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| RFID Standards |
- What is the EPCIS standard?
- EPCIS (the Electronic Product Code Information Service) is a specification for a standard interface for accessing EPC-related information. Electronic Product Codes allow for unique serial numbers for each individual object, enabling companies to track them independently and collect real-time data about each, as well as store and act upon that information. EPCIS enables supply-chain partners to share and exchange information efficiently, providing a standard interface for trading partners. The result is reduced time spent on integration, since all involved parties can use the same interface, regardless of the different database types used for storing that data.
- Are there any standards for RFID?
- Yes. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has been making RFID standards for more than 20 years. ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 are well-established HF standards. The EPCglobal Gen 2 standard has been adopted as a global standard (ISO 18000-6C), and ISO 18000-7 is an international standard for active tags operating at 433 MHz.
- Are EPC standards finalized?
- No. The standards development process is ongoing. The Auto-ID Center developed Class 1 and Class 0 specifications for EPC tags and handed these off to EPCglobal in September 2003. In June 2004, these two specifications completed EPCglobal's standardization process and became the first EPC standards. In Dec. 2004, EPCglobal's board approved a single second-generation standard that will eventually replace Class 1 and Class 2. In 2005, EPCglobal ratified the Application-Level Events (ALE) standard for managing EPC data; ALE software, which can process tag data from Gen 1 or Gen 2 EPC tags, provides an interface for filtering and consolidating EPC data from interrogators. EPCglobal also ratified a standard for the Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS), a framework that will allow trading partners to access and share EPC-related information on the EPCglobal Network; as well as an electronic pedigree (e-pedigree) standard, intended to provide the pharmaceutical industry with a common format that supply-chain partners can use to collect pedigree information for tracking medications. EPCIS was ratified in April 2007, while the e-pedigree standard was ratified in January 2007. Additional standards will be created for high-frequency tags and for other applications as the need arises.
- What is EPC Gen 2?
- Gen 2 is the shorthand name given to EPCglobal's second-generation EPC air-interface protocol (the laungage tags and readers use to communicate). It was designed to work internationally and has other enhancements, such as a dense reader mode of operation, which prevents readers from interfering with one another when many are used in close proximity to one another.
- What is the foundation protocol?
- The term “foundation protocol” is sometimes used to describe the second-generation EPC air interface protocol, or UHF Gen 2. EPCglobal calls it the foundation protocol because Gen 2 is designed a way that higher-class tags will also talk to readers. These higher-class tags will have more memory, encryption capabilities, the ability to use a battery to broadcast a signal to a reader and the ability to communicate information from temperature and other sensors. The Foundation Protocol is expected to be approved by the end of 2004.
- What's the difference between ISO and EPC?
- The Electronic Product Code is a standard created by EPCglobal, designed as a global standard for use in many industries. In July 2006, the EPC Gen 2 protocol was approved and adopted by the International Standards Organization as the ISO 18000-6C standard. ISO has created many standards for RFID that deal with both the air-interface protocol and applications for RFID. EPC deals with more than just how tags and readers communicate. EPCglobal has created a suite of standards to govern how EPC data is shared among companies and other organizations.
- What is ISO 18000-6?
- ISO 18000-6 is an international standard governing the way tags and readers communicate in the UHF spectrum. There are currently three versions: 18000-6A, 18000-6B and 18000-6C. Of these, 18000-6C is by far the most commonly used.
- Why is EPC Gen 2 important?
- EPC Gen 2 was designed to work internationally and has other enhancements that are significant, but the real benefit of Gen 2 is that it works anywhere in the world and major manufacturers of chips and tags have lined up behind it.
- What is the EPCglobal e-pedigree standard?
- The purpose of the EPCglobal e-pedigree standard is to provide the pharmaceutical industry with a common format that supply-chain partners can use to collect pedigree information, upon which providers of pedigree solutions can build their pedigree software offerings. While it addresses only electronic pedigrees (e-pedigrees), as opposed to paper-based ones, the standard does not specify RFID as the only technology that can automatically identify drugs products being shipped and received. An e-pedigree system based on the new standard could instead utilize bar coding or some other technology for automated data collection.
- Why is EPCIS important?
- EPCIS provides a standard interface enabling companies in numerous industries to perform track and trace, diversion detection and product authentication. This offers a lower-cost alternative to multiple, partner-specific interfaces, without a need for customized implementation. Security is a core concept of the EPCIS, as trading partners maintain ownership of their own data, with each partner moving or sharing data on demand. EPCIS maps to existing enterprise applications easily, and trading partners building their own solutions can interoperate with one another's offerings. Benefits include reduced out-of-stocks, improved promotions execution, counterfeiting detection, diversion detection, electronic proof of delivery, product safety and product availability.
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