OUR RESPONSE TO THE QUERIES

OUR HEARTIEST THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR RAISING QUESTIONS AND CRITICS ON OUR PRESENTATION. YOUR QUERIES TESTED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT AND MADE US EXPLORE THE SUBJECT WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. THANKS FOR MAKING THE EXPERIENCE ENRICHING

QUERY	ANSWER
DIGITAL CONVERGENCE GROUP
With almost everything being tagged, does it not pose a health risk due to exposure to radio frequency waves	Yes, there are health hazards developed from overexposure to radio-waves. On the contrary we would ask you to consider and weight the hazard against Cell phone and Microwaves, which are much stronger and more hazardous. Radio waves are always around us, in the form of radio transmissions. We assume you have raised the question of health of people working inside the warehouses where this technology is being predominantly used. HAZARDS   OF   ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION   TO PERSONNEL (HERP) The Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Personnel (HERP) Program was developed to protect personnel from RF electromagnetic radiation. Wherever radar or a transmitter is operating, there is a danger that the RF electromagnetic fields may produce harmful biological effects in humans exposed to them. The following subsections identify the typical hazards and the steps you can take to minimize those hazards. RADIO-FREQUENCY    HAZARDS Radio-frequency   (RF)   hazards   to   personnel   are caused by overexposure to RF energy. As  a  Fire  Control man,  you  should  refer  to  NAVSEA  OP  3565,volume   I,   to   understand   the   biological   hazard   levels for   exposure   to   RF   radiation,   as   established   by   the Bureau  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. SAFE  LIMITS Safe  limits  are  based  on  the power  density  of  the  radiation  beam  and  the  exposure time   of   the   human   body.   Table   3-2   (an   example   of tables  in  NAVSEA  OP  3565,  volume  I)  identifies  the safe  limits  associated  with  common  electronics  equipment. For more in depth details of the norms on the directives please visit http://www.tscm.com/radhaz.pdf
GROUP 12
RFID doesn’t work around metal and water. Does that mean we can’t use it to track cans or liquid products	For all major errors and limitations regarding RFID Kindly refer to our post http://rfid-managerialviewpoint.blogspot.com/2011/02/factors-affecting-read-rates-of-rfid.html
How do I know which frequency is right for me	The spectrum in which RFID works has been upgraded from Gen-1 to Gen-2. In Gen-1 869.4 to 869.6 MHz was allocated to RFID devices, now an additional band of 865 to 868 MHz has been added under Gen-2. Using RFID means that you will be operating it inside the warehouse or some other inventory stocking facility. Frequency used does not vary with materials or other factors; you just have to use same frequency in your full process chain.
Is RFID better than using barcodes	RFID Smart Tags gave certain advantages over barcodes 1.      On demand printing and application flexibility is maintained 2.      Labelling is done at appropriate points in the packaging/shipping process 3.      RFID integration fits within the small footprint of a smart label printer 4.      Both automated and operator assisted application methods are available 5.      Tag encoding is done predictably and reliably, without custom engineering 6.      Validation and error recovery is built into the system 7.      Encoding and printing commands share an established host computer to shop floor network 8.      Systems migration and integration can be simplified using conversion tool and software modules from multiple middleware and supply chain execution system suppliers, so you don’t have to rewrite applications
WEB 2.0 GROUP
How reliable is RFID? What will happen if RFID reader malfunctions and enters data incorrectly	To be conservative on this issue we would say RFID 99.99% reliable. If you intended to ask what the possible shortcomings in RFID are, for that we have written an article to facilitate queries of groups related to this issue. READER does not enter data incorrectly, until unless the tag was ARMED incorrectly or there is some software malfunction in the process of data reading. For details regarding errors that creep in RFID tags please refer to our post http://rfid-managerialviewpoint.blogspot.com/2011/02/factors-affecting-read-rates-of-rfid.html
GREEN I.T.
Can you use RFID tags in any way at home? How easy is it to dismantle RFID tags? Does it lead to breach of security	Using RFID on micro level is a bit farfetched idea as of now, considering huge costs incurred in getting the system in place and absence of any cheap system in the offing. If you want to maintain your grocery at home, until unless you are maintaining a palace we don’t think using RFID at home will be a good idea. Why we say it is not a good idea is because of a few reasons. If you want to tag and maintain daily use items you will be incurring huge costs. Other than consumables we don’t think RFID will be used on stationery items, if you want to maintain a record of dates of purchase, maintenance due and post sale dates etc, simple computer software will do the job. Dismantling RFID tags is as easy tearing away a paper. Breach of Security??? If we happen to roam around your home with a very strong reader that matches the frequency and comply with the specification of the tags used in your home, we can get the CRITICAL data of GROCERY in your house and can be your guests that evening.
SOA
“Risk of non-compliance to RFID”, Wal-Mart’s clout and effects on small companies	Wal-Mart, Department of Defence U.S., and other companies which started this trend of RFID pressed for RFID because they were maintaining huge levels of inventory. Secondly they asked for products supplied to them to be RFID tagged, it was not a universal binding contract. In an interview the CIO of Wal-Mart shared an incident where it took almost 3 days to locate the shelf of a certain low moving product. The product was off the shelf due to uncertain demand peak and sales team had no idea where the product should be kept when periodic supply came. Small companies don’t maintain that high volume of inventory, so they don’t need RFID tagged supplies, thus they can ask for simple barcoded supply, not an issue I believe. But if we weight the condition on the grounds that these giants got their arsenal heavier with the use of RFID and will create problem for small customers, yes that’s true. There’s tons of hate blogs about Wal-Mart on the net, go ahead and read them. Take the links from us, but offline!!!
UID
How is RFID integrated with ERP? How does this integration result in cost saving	RFID appears as an extension tool in ERP software. To make it easier to appreciate  RFID + ERP = VISIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN All the benefits of ERP get enhanced with the availability of real time tracking of materials in inventory and supply chain. Forecasting and inventory control becomes more effective. For more information on advantages of ERP, kindly visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_resource_planning#Advantages
OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT
Can you give instances of malfunctioning? Is malfunctioning possible? What will be the effects?	As far as we have studies MALFUNCTIONING hasn’t been an issue ever. If we understood the question correctly you wanted to know if readers read incorrectly what will happen then. This might happen if the readers are not calibrated properly, in such a case the system will detect the error and the reader can be corrected. Malfunctioning on the software part is possible, that again cannot be accounted as an malfunctioning on the part of RFID. Not errors but interferences are possible in data transmission and this does not qualify as a malfunction For more on limitations of RFID please visit our post http://rfid-managerialviewpoint.blogspot.com/2011/02/factors-affecting-read-rates-of-rfid.html
GROUP 1
What if someone else is using the vehicle illegally to fill up the tank? The RFID will detect the person who actually purchased the truck but not the thief. How to tackle? Tell something about security issues?	When we analysed fuel dispensing it was in the case of large truck fleet owners having their own fuel dispensing machines. If a truck is stolen or illegally being taken away from the driver and the thief happens to bring the truck to fuel dispenser it may become a blessing in disguise for us, under the premise that driver was proactive in reporting the issue to the central system. You have created a typical case of theft, so we will try to provide a typical solution to it also. When we will be operating large fleet we will be having information of the schedule of trucks plying on road and those parked in the garage of company. If the truck is supposed to be parked at the instant it approaches the fuel dispenser, the central server can raise an alert. If the truck is stolen from the driver it is most unlikely that the thief will bring the truck inside the company premises. If the thief happens to bring the truck to the fuel dispenser, the driver SHOULD have informed the company about the theft and the information can be shared on the database. We can have a second layer of security also, whenever the truck approaches fuel dispenser, the system will generate high level security key, which will be sent to responsible driver’s mobile, this security needs to be entered for pump to start. Now let us consider the mobile is stolen, and the thief left driver unconscious by beating him. The driver couldn’t inform of theft and the thief got the high level security key, and the truck was also supposed to be there for fuel filling, i.e. there is no anomaly in the system that can tell the dispenser there is some issue. We would like to defect from the discussion by saying this is not an issue with RFID anymore but an issue with the security service in the company. In fact RFID has given a gift in disguise by giving us the latest and most reliable location last location of truck before getting stolen. Above mentioned case was for company operated fuel dispenser, if such a  case happens at public fuel dispenser. 1.      The automobile should be registered to enable fuel dispensing 2.      The bank client software will generate security key 3.      Money transaction will happen through a password, given by back itself. IF WE HAPPEN TO EVOLVE SUCH A CASE, WE CONCLUDE  THAT HUMAN INTELLECT IN BREACHING RULES SURPASSES THE FANCIES OF TECHNOLOGIES
GROUP 7
RFID emits radio wave. So does it not require any hardware to do so? Because in airline baggage there is no hardware it just seems as barcode	Passive Tags as seen on our library books act just like a reflector of radio waves, reader emits signal and records the reply, so it doesn’t require battery as the required power is generated by the chip when it receives the signal. You haven’t seen RFID tags in airlines possibly because you haven’t travelled to any RFID enabled airport yet, this technology is still not started in Indian airports.
Cost of RFID tags and printer	Cost depends on the quality and specifications of the tag. Active are of course costlier than passive. In IIT Madras central library the tag costs approx 30 Rs. Tag printers costs variably as per the output they give we would encourage if you could please visit the page http://www.nextag.com/rfid-printer/shop-html  for better price listings as per your need.
For Tracking inventory on way is GPRS used along with RFID	RFID cannot be used to transmit over large distances, but we can facilitate the process by having RFID reader inside the truck that can continuously send the inventory data to central server through GPRS or 3G. While location of the truck can be tracked through GPS. Thus we can have two thronged knowledge of THE TRUCK along with its CONTENTS. We are talking about RFID with too much excitement, installing RFID devices and establishing other supplementary devices will incur costs, we still need to assess the cost-benefit analysis
GROUP 9
You say RFID tag can be used to avoid thefts. For genuine Shoppers, RFID tag is removed before they leave the shop premises. Don't you think even a thief can himself remove the tag?	Generally these tags are tied to the product with the help of a string with a very high tensile strength which cannot be broken easily manually or with scissors and stuff. However these strings are cut by store staff with the help of the special machines when purchase is made. If thieves can carry these machines inside the store and can escape from the eyes of CCTV or the store staff then theft is possible but it is highly improbable.
UNKNOWN GROUP
Has the RFID saturated, what are the future uses that we can foresee	Saturation!!! We believe we haven’t started using the technology efficiently, saturation is a too farfetched idea. We have talked about the positive sides of RFID till now there are multiple issues with the implementation, which are not on the technology side but on operational and functional side. RFID is being used basically by large organisations and that too on the storage and inventory side (majorly).  A few futuristic uses that we can foresee at this moment are:- 1) ANESTHETIC DOSAGES 2) ASSET MANAGEMENT 3) WASTE MANAGEMENT 4) MEDICAL SURGERIES 5) MOTHER BABY PAIRING 6) UNDERGROUND SEWERS 7) HOTELS AND RESORTS