Who joins the Platform? The Case of the RFID Business Ecosystem

The RFID alliance network (or ecosystem) is interesting from an information systems (IS) perspective for multiple reasons. First, it is an old technology with a brand new use (tagging retail products and other high volume items), making it interesting to study how firms interact based on the technology and related technical components. This allows us to empirically study concepts such as appropriation of value, as well as the impact of the technology specifics (e.g. hardware, middleware, software, services) on the network of firms, to, for example, determine whether competition occurs at the system level or component level.

Second, it is a terrific case study for innovation in information systems, including studying how established firms branch out into this new industry, and how startups fare with alliances and cross-boundary innovation, following, for example, who studied firms in the semiconductor industry.

Third, the RFID ecosystem may develop a platform, similar to other technology platforms such as operating systems, and so can be used to confirm or disconfirm various theories around platforms;

Platforms
The word platform has entered into common use, but often in a vaguely defined way. Breshnahan and Greenstein describe a platform in general as "a bundle of standard components around which buyers and sellers coordinate efforts." They also note that "the nexus of compatibility standards between hardware and software is the hallmark of a platform". Gawer and Cusumano define a high-tech platform as: “an evolving system made of interdependent pieces that can each be innovated upon.” Both definitions highlight the interdependency of products and services, and the ability for multiple actors to innovate, by focusing on each component independently. Implicitly platforms have a network connotation, where each product or service is a node that is in some way connected to the other nodes.

Henderson and Kulatilaka are both broader and more precise. They define a platform as:

"a set of capabilities used by multiple parties in a manner that:
1. Creates options value through design efficiency and flexibility,
2. Creates network effects that include both connectivity and effects due to a complementary system of goods and services, and
3. Has explicit architectural control points influenced by the platform investors."

Capabilities include people, process, technology, and organization, making it far broader than technology alone. They also conceive of a platform as a system of interacting components. RFID tags, with the attendant tag readers, computer hardware and software, and related services qualify as a platform in this sense. Network effects come in two forms. Either a user benefits directly from the existence of other uses, such as with a telephone, or the user benefits indirectly due to the existence of complementary products, such as a PC owner who benefits when a large base of PC’s results in wide availability of software [12]. Clearly, users of RFID tags (e.g. retailers) benefit when all their products are RFID enabled, by for example, improving inventory management; similarly, producers of goods tagged with RFID’s benefit when the entire supply chain can use the tags to track the goods to the point of sale rather than just to the loading dock. Based on all these definitions, and the characteristics of RFIDs, the RFID ecosystem is likely to mature into a platform.

ANTENNA PROBLEMS IN RFID SYSTEMS

by: P R Foster and R A Burberry


INTRODUCTION
As the frequency of choice for RFID devices rises into the microwave region, the problem of designing antennas to match the devices on the protected object becomes more acute.The objective of any such antenna must be to maximise the transfer of power into and out of the device on the protected object. This requires careful design to match the antenna to free space and to the foIlowing ASIC. The frequency bands considered in this paper are 435 MH2,2.45 G& and 5.8 GHz and the usage is for retail goods only. The antenna must

.be small enough to be attached to the required object
.have omnidirectional or hemispherical coverage
.must provide maximum possible signal to the ASIC
.have a polarisation such as to match the enquiry signal regardless of the physical orientation of the protected object,
.be robust
.be very cheap

The major considerations in choosing an antenna are
.the type of antenna
.its impedance
.RF performance when applied to the object 9
.RF performance when the object has other structures around it

POSSIBLE CONFIGURATlONS
There are two system configurations which can be used. The first is where the tagged objects are stored in a warehouse and a portable device, possibly hand-held, interrogates all the objects and the required object repIies. The other consists of an interrogating portal through which all objects are passed on entry and exit. The other major choice is between a rag which has a battery or one which is battery-less.

POSSIBLE ANTENNAS
There are several passible antenna types in these frequency ranges which may be used for RFID. Afew of these antenna types are listed in Table 1 where the emphasis is on small dimensions. Gain for such small antennas wili be limited and is dependent on the type of radiation patterns which can be omnidirectional with a peak gain of 0 to 2 dBi or directional where the radiation pattern ha5 a definite lobe and the peak gain might be 6 dBi. This gain affects the detection range of the antenna. The first three entries in the table are linearly polarised while the printed patch can be circularly polarised and the lag-conical is only circularly polarised. Because the orientation of the RFID tag is Iikely to be uncontrollable, the interrogator must be circularly polarised. A CP antenna for the tag would therefore produce 3 dB more signal.

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RFID is driving real business benefits across Canada. Here is what you will learn from these industry leaders at RFID Journal LIVE! Canada 2007:


Wal-Mart is reducing retail shelf out-of-stocks and improving inventory
profitability

McKesson is improving tag security and ensuring the privacy of customers
and their data

Handleman is adding value to the supply chain and taking cost out of
operations

Loblaws is achieving significant supply chain benefits and preparing
their short- and long-term supply chain strategies

Staples is benefiting from the usage of both active and passive tags in
retail operations

BP is utilizing active RFID to manage the location of equipment and
spare parts

Wegmans is achieving labor efficiencies, visibility into the location
of drugs, improved consumer safety and enhanced customer service
within the retail pharmacy

Boeing has adopted a real-time integration platform to bring work-floor
RFID data to manufacturing back-end applications without the cost and
complexity of middleware-based deployments


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The Rise of RFID, is the Death of Sampling Method Part 2

Any result from the sampling method introduced by the Statistician still have an error. Why we have to depend on the result consisting with an error? So, what is the reason to stick on this theorem when we have the capabilities to study the whole population.

What happen if the whole population tagged with an RFID tag ?? We can easily measure the whole population since every information is already save in the RFID databases. Today, the database system goes very fast and vast. We can easily record every single item information all around the world. People are not talking about Megabyte, Gigabyte or even Terabyte. We talking about an Exabyte. Exabyte is a unit which equal to one quintillion bytes which is 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes. We can tagged everything with an RFID tag. Anything, just name it. Every single paper or plastic in this world can be tagged with RFID tag and also can be monitored through a RFID network application system.

Probably the theory of sampling method might be practicable or suitable to the entomologist or microbiologist. May be, that is the grey area for the RFID technology. I don't know. For me, it is difficult to tag the entire insect with RFID tag or to tag the virus and fungus. If they want to measure the population of insect, the sampling method still practical to them. It would not be as popular as the statistic result generated from the RFID databases.

Malaysian Microchip

At an event last month, there where three chips (MM1, MM2 and MM3) were launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He said the research and development potential of RFID technology was vast and exciting. This is a new emerging technology that can conquer the world.

According to them, this chips can work over multiple bands. Most chips can only do one band, and if users want to comply with another band, a different chip has to be designed and manufactured for that purpose. The chips are so small that it can be embedded in paper. It's great. RFID technology solves many of the problems faced by the government, especially relating to security issues. We can embed the chip in halal certificates, sijil nikah (marriage certificates), car registration cards, confidential documents in government departments, currency notes and so on. With this authentication technology we can avoid forgeries and overcome the counterfeiting problem.

My concern is on the frequencies spectrum allocated and assigned for this Malaysian Microchip. Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) must allow more frequencies bandwidth in their Standard Radio System Plan (SRSP) in order to widen the capabilities of the RFID application. So far, MCMC just allowing the usage of 125kHz, 13.56MHz, and recently approving the frequency range for 919MHz to 923MHz. The UHF frequency range is too close to GSM frequency range which is 900MHz to 1800MHz.

How about frequency ranging from 400MHz - 500MHz ???

Higher frequency range capable to enable so many intelligent system based on RFID system. MCMC have to consider the potential of enabling the frequecy range from 400MHz to 500MHz in order to establish a nation wide wireless system.