RTLS - real time location systems

The trend towards increasingly large farming units raises questions regarding how to better monitor production. Larger units make the impact from possible errors more severe, which increases the pressure on management supervision. To cope with management issues, prevent errors and handle increased demands on traceability and documentation, the Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) concept is making its way into various parts of agriculture. In sectors outside agriculture, RTLS are already being used successfully to track and locate items through nodes at different levels of accuracy, such as room level or the relative or absolute position. Empirical data can be received in real time from the nodes. Such systems are well established among dairy herds for feed management and automation. Their application in crop production is less well developed, though there are potential areas of application, such as digital recordkeeping of applied inputs, e.g. fertilizers and pesticides, and environmental monitoring to forecast disease outbreaks or give precise and automatic irrigation. RTLS can also be used to trace agricultural goods through the distribution chain to the end customer. This inventory study examines the state-of-the-art of available RTLS solutions for farming, in practice and in agricultural research. The study is based on material found in the literature and on interviews conducted with researchers and representatives of agribusinesses. Probable solutions for future applications include RTLS tracking of dairy cows with exact location capability using electronic passive ear tags. In crop production, RTLS for yield mapping and spatial environmental monitoring are seen as potential applications. Although possible solutions exist, it is clear that the knowledge of this technology is low in the business and further research is needed in order to raise sector awareness about RTLS applications in agriculture.Trenden med en strukturrationalisering mot större enheter med mindre personal per producerad enhet höjer behovet av en effektiv produktionsövervakning. Stora enheter med hantering av stora varuflöden leder till att ett misstag får större konsekvenser och det gör att kraven som ställs på lantbrukaren ökar. För att klara detta och möta större krav på spårbarhet och dokumentation skulle RTLS (Real Tid Lokaliserings System) kunna hjälpa till att automatisera eller åtminstone effektivisera dokumentation spårbarhet och även precision inom lantbruksproduktionen. Inom andra branscher än lantbruk har redan RTLS gjort sitt intåg, det används inom logistik och transport, sjukhus och på byggarbetsplatser för att ge möjlighet att spåra verktyg, varor och personal för att snabbt kunna se var de befinner sig och enkelt göra t ex en löpande lagerinventering. Det finns olika noggrannhet i systemet. Man pratar om exakt positionering där man ger föremålets placering en koordinat, det vanligaste är dock att man placerar läsare vid strategiska platser för att avläsa när objektet passerar genom t ex en dörr. Ett RTLS kan vara uppbyggt på olika vis, genomgående är dock att systemet har en eller flera läsare och taggar som är fästa på de enheter man vill registrera. Taggarna kan vara utformade på olika vis, den här studien behandlar främst system med passiva RFID (Radio Frekvens Identifikation) taggar men även aktiva taggar förekommer. I ett passivt system saknar taggarna batteri och är uppladdade av ett elektromagnetiskt fält som sänds ut av läsaren. Aktiva taggar har längre räckvidd än passiva men batterierna måste bytas och taggarna är betydligt dyrare. Det finns ett antal potentiella applikationer för RTLS inom lantbruket, inom animalieproduktion är framförallt ett system för exakt positionsbestämning av djur med hjälp av passiva taggar i form av elektroniska öronmärken. Ett sådant system skulle kunna användas för att spåra upp djur i stora besättningar men även ersätta befintliga system för brunstpassning och transponderutfodring. Inom växtodling skulle ett potentiellt system kunna samla in klimatdata i ett fält och bearbeta denna för att skapa exakta bevattningskartor eller sjukdomsprognoser. Ett annat system skulle kunna användas för att skördekartera och spåra skördade produkter. Slutsatsen är dock att det finns stora möjligheter med RTLS inom varierande applikationer, dock är kunskapen om möjligheterna mycket liten och mer undersökningar behövs för att underbygga de olika systemens praktiska tillämpbarhet

Selection process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management: A Delphi study

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityIn a supply chain, a warehouse is a crucial component for linking all chain parties. Automatic identification and data capture (auto-ID) technology, e.g. RFID and barcodes are among the essential technologies in the 21st century knowledge-based economy. Selecting an auto-ID technology is a long term investment and it contributes to improving operational efficiency, achieving cost savings and creating opportunities for higher revenues. The interest in auto-ID research for warehouse management is rather stagnant and relatively small in comparison to other research domains such as transport, logistics and supply chain. However, although there are some previous studies that explored factors for the auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse environment, those factors (e.g., operational factors) have been examined separately and researchers have paid no attention to all key factors that may potentially affect this decision. In fact, yet there is no comprehensive framework in the literature that comprehensively investigates the critical factors influencing the auto-ID selection decision and how the factors should be combined to produce a successful auto-ID selection process in warehouse management. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to investigate empirically the auto-ID technology-selection process and to determine the key factors that influence decision makers when selecting auto-ID technology in the warehouse environment. This research is preceded by a comprehensive and systematic review of the relevant literature to identify the set of factors that may affect the technology selection decision. The Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework has been used as lens to categorise the identified factors (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990). Data were collected by conducting first a modified (mixed-method) two-round Delphi study with a worldwide panel of experts (107) including academics, industry practitioners and consultants in auto-ID technologies. The results of the Delphi study were then verified via follow-up interviews, both face-to-face and telephone, carried out with 19 experts across the world. This research in nature is positivist, exploratory/descriptive, deductive/inductive and quantitative/qualitative. The quantitative data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences, SPSS V.18, while the qualitative data of the Delphi study and the interviews were analysed manually using quantitative content analysis approach and thematic content analysis approach respectively. The findings of this research are reported on the motivations/reasons of warehouses in seeking to use auto-ID technologies, the challenges in making an auto-ID decision, the recommendations to address the challenges, the key steps that should be followed in making auto-ID selection decision, the key factors and their relative importance that influence auto-ID selection decision in a warehouse. The results of the Delphi study show that the six major factors affecting the auto-ID selection decision in warehouse management are: organisational, operational, structural, resources, external environmental and technological factors (in decreasing order of importance). In addition, 54 key sub-factors have been identified from the list of each of the major factors and ranked in decreasing order of the importance mean scores. However, the importance of these factors depends on the objectives and strategic motivations of warehouse; size of warehouse; type of business; nature of business environment; sectors; market types; products and countries. Based on the Delphi study and the interviews findings, a comprehensive multi-stage framework for auto-ID technology selection process has been developed. This research indicates that the selection process is complex and needs support and closer collaboration from all participants involved in the process such as the IT team, top management, warehouse manager, functional managers, experts, stockholders and vendors. Moreover, warehouse managers should have this process for collaboration before adopting the technology in order to reduce the high risks involved and achieve successful implementation. This research makes several contributions for both academic and practitioners with auto-ID selection in a warehouse environment. Academically, it provides a holistic multi-stage framework that explains the critical issues within the decision making process of auto-ID technology in warehouse management. Moreover, it contributes to the body of auto-ID and warehouse management literature by synthesising the literature on key dimensions of auto-ID (RFID/barcode) selection decision in the warehouse field. This research also provides a theoretical basis upon which future research on auto-ID selection and implementation can be built. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for warehouse managers and executives associated with auto-ID selection and advance their understanding of the issues involved in the technology selection process that need to be considered.Damascus University, Syria and The British Council, Mancheste

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based wireless manufacturing systems, a review

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is one of the most promising technological innovations in order to track and trace products as well as material flow in manufacturing systems. High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID systems can track a wide range of products in the part production process via radio waves with level of accuracy and reliability.   As a result, quality and transparency of data across the supply chain can be accurately obtained in order to decrease time and cost of part production. Also, process planning and part production scheduling can be modified using the advanced RFID systems in part manufacturing process. Moreover, to decrease the cost of produced parts, material handling systems in the advanced assembly lines can be analyzed and developed by using the RFID. Smart storage systems can increase efficiency in part production systems by providing accurate information from the stored raw materials and products for the production planning systems. To increase efficiency of energy consumption in production processes, energy management systems can be developed by using the RFID-sensor networks. Therefore, smart factories and intelligent manufacturing systems as industry 4.0 can be introduced by using the developed RFID systems in order to provide new generation of part production systems. In this paper, a review of RFID based wireless manufacturing systems is presented and future research works are also suggested. It has been observed that the research filed can be moved forward by reviewing and analyzing recent achievements in the published papers

Warehouse logistics information system using RFID tags as an effective way of automating business processes

This article presents an information system project based on warehouse logistics using RFID tags. RFID tags are the last word in automating business processes related to the identification of various items. Now this technology is becoming attractive and relevant. The main goals of creating an information system are as follows: reducing the time spent on searching for goods, through the use of modern technology of RFID tags; increase search quality, due to non-contact remote detection and recognition of goods; improving the efficiency of the organization, due to the formation of reporting and statistical information

IoT and Its Application in Library: A Review of Emerging Trends

The library activities are always oriented towards offering the best possible resources and services to its users. From time to time, technological advancements have benefited them in accomplishing their objectives effectively. The internet of things (IoT) has recently been predicted to be a technology that will benefit librarians in their endeavours. The purpose of this article is to review selected scholarly papers on IoT applications in libraries in order to demonstrate the potential of IoT applications in library activities, particularly in the academic environment. The paper discusses several elements of IoT applications in libraries and cautions readers about possible consequences. The study is exploratory in nature, and national and international articles were culled from a variety of sources. Articles that recommended or advocated the use of IoT technology in libraries are included in the study. The study offers an in-depth analysis of IoT ­­­technologies for library use in five sections: introduction, concept of IoT, application of IoT in libraries, advantages and challenges in adopting IoT. Our review reveals that while several IoT applications have been developed for library usage, only a few libraries in western nations have implemented them, and the technology has not been extensively accepted, particularly in Indian libraries. Finally, concludes that, despite the cyber security concerns and hurdles, the introduction of IoT technology in libraries is critical for providing current services alongside traditional services to a vast mass of techno dexterous users at their chosen location

Artificial Intelligence in Supply Chain Operations Planning: Collaboration and Digital Perspectives

[EN] Digital transformation provide supply chains (SCs) with extensive accurate data that should be combined with analytical techniques to improve their management. Among these techniques Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proved their suitability, memory and ability to manage uncertain and constantly changing information. Despite the fact that a number of AI literature reviews exist, no comprehensive review of reviews for the SC operations planning has yet been conducted. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of AI literature reviews in a structured manner to gain insights into their evolution in incorporating new ICTs and collaboration. Results show that hybrization man-machine and collaboration and ethical aspects are understudied.This research has been funded by the project entitled NIOTOME (Ref. RTI2018-102020-B-I00) (MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE). 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