PORTO DI TRIESTE

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Monitoring Intermodal Flows at thePort of
Trieste an UHF RFID ApplicationGiovanni Grieco,
CAEN RFIDPaolo Paganelli, Insiel5th PROMIT
Workshop on Intermodal Transport Across
BordersBologna, 20-21 November 2007
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Monitoring the flow of goods in real timewho is
(should be) interested and why

• Logistic Operators
• Resources optimization
• Exceptions management
• Customer service

• Industry
• Supply chain visibility
• Product tracking
• Customer service

Goodson the move

• Infrastructures
• Traffic planning
• Accidents and congestionprevention
• Users service

• Authorities
• Security and public safety
• Customs control
• Simplified procedures

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Main obstacles to technical feasibility appear
as removed (or close to)

• Technologies for identification (RFID),
  positioning (GNSS) and ubiquitous wireless
  connectivity.
• Service Oriented Architectures and
  interoperability platforms, supporting data
  interchange and collaboration processes between
  actors in the supply chain.
• Standards such as GS1 EPC Global, providing the
  necessary reference and support for RFID-based
  goods identification, as well as a reference
  architecture (the EPC Global Network) for
  tracking and managing information on RFID-tagged
  items on a global scale.

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Monitoring goods on the move still a patchwork
exercise
Area not covered by current solutions
ERP,SCM
Item
Package
Detail level
Track Trace
Shipment
Fleet mgmt,Traffic control
Transport
Warehouse
Route
Territory
Extension
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Single-stakeholder perspective

• Industry
• Focus on a specific supply-chain nodes (company
  plants, warehouses).
• Limited visibility on transport and logistic
  operations.
• Very limited contribution of information from
  SMEs.
• Logistic service providers
• Focus on an individual route.
• Lack of integrated information across operators
  for multimodal door-to-door transport.
• Lack of item details.
• Infrastructures and authorities
• Focus on a specific area or infrastructure, for
  traffic management and security purposes.
• Transit monitoring and certification seen as yet
  another e-Government platform (why not sharing
  fine-grained data with industry and logistic
  service providers?)

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The main obstacles are not technical

• Data protection concerns
• Shared platforms have failed in the past for lack
  of data committed by the commercial parties
  involved (e.g., web based centralized reservation
  systems).
• Unclear cost and benefit allocation
• RFID and wireless technology investments are easy
  to evaluate locally, much less in distributed
  contexts
• Standard adoption is not an attractive investment
  per se
• RFID tagging responsibility tends to be up to
  no-one (typically transferred upwards in the
  supply chain).
• ? Result Localized systems that work, Shared
  platforms that fail to achieve critical mass.

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An example of multi-stakeholder approachThe SEC
project in Friuli Venezia Giulia

• Tracking of trailers at a Regional level
• RFID tagging of trailers for automatic
  identification through EPC global information
  standards.
• Sharing of vehicle IDs, driver and cargo
  information through integration with relevant
  players in the transport chain (shippers,
  terminals, motorways, ..).
• Monitoring of relevant events (transit, load,
  unload, ..) through RFID readers positioned at
  gates and in the terminal areas.
• Real-time integration with shippers and carriers
  systems to synchronize vehicle movements with
  terminal and ship operations.
• Sharing of vehicle, cargo and driver information
  with customs and public authorities for security
  control.
• Benefits
• Real-time monitoring of flows and terminal
  operations.
• Security management.
• Speed-up of administrative, security and
  healthcare controls.
• (potential) tracking support for end users.

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Operation of the SEC regional platform
Security control data
Data on carrier, shipper, container, goods
Real-time data (transit, entrance, exit, load,
unload)
Port entrance
Motorway gates (Lisert)
Embark or park instructions
Port terminals(Samer ROROl)
Land Terminal (Fernetti)
Railways
Pre-booking, priority reservation
Movements in real time
Availability for pre-booking
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The RFID application in SEC

• An RFID tag will be applied on the trailers and
  road-tractors that need to be tracked. The tag
  includes a microchip holding various data,
  including a code (ID) that univocally identifies
  the trailer, tractor or container.

The Tag or Transponder

• RFID tags can be passive, active or semi-active.
  Passive tags are the less expensive and easy to
  install. Since they have no battery, they do not
  need to be replaced over time.

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What is RFID?

• RFID means Radio Frequency IDentification
• RFID is an Analog to Digital Converter technology
  that uses Radio-Frequency waves to transfer data
  between a reader and a movable item to identify,
  categorize, track...
• RFID is fast, reliable, and does not require
  physical sight or contact between reader/scanner
  and the tagged item

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A little bit of history

• RFID technology was used for the first time from
  RAF during the Second World War with IFF
  (Identification Friend or Foe) purposes
• Late 60s Personnel identification in nuclear
  areas
• 1977 Los Alamos laboratories disclose the
  technology to the public
• 80s First passive Tags and commercial
  applications
• 2000 First Standards and interests from the
  big corporations

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Components of an RFID system

• The TAG or TRANSPONDERlocated on the object to
  be identified
• The READER or INTERROGATOR which can read/write
  the transponder
• The physical environment
• The IT infrastructure

• An RFID system includes at least four components

Server/ Enterprise Resource Planner
Edgeware
Environment
IT Infrastructure
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What is a Reader?

• A reader is a device that is used to communicate
  with a RFID Tag
• The reader has two basic components
• A scanning antenna
• A transceiver with a decoder to interpret the
  data
• Can implement anti-collision algorithms

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What is a Tag?

• A Tag is a transponder which receives a radio
  signal and in response to it sends out another
  radio signal
• Tag contains an antenna and a chip that can store
  data

Active Tag transmits radio signal Internally
powered memory, radio circuitry High Read Range
(up to 100 meters) Passive Tag reflects radio
signal from reader Reader powered Medium Read
Range (up to 10 meters) Semi Passive Power
Source used to keep alive some circuitry RF
circuit is not powered by this source
Active Tag
Metal-Mount Tag
Temperature Logger
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Why so much interest in RFID?

• After September 11th the Security/Access control
  sector of the RFID has been growing in an
  exponential way
• UHF solves distance issues previously unsolved
  with LF/HF RFID
• Wal-Mart, DoD, Metro have been pushing their top
  100 suppliers to adopt RFID at the pallet/case
  level
• The RFID market belongs to the fastest growing
  sector in radio technology industry

• Analysts believe that RFID will be the 3rd IT
  Revolution after the Personal Computer and the
  Mobile Phones

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What are the most important benefits of RFID?

• Cost Reduction
• Flow Process Efficiency
• Shipping Accuracy
• Improved inventory management
• Freight Traceability (Government Regulations)
• Quality Assurance
• Data Sharing between players

Quantitative
Qualitative
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Shifting the focus from the platform to the
cargo itselfThe EURIDICE project
European Inter-Disciplinary Research on
Intelligent Cargo for Efficient, Safe and
Environment-friendly Logistics

• Large scale integrated project (IP) approved in
  the 1st call of the 7th EU Framework Program FP,
  ICT for Transport area.
• 22 partners from 9 countries, coordinated by
  Insiel.
• EURIDICE aims at providing information services
  centered on the individual cargo item and on its
  current interaction with the surrounding
  environment and the user.
• The project is planned for start on January 2008,
  has a duration of three years and a budget of 14
  millions euro.

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The EURIDICE consortium
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EURIDICE objectives

• Supporting the interaction of individual cargo
  items with the surrounding environment and users
  on the field, through on the fly combination of
  services from multiple stakeholders (shippers,
  carriers, infrastructures).
• Improving logistic performances through the
  application of intelligent cargo concepts and
  technologies in the working practices of
  operators and industrial users.
• Developing collaborative business models for an
  intelligent cargo infrastructure to be
  established, sustained and fed with appropriate
  information.
• Realizing more secure and environment friendly
  transport chains through the adoption of
  intelligent cargo to support modal shift and
  door-to-door intermodal services.

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The intelligent cargo concept