Dutch Agency Employs RFID to Track Social Services

In Breda, a person requiring special social services is issued a contactless card embedded with a passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag containing a Mifare chip from NXP Semiconductors. The individual's ID number and e-token balance are stored on the card's RFID chip. Each social care technician carries an NFC-enabled phone and uses it to track the amount of time spent on each job. The worker touches the card to the phone, creating a timestamp that is saved along with information describing the service being provided.

After the work has been completed, the same procedure is performed to mark the end of the job. The prepaid e-tokens stored on the card are then debited by the appropriate amount. A customer looking to purchase more e-tokens can present cash to the employee, who uses the NFC-enabled cell phone to increase the value on the customer's card.

In the future, the company plans to upgrade the system to allow for on-the-spot purchases, which will be deducted from a client's bank account without the need for cash. Transaction records stored in the mobile POS can be uploaded in batch via the OTA software and a GPRS connection. For Werk aan de Wijk, the application does away with paper vouchers and simplifies the process of managing accounts. It also makes records more accurate and easier to maintain.

The project partners developed the product specifications during the first quarter of this year, then tested the software in the second quarter. "They wanted a digital solution that makes the process of organizing the services and vouchers more efficient," Letterer explains, adding that it is too early to calculate a return of investment for the project since it started this summer.

At present, 20 service technicians use the NFC mobile POS phones, with 200 clients utilizing the cards and e-tokens. By the end of the year, organizers expect 100 phones and 1,000 cards to be in use.