RFID Protects Tut's Treasures

In addition, the company wanted a system that could integrate with video monitoring, so Art and Exhibitions International acquired a CCTV security system provided by Bosch that includes nearly 40 cameras, as well as software to translate data from those cameras. If an incident occurred, such as a display case being opened or jostled, ISIS' Aspects software would detect that, then issue a command to activate the relevant Bosch camera, says Rob Green, ISIS managing director. The software resides on an ISIS PC that travels with the exhibit and which is installed in the museum's security office. That PC stores RFID reader data, while another stores video footage from the cameras.

With each installation, a museum's staff electricians run standard Category 5 Ethernet cable to connect readers to the backend system as well as to connect CCTV Bosch cameras to their own server in the security room. The cabling can be done in advance of the arrival of the exhibit, says Wyatt, making the transition that much faster. Ten or fewer readers are installed on ceilings and walls to receive transmission from each tagged display case tag. The tags' unique ID numbers link with data about the display case's ID number and location as well as what is stored in that display case.

The 433 MHz tags, about the size of a domino, include a 3-volt lithium battery with a life expectancy of six years if the device beacons every 15 seconds. They have a read range of 100 meters in free space, but closer to 30 meters indoors, says Green.

The reader detects a signal from the tag, and then transfers that data via an Ethernet connection to the ISIS server, where the Aspects software translates and stores the data.

The "Current Alarm" feature in the Aspects system provides a window that remains open and cannot be closed in the event of an alarm. It flashes information, graphics and instructions about the alarm and its response. The tracking function monitors the movement of an RFID tag with CCTV video footage from the camera in closest vicinity of the tag. If a tag fails to beacon when it is expected to, an "Artwork Tag Missing" flag is displayed on the security room screen.

The security system can be moved easily from one museum to the next, Wyatt says. "There is different architecture at each location," he says, and each is also a different size; the Vienna location being 15,000 square feet, Atlanta was 25,000 square feet and Indianapolis is 12,000 square feet, while some are two stories, others are one story. However, the installations have been managed well, he says, with 10 interrogators being enough to capture all tag transmissions. With each move, Wyatt says, "We reconfigure the software and alarms," so that they represent the zones specific to that location (indicating, for example, that Case 12 is in Gallery 2).

"I'm very happy with how it's working," Wyatt says. "I think what I find most exciting is that you are collecting all this data and records of every vibration and background for that vibration." The company can then use that data to understand any changes in conditions the ancient artifacts are exposed to.