Thursday, August 21. 2008

RFID in Hospitals: Not Just for Equipment Tracking

"Trends in RFID 2008" a study by Spyglass Consulting Group, is based on 100 telephone interviews with IT professionals and medical staff at hospitals with 300 or more beds. It shows much increased use of RFID within hospitals since a previous report done in 2005. The takeaway from a PC World article on the study to me is this:

The payback no longer is simply being able to find medical equipment including wheelchairs. Increasingly, wireless identification and location data is being used to streamline and repair a range of healthcare workflows and business processes.

Friday, August 1. 2008

Workforce education in logistics

The Alameda Transportation and Logistics Academic Support Initiative (ATLAS) "is an innovative program designed to create career path employment for East Bay residents in warehousing and logistics (truck driving, supply chain management, GIS/GPS/RFID technologies, etc.)." Tied in with the local community college district and the City College of San Francisco the aim is to get folks on the road to good jobs in these areas. This is indeed another geo area in which the world needs well-trained individuals.

My brother and I both earned college money working summers in a local warehouse (SKYR, a manufacturer of skiwear and turtlenecks). I was a "picker" (picking out orders for retailers) and he as a "packer"(putting the stuff in boxes). Our boss, Fred, had a degree in something called "Traffic" according to the diploma on his wall. At the time it was just a summer job (and a very demanding one, as we worked 4 day 10 hour shifts) but now I know more about how that part of the operating can cost or save the company money depending on how it's done. With enhanced technologies, far more cost savings is possible than when I was there.

- Alameda Sun

Friday, June 20. 2008

The Great Tomato Chase

Perhaps it had been a while since I was in the grocery store but the notices and warnings about tomatoes took me by surprise. So, we find ourselves yet again faced with the problem of a food-borne illness.

InformationWeek provides two references to how Hawaii is using RFID technology to trace this problem from "farm to market" according to an article in the Denver Post. The work by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation to mitigate the problem was also detailed and cited for a ComputerWorld Honors program. From the citation: "With RFID systems in place, product traceability and feedback loops using a variety of temperature, humidity or biological sensors may be established to measure product safety and quality status through flow points using a variety of computer based sensor technologies."

I am often asked what the next big thing is with respect to location technology. I feel that sensor networks and RFID have enormous potential to allow citizens to better understand how to protect themselves. Whether it is a food-borne illness or a biological terrorist attack, location technology can support information flow to the general population in helping them understand dangers in greatest proximity to them.

Tuesday, May 13. 2008

Podcast: Four Technologies That May Soon Impact Geospatial...Are You Ready?

The editors look outward to find technologies that will impact how geospatial products and practices will change in the next 12 to 24 months. Some of the suggested technologies are already appearing in cutting edge products, others are not yet implemented in geospatial solutions, but we expect to see them soon.

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Tuesday, May 6. 2008

Podcast: Why is it so Hard to Sell Geospatial Technology to the Enterprise?

Senior executives from leading technology companies, speaking at our Location Intelligence Conference last week shared that the entire value proposition for spatial enablement is a "push" to the market rather than a "pull" or demand for the technology. Our editors ask: Are we doing an adequate job of selling the technology to more of the people that will eventually implement geospatial tools with other IT solutions.?Why is it still so hard? What are we not doing well? Will it take another "Google Earth" to push the technology deeper into corporate computing or a new crop of graduates to be more geospatially enlightened?

Tuesday, April 15. 2008

Podcast: Technology of Indoor Location Tracking

Editors Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg explore the technology of indoor location tracking and real-time locating systems (RTLS) . From asset tracking to location-based marketing, radio frequency technology is fast evolving for use in confined spaces such as grocery stores, hospitals and manufacturing plants. This technology will be in place for attendees and exhibitors to experience at Directions Media's Location Intelligence Conference in Santa Clara, April 28-30.