Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / Electronic animal identification systems are becoming more common in livestock auction markets because of increased numbers of cattle being electronically identified. More cattle are being individually identified because of increasing enrollment in marketing alliances and verification programs. Also, the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) has increased awareness and perhaps use of electronic identification. In this study, individual characteristics of livestock markets were analyzed to determine how they relate to a livestock market operator's views, concerns, and knowledge of the NAIS as well as adoption of RFID reading equipment. Investments in RFID tagging services and RFID reading equipment by livestock markets were estimated and price premiums associated with RFID tagged and preconditioned cattle were estimated. Data were from a national survey of livestock auction markets and cattle transaction data were obtained from three Kansas livestock markets. Auction markets that indicated they currently plan to add a RFID tagging service are likely to have more knowledge of the NAIS program standards, how to adopt the NAIS practices, and the probable costs involved. Managers of facilities that sell a large volume of livestock annually tend to have a higher level of understanding of how to adopt the NAIS practices and be more knowledgeable of the NAIS standards than operators of smallvolume facilities. Managers of markets that have operating RFID reader systems tend to be more understanding of how to adopt the NAIS practices and of costs associated with adopting the NAIS. Livestock market managers tend to be highly concerned that adoption of individual animal identification systems will adversely impact sale speed and tend to view the NAIS as a threat to their business. Large volume facilities, facilities that have registered their premises, and facilities that plan to add a RFID tagging service are more likely to adopt RFID reader systems. Economies of scale exist in RFID system adoption and RFID tagging services for auction markets. Preconditioned and RFID tagged cattle brought a significant premium at only one of three facilities where data were collected.

The cost of packets or pallets handling at the studied freight company has increased considerable through the years due to increase in online shopping. As a result of this, the company has tried different methods of processing packets and pallets at the warehouse without effective result. The primary aim of the study is to analyze communication and collaboration of information in the warehouse and come up with a possible improvement suggestion to the multinational freight company. The result from the analysis shows the weak points in information sharing between different areas of warehouse operations of the multinational freight company. The outcome of the study recommends use of information technology such as Radio Frequency Identification and Wireless Sensor Network. The recommendation will allow extension of information sharing to all processes involved in packets or pallets handling at the warehouse.

The use of technology in business process is gaining much attention, and many businesses today rely on technology as an important part of an efficient and effective way of meeting customers’ satisfaction. This study deals with the adoption of a proper and electronic means of tracking counterfeit drugs in the supply chain (distribution network) through the use of RFID technology. The case of the Ghanaian pharmaceutical group KAMA is considered. The main objective consists in finding out how the adoption of RFID technology would help tracking counterfeit drugs in the supply chain of this company and which benefits this could generate. Three research questions are stated and a qualitative approach is adopted. Field observation, a series of interviews with management and field workers of Kama as well as a questionnaire allowed collecting the data. The analysis of the data showed that RFID technology should be adopted by Kama to replace the present costly and relatively inefficient way of tracking counterfeit drugs. The motivation of workers to be trained on RFID as well as the company readiness to train employees represent major factors for adoption and implementation of RFID to track counterfeit drugs and hence contribute to increase the profit margin and improve Kama’s image on the market. Recommendations are finally made on the methodology to be adopted by Kama to implement and use RFID technology to track counterfeit drugs. / <p>Validerat; 20111202 (anonymous)</p>

This thesis deals with RFID tags. In the first part of the thesis, the general overviews of the present-day RFID systems are presented. This part of the thesis is focused on the passive back-scatter UHF tags and the advantages of their application in supply chain usage. Subsequently, the electromagnetic simulators CST Microwave Studio and IE3D Zeland are described. These simulators were used to design loaded meander antennas. The antennas were designed for different materials and frequency bands of 867 MHz and 2.4 GHz. The designed antennas were made without as well as with the reflector which allows using the antennas in the vicinity of metals. Produced antennas were experimentally tested in the company METRA Blansko Inc, where one of the most significant characteristics of passive RFID tags – the read range was observed.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that facilitates wirelesscommunication. It is being widely used for access control purposes to aid administration ofservices. As with most wireless technologies, RFID has its challenges, due to its medium (radio waves) of communication, which makes it susceptible to signal interception and other possible attacks. The goal of this project is to investigate the insecurities in the implementation of the RFID system in transit (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, Stockholm) systems. Due to the nature of the system, spatial information about consumers are accumulated over time thereby attracting some level of interests either legitimate or illegitimate, and raising some concerns. This thesis, takes into consideration the vulnerabilities of the RFID system and the potential security risks consumers of the system are exposed to, a detailed analysis is carried out on the existing infrastructure with the goal of exposing the shortcomings of the systems and proposing mitigating solutions. After an extensive work, seven (7) threats to privacy and security of RFID users were elaborated. Also discussion, about how different legislations around the world enforced data handling regulations in relation to commuter data, is carried out. Finally, most recent threats to consumer privacy are taken into consideration, as well as security in the mass transit field to put together a list of recommended safe practices. The work shows that RFID does pose significant threat to consumer privacy. One might argue that RFID has its benefits in its various implementations. However the fact remains that there are issues with regards to privacy that must to be addressed.

Appropriate measurement of broiler behaviors is critical to optimize broiler production efficiency and improve precision management strategies. However, performance of different precision tools on measuring broiler behaviors of interest remains unclear. This dissertation systematically developed and evaluated radio frequency identification (RFID) system, image processing, and deep learning for automatically detecting and analyzing broiler behaviors. Then different behaviors (i.e., feeding, drinking, stretching, restricted feeding) of broilers under representative management practices were measured using the developed precision tools. The broilers were Ross 708 in weeks 4-8. The major findings show that the RFID system achieved high performance (over 90% accuracy) for continuously tracking feeding and drinking behaviors of individual broilers, after they were customized and modified, such as tag sensitivity test, power adjustment, radio wave shielding, and assessment of interference by add-ons. The image processing algorithms combined with a machine learning model were customized and adjusted based on the experimental conditions and finally achieved 85% sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting bird number at feeder and at drinkers. After adjusting labeling method and hyperparameter tuning, the faster region-based convolutional neural network (faster R-CNN) had over 86% precision, recall, specificity, and accuracy for detecting broiler stretching behaviors. In comprehensive algorithms, the faster R-CNN showed over 92% precision, recall, and F1 score for detecting feeder, eating birds, and birds around feeder. The bird trackers had a 3.2% error rate to track individual birds around feeder. The support vector machine behavior classifier achieved over 92% performance for classifying walking birds. Image processing model was also developed to detect birds that were restricted to feeder access. Broilers had different behavior responses to different sessions of a day, bird ages, environments, diets, and allocated resources. Reducing stocking density, increasing feeder space, and applying poultry-specific light spectrum and intensity were beneficial for birds to perform behaviors, such as feeding, drinking, and stretching, while using the antibiotics-free diet reduced bird feeding time. In conclusion, the developed tools are useful tools for automated broiler behavior monitoring and the measured behavior responses provide insights into precision management of welfare-oriented broiler production.

This study is a research around an issue encountered by MyEasyLab, a laboratory involved in asbestos testing for the French market. They are facing a problem of sample losses, which is hardly acceptable, especially when growing on a highly competitive and price driven market. They are therefore looking for ways to have a better traceability of their samples. The technicians were observed to identify their needs and the problems the company is facing. This study is presenting as a result two complementary solutions: the reorganization of the working space, and the usage of the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to track the samples. The reorganization of the room using the 5S method should enable a more optimized way of working. This method initially used in the industry early on by Toyota, enables to optimize the flows (goods, person, waste …) in a sustainable way. The use of RFID presents the opportunity of a deep change in the whole process of the company, from the client to the labs. Bags already tagged RFID could be sent to the clients for their sample collection, enabling traceability from the beginning of the chain. The samples could, using RFID, be detected as they enter the site, leave the site and if they are in an undesired location (for example in the trash). The RFID technology is also an opportunity to facilitate the work of the technician, with a possibility to save around 4h15 of working time per day. The kind of tags that seems the most appropriate for this application is passive UHF tags. They present the advantages of being cheaper, easier to buy in bulk and readable from longer distances.  Even though the RFID technology is often seen as expensive, a return on investment seems possible for a tag price under 0.08€.  Further experimental tests need to be realized to refine the results of this study.

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2010 / The main aim of this research was to automate student attendance registration, thereby reducing human involvement in the whole process. This was made possible using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The Central University of Technology uses student cards that are compatible for use with RFID technology. As a result, no initial investment (except for the existing personal computer’s and the constructed RFID reader) in infrastructure was required for this project. The basic working of the project was as follows. The students belonging to a specific class had their vital educational data (Student number, Name) entered into a database table at the time of registration. A student card containing a serial number, with reference to the data contained in the database table, was given to the students after registration. The students walk into their respective classes and scan their student cards with the RFID reader. The serial number stored in the student card is transferred to the reader and from there wirelessly to the main server using ZigBee technology. In the main server, using Java programming language, the card serial number is sent to the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In this project the Netbeans IDE (Java platform) was used. The Netbeans IDE is connected to the Apache Derby database using Java Database Connector (JDBC), so the serial number (which is referenced to the educational data of the students) from the student card is automatically compared with the original database created at the time of registration. Once a match is confirmed between the two entries, the data is entered into a separate database table which serves as the basic attendance sheet for a specific day.

The aim of this study is to analysis, investigate and find out the solutions for the problems associated with the implementations of antennas RFID Reader and Tag for various applications. In particular, the efficiency of the RFID reader antenna and the detection range of the RFID tag antenna, subject to a small and compact antenna's design configuration have been studied. The present work has been addressed directly to reduce the cost, size and increase the detection range and communication reliability of the RFID framework antennas. Furthermore, the modelling concept of RFID passive tags mounted on various materials including the novel design of RFID reader antenna using Genetic Algorithm (GA) are considered and discussed to maintain reliable and efficient antenna radiation performances. The main benefit of applying GA is to provide fast, accurate and reliable solutions of antenna's structure. Therefore, the GA has been successfully employed to design examples: meander-line, two linear cross elements and compact Helical- Spiral antennas. In addition, a hybrid method to model the human body interaction with RFID tag antenna operating at 900MHz has been studied. The near field distribution and the radiation pattern together with the statistical distribution of the radiation efficiency and the absorbed power in terms of cumulative distribution functions for different orientation and location of RFID's tag antenna on the human body have been demonstrated. Several tag antennas wi th symmetrical and unsymmetrical structure configurations operating in the European UHF band 850-950 MHz have been fabricated and tested. . The measured and simulated results have been found to be in a good agreement with reasonable impedance matching to the typical input impedance of an RFID integrated circuit chip and nominal power gain and radiation patterns.

Diese Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit den Auswirkungen der Radiofrequenzidentifikation (RFID) auf das Lieferkettenmanagement. Wir entwickeln mehrere ökonomische Modelle zur quantitativen Evaluation der RFID-Technologie und den strategischen Implikationen ihres unternehmensübergreifenden Einsatzes. Dabei wenden wir uns insbesondere folgenden Forschungsfragen zu: (i) Welcher ökonomische Wert kann durch den Einsatz von RFID entlang der Lieferkette realisiert werden? (ii) Welche ökonomische Anreize haben die Teilnehmer von Lieferketten, RFID gemeinsam zu nutzen? (iii) Welche innovativen Praktiken im Bereich des Lieferkettenmanagements wird RFID ermöglichen und was ist der jeweilige Nutzen? Im Gegensatz zu früheren Untersuchungen konzentrieren wir uns auf die Bestimmung des Informations- bzw. Transformationsnutzens von RFID auf der Einzelteilebene in der Lieferkette bestimmter Konsumgüter. Das erste Kapitel der Dissertation enthält die notwendigen Hintergründe über die Möglichkeiten der RFID Technologie und ihr erwarteter Einfluss auf das Lieferkettenmanagement. Das zweite Kapitel untersucht die strategischen Konsequenzen der Möglichkeit, den Güterfluss in Lieferketten auf der Einzelteilebene zu überwachen. Im dritten Kapitel veranschaulichen wir den Wert der durch RFID ermöglichten Sichtbarkeit von Produkten in Einzelhandelsfilialen wenn die logistischen Prozesse durch verschiedene Fehlerarten, speziell Fehlplatzierungen, Schwund und Transaktionsfehler, beeinflusst werden. Im vierten Kapitel quantifizieren wir den Wert von Bestandsreallokationen zwischen Einzelhandelsfilialen – eine Praktik, die durch den Einsatz von RFID auf der Einzelteilebene ermöglicht werden könnte. Das fünfte Kapitel beschäftigt sich mit der Rolle des Austauschs von Logistikinformationen im Kontext der Vorwärtsintegration. Kapitel sechs beschließt die Dissertation und bietet Hinweise für weitere Forschungsvorhaben im Bereich des Wertes von RFID und entsprechender Einführungsstrategien an. / This dissertation investigates the impact of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on supply chain management. We develop several economic models that allow for a quantitative evaluation of RFID’s value and the strategic implications resulting from its inter-organizational use. Although the ongoing hype about RFID has lead to a high availability of general literature on RFID technology as well as numerous value propositions, the amount of quantitative research about RFID’s business value is still small. We address this research gap by investigating three research questions: (i) What economic value can be realized by deploying RFID along the supply chain? (ii) What economic incentives have supply chain participants to use RFID cooperatively? (iii) What innovative supply chain practices will RFID enable and what is their economic value? In contrast to earlier research, we constrain our research focus to the determination of the information and transformation value of item-level RFID in the supply chain of certain "high-impact" consumer products. The first chapter of this dissertation provides the necessary background about RFID’s capabilities and expected impact on supply chain management. The second chapter analyses the strategic consequences of being able to monitor the flow of goods in a supply chain on the item-level. The third chapter demonstrates the value of RFID-enabled visibility in retail stores if logistical operations are subject to certain kinds of error, in particular misplacements, shrinkage, and transaction errors. The fourth chapter investigates the value of item-level transshipments between retail stores – a practice that could be enabled by the use of item-level RFID. The fifth chapter deals with the role of logistical information sharing practices in the context of vertical integration strategies. Chapter six concludes the dissertation and provides hints for further research on RFID value and strategy.