the RFID platform for its sports memorabilia authentication application. The portable reader solution will be used exclusively at the Football Spectacular Show, a large sports collectibles exhibition starting today at the Dallas Convention Center.

Prova's authentication application is designed to prevent counterfeiting of all types of collectibles, utilizing the SDIO Plug-n-Play reader operating at 13.56 MHz and ISO 15693 RFID tags. Each tag is assigned a unique identity associated with the signed collectible that is then registered in Prova's secure database creating an undisputable authentication record for present and future owners.

"This is the type of implementation that hits the sweet spot for our Plug-n-Play products," says Tony Sabetti, Vice President, RF Solutions for Sirit Inc. "These cost-effective readers can turn everyday tools such as smartphones, PDAs, handheld computers, and laptop PCs into mobile RFID devices. Couple that with the iPAQ's wireless communications capability and you have a very useful, real-time adaptation of RFID technology. "

This will be the first time Prova will use the mobile authentication system during autograph sessions at the Football Spectacular Show, which features NFL icons. The Prova system records the exact time of the signature, the celebrity's secure identification code and where the signature occurred.

Sirit's family of Plug-n-Play products includes a USB as well as SDIO version and incorporates an integrated antenna supporting a wide variety of tag protocols. The reader simply plugs into one of these ports, opening up new possibilities for RFID application development. Sirit also provides a software development kit that includes standard software libraries, user reference manual, protocol reference guide, plus sample applications with source code. Sirit Plug-n-Play RFID products may be purchased from distributors and resellers worldwide.

Texas Instruments to Support MULTOS on
RF360 Smart IC Platform for Government IDs

Texas Instruments (www.ti.com/govid) announces that MULTOS will be the first chip operating system supported on its advanced RF360 smart Integrated Circuit (IC) platform for electronic passport (e-passport) and government ID applications. This enables system integrators and government ID providers to immediately begin creating solutions on TI's RF360 product for this rapidly growing market. MULTOS was selected for its open architecture, proven security mechanisms, and broad acceptance in a range of payment and government ID applications around the world, including national IDs and e-passports. TI is licensing the operating system from StepNexus, which owns and maintains the MULTOS specification.

With MULTOS from StepNexus, both the application code and data are secured on TI's RF360 smart IC products through a proven security architecture enabled by the StepNexus' Secure Trusted Environment Provisioning (STEP™) process. The MULTOS provisioning process enforces a series of core security functions when applications are loaded or removed. These functions ensure that applications are only loaded onto or removed from the chip with the permission of the credential issuer; guarantee the authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality of the application code and data; enforce the strict segregation of applications from interfering with one another; and assure that loading or removing an application does not effect the code and data of existing applications. STEP provides governments with complete control over the issuance, maintenance, and updates of their identity cards and documents.

Proven OS for Securing Sensitive Data and Identities More than 60 issuers in 32 countries have issued more than 100 million MULTOS smart cards for a variety of applications worldwide, including banking and payments, government IDs, mobile commerce, and transit. Texas Instruments is the first silicon provider to support the MULTOS Operating System on a FRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory) based product. FRAM, an advanced embedded memory technology, materially improves the speed and reliability of future smart, secure e-passports and government ID documents.

U of Michigan Health System Selects
Asset Tracking Solution by InnerWireless

InnerWireless, Inc. (www.innerwireless.com) announces that it will deploy its PanGo location management platform in the University of Michigan Health System's medical campus. This platform will enable the pharmacy department to track and monitor hundreds of boxes containing emergency drug supplies throughout its 913-bed medical campus. Pharmacy will become the first department in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, based University of Michigan Health System to use a RTLS by incorporating PanGo into the health system's existing Cisco infrastructure.

The Department of Pharmacy Services selected InnerWireless' PanGo to help manage the supply and location of pharmacy boxes, which are often stored on highly mobile crash carts.  Federal guidelines – from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) – also require that these boxes contain an adequate supply of medications that are not expired. The PanGo platform gives the pharmacy department the capability to monitor the location, as well as replenish supplies and replace soon-to-expire medications in each box more quickly.

"We are very interested in trying out new technologies and innovative approaches to existing technologies and finding out how they work in our unique environment, " says Rick Rinke, IT Manager for the University of Michigan Health System's Department of Pharmacy Services. "We are looking forward to trying out the InnerWireless system and assessing its benefits for the Department of Pharmacy Services. "

PanGo is the first location management platform to aggregate location data from a variety of RTLS and RFID sources and integrate it into the enterprise in a standards-based way, delivering a cost-optimized, scalable solution. Additionally, PanGo is the only asset-tracking application that provides a seamless, web-based view of thousands of assets, regardless of the RTLS or RFID technology used to track them. Through this combination of features, PanGo offers a solution specifically designed to give users real-time visibility, alerts, and analysis about the location and status of key assets.

Purdue Selects Systech for OxyContin Tracking

Systech International™ (www.systech-tips.com) Serialized Product Tracking (SPT) application has been successfully implemented by Purdue Pharma L.P. (www.purduepharma.com) to provide the key commercial infrastructure needed to expand GEN 2 RFID tagging of OxyContin ® Tablets. SPT is enabling Purdue to extend the protection of their product while maintaining overall operational efficiency. Systech SPT software is used to verify product authenticity throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Purdue leveraged the Systech SPT application in its Wilson, NC, facility. Systech SPT appealed to Purdue and its need for an integrated solution to expand the number of product SKUs actively tagged, while ensuring the efficiency of its packaging and shipping operations. The initial project, now a fully operational deployment, provides Purdue with a scalable, sustainable, and repeatable infrastructure to address those needs. The infrastructure now in place offers item-level serialization, case aggregation, and an interface to the SAP AII EPCIS.

"The Systech Serialized Product Tracking application provides us with insight into our products and packaging lines from the item level through the case and to our customer orders, " says Jeffrey Zerillo, Senior Executive Director, Supply Chain at Purdue. "This increased level of visibility helps to protect the authenticity and integrity of our products in the supply chain. Implementing Systech's Serialized Product Tracking gives us a scalable platform for serialized product tracking that can help us meet regulatory requirements, protect supply chain integrity, and maintain vital operational efficiencies."

"We are seeing more and more pharmaceutical companies turn to our serialization products as a means of addressing regulatory compliance and authentication demands, " says David DeJean, Director of Sales, Serialization Products, Systech International.

U.S. Tax Court Selects FileTrail RFID Solution

The U.S. Tax Court has selected the FileTrail RFID Tracking Solution for national roll-out across its U.S. facilities. FileTrail's RFID solution will track and manage assets in the Tax Court's main office in Washington, D.C., as well as its remote offices nationwide.

The Courts selected FileTrail because of its strength in RFID technology for tracking in the office environment. A legacy implementation of RFID in the Courts' library highlights how much RFID technology has advanced in that last two years. FileTrail RFID tags can be read from a distance up to 10 feet, while those in the library are limited to a 10-inch distance. Additionally, the cost of FileTrail RFID tags are less than half the cost of the RFID tags in the library.

The RFID-based auditing and Audit Discrepancy reporting in FileTrail is expected to cut the time required for the Courts' annual audit and reconciliation by over 80%. Currently, auditing requires staff to work in pairs – one person to locate and read an inventory number, and another to write the numbers down. Locating the inventory number usually involves crawling under desks, tables, and chairs, or moving equipment around. FileTrail RFID will allow staff to work individually and more quickly since the RFID tags can be read through plastic, glass, wood, etc.

The Tax Courts will leverage many other advantages of FileTrail, in addition to the RFID technology. The ability to define an unlimited number of user-defined fields and screens means that each type of asset – computer equipment, electronics, furniture, etc. – can be defined in more efficient terms, which assists staff with identification, maintenance, and disposition of the assets.

One of the key features that will help the Courts is the fact that FileTrail software is completely browser-based, allowing staff to use FileTrail from any of the remote facilities to perform asset management processes. Each facility can be managed by a set of common process for logging new inventory, auditing inventory, recording dispositions, etc., providing the same management oversight and control regardless of location.

Technical Training Courses for Secura
Key Access Control Products

Secura Key (www.securakey.com) announces its comprehensive Product Technical Training Course, which is available to technical and sales personnel on a bi-monthly basis. The course is offered at Secura Key's corporate headquarters in Chatsworth, California.

Included in this offering is training on Standalone Proximity Access Control Units, Access Control Systems, and Video Integration. The class will cover system configuration and typical door installations. Students will also review the SK-ACP Control Panel, Radio Key Proximity Readers, e*Tag ® Contactless Smart Card Readers, Entracomp® 26SA and 28SA Touchcard® Standalones, and the SK029W Touchcard OEM Reader.

All participants will obtain hands-on training, using individual access control panels and their own copy of the SK-NET ™ software. Participants will also receive a Certificate of Completion, complete product binder, sales and marketing briefing, and a product development preview from the Engineering group.

"Overall, the launch of these classes demonstrates our commitment to educating the industry on our latest technologies, " says Bill Newill, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "By providing comprehensive training, we are helping our current customers to learn the full potential of our simple, but powerful products, while also reaching out to new organizations that want to grow their businesses in this area. "

Sonitor Technologies Experiences Surge
In Deployments of its Ultrasound RTLS

Sonitor Technologies, Inc. (www.sonitor.com) – developer, manufacturer, and supplier of a proprietary ultrasound Indoor Positioning System (IPS) and Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) – announces that the company's growing presence in the U.S. healthcare market has been the key driver in the surge in deployments of its RTLS infrastructure implementations and IPS unit shipments.

Terry Aasen, Sonitor Chief Executive Officer states: "2007 was a breakthrough year for Sonitor as the healthcare market increasingly recognized the value of, and need for, reliable location accuracy in complex, high-value, indoor environments such as hospitals. Sonitor has established a place for its unique ultrasound based real-time location system technology in healthcare and other select target market segments. According to recent industry estimates, the active RTLS market across all market segments is expected to exceed USD 7 billion by 2017. Within this projected growth trend Sonitor has recently had over a dozen well-known hospitals in the United States join the ranks Sonitor's growing list of healthcare clients, reinforcing our market position in the high growth market vertical. "

Sonitor's RTLS and IPS applications are customized for each hospital, ranging from full 500+ bed hospital environment deployments, which include tracking over 3,000  pieces of high value equipment, to patient tracking solutions for emergency walk-in clinic environments and automatic tracking of the location of patient charts in a 300-bed hospital. Don Zeppenfeld, Sonitor's VP Business Development adds: "Hospitals value Sonitor's 100% room, or sub-room-level, such as patient-bed, location accuracy."

"While the world is full of headlines about RFID, Sonitor has seen 20% of its RTLS  deployments replace existing RF based tracking technologies and systems that were not able to deliver the desired location accuracy performance the hospitals expected," Mr. Aasen states.

Awarepoint and Skytron Partner to
Improve Hospital Asset Management

Awarepoint Corporation (www.awarepoint.com) and Skytron (www.skytron.us) announce Skytron Asset Manager, the healthcare industry's only integrated active RFID asset management and information resource solution to improve hospital patient care, enhance staff productivity, and better manage equipment capital and rental expense.

While standard RTLS provide location tracking and reporting of mobile assets via a web-based search application, Skytron Asset Manager adds another critical dimension to information on-demand – incorporating operators' instructions, maintenance manuals, and parts catalogs into the asset tracking RFID platform. Under the new partnership, Skytron's extensive North American network of independent distributors will sell, install, and support the patented active RFID- RTLS technology, powered by Awarepoint's exclusive ZigBee (www.zigbee.org) sensor network.