Pervasive Computing

http://bbc.co.uk/thebox

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2008/the_box/default.stm

While watching Top Gear, this particular news item caught my interest - the BBC essentially wanted to explain the global supply chain and in inference - globalization (or is it the other way around?). Their intention was to track a container all over the world for a year! and in the process demonstrate how linked we all are.

Now this kind of technology and tracking capability is certainly available right now and it is possible to "see" where your goods are at any point in time. Of course we can improve on cost of the GPS, signal fidelity, clarity and strength and I foresee a time when these containers will come embedded with one or more tracking chips. The technology used to track them will evolve from a combination of GPS, RFID, RTLS/WiFi into other manifestations, but the essence is auto-id which is not only information on what but also where, where-to, where-from and with a mature infrastructure -- how fast?

More multi-modal goodness, this is an example of voice picking in a warehousing environment. Here a check digit is used to attach location to the item picked for inventory reconciliation later on or in Oracle's case real-time into the Warehouse Management application. There is a similar solution using voice-insight available from Oracle. You can find the demo and booth at Open World, the booth id#: 218 Moscone South.

In much the same way, the voice solution from Oracle partners also has voice directed picking and it is embedded on the Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Application - this can be either a mobile java (andriod like) or a terminal emulators for example the LXE MC7 or the Motorola MC9000 among others.

Go ahead and see the amazing capabilities of this multi-modal platform which allows you to speech enable your applications on the same mobile device & platform that runs your mobile applications!

We may even have an RFID enabled voice transaction for you which can be achieved through the mobile personalization capability in Mobile Applications - if there is interest, so is anyone interested in seeing an RFID/Speech demo on a multi-modal platform?

For inquiries email me at: daio.syngkon@oracle.com

         The demands on Supply Chain Execution nowadays involves integration to sensor, mobile devices and automation equipment including conveyors, sortation equipment to enable uninterrupted, streamlined work in the DC's, yards and manufacturing centers to name a few. Very few companies offer a flexible open architecture for software applications to "talk" to these systems. InSync Software offers a patented rules based Edgeware/Automoware that provides just this capability.

I recently had an opportunity to chat with Ashish Chona, CEO and Founder of InSync and to discuss how InSync complements Oracle SCE suite and how this will benefit our customers.

Oracle and InSync recently a partnership marrying InSync’s RFID, GPS and Sensor-driven applications with Oracles eBusiness Suite.

I had a chance to ask Ashish Chona, InSync’s CEO, about what InSync Software delivers, and what the partnership means for Oracle customers.

So InSync…Isn’t that a Boy-Band?

(laughs) Yeah, we certainly get that a lot, but no, sorry. In reality the last thing you would want is to hear me sing.

Tell me a little about InSync and your products.

InSync was founded in 2004 by myself and Ravi Panja, our Chief Technical Officer. We’re headquartered in San Jose, CA, with offices in India and Asia. Both Ravi and I had worked extensively with RFID in our past lives, and we saw a lot of opportunity and excitement in this evolving area of technology.

InSync provides customers and partners with solutions to locate and track assets, improve operational efficiencies, and reduce risks.

InSync uses a common software platform, Edgeware, for all our applications with specific add-on packages like GREENTrace, and Yard Manager that complement our  Edgeware. Our products are hardware agnostic and we support all forms of AIDC, including , RFID, GPS, barcode, wireless sensors, environmental sensors, actuators, scales, conveyers and more. Our products also support mobile devices, and our applications can run on handheld devices for mobile personnel in warehouses and beyond.

We target three distinct markets, they are supply chain, asset management, and food safety. In the supply chain category, provide solutions for warehouse automation, returnable container tracking and more. In asset management we focus on yard management and data centers. Finally, for food safety we’ve developed the GREENTrace™ solution which is used to provide customers with field-to-fork  track and trace capability for perishable foods.

What aspects of InSync technology will Oracle Customers be able to now Leverage?

Oracle customers can take advantage of InSync’s many applications as well as our patented Edgeware development platform to develop and deploy applications for locating and tracking assets, inventory visibility and management,

and much more.

InSync’s technology provides Oracle customers with a device to dashboard solution.  InSync’s products allow customers to configure, monitor and maintain sensory devices such as RFID antennas and readers, barcodes, etc. onsite-or remotely. Data gathered at sensory points, such as a dock door entrance, shipping line etc, is filtered by InSync’s application against pre-defined business logic and workflows. The result is actionable and relevant information that is integrated into Oracles eBusiness Suite, and can then be leveraged to automate processes such as sending ASNs or Invoices, alerts, or triggering additional events - All based on real-time asset movements, condition and processes.

InSync’s applications also provide real-time process metrics and process optimization capabilities. For example, in the Fresh Food industry we find that our systems bring to light logistical bottlenecks,  that in the end cause increased levels of scrap and spoiled product.  Using our system these fresh food customers are able to optimize the order truckloads of fresh produce are weighed, and unloaded into a cooler based upon the amount of time the produce has spent since harvest, maximizing freshness, and minimizing waste.

How will the Oracle and InSync relationship benefit Oracle’s customers?

InSync is basically enhancing the capabilities of Oracle’s products. Oracle customers can now incorporate sensory-based applications seamlessly into their business systems to better manage and track assets, inventory and business processes. Our products allow for scalability, so customers can prove a concept locally then scale rapidly without incurring additional deployment and integration costs.

Was browsing through youtube and I found a couple of very interesting viewpoints and recordings of RFID usage in supply chain, fulfillment and logistics.

The first one is a presentation from Patrick Dixon, here is that video.

this excellent video on how RFID is used in the warehouse. Since the video is recorded in a warehouse, it's a great visual learning video, here is the video

      I recently met with Antti Korhonen, Founder of Ekahau and got a little education on the progression and history of RTLS especially with relation to WiFi. For me a network agnostic patented algorithm is what distinguishes Ekahau in the marketplace. We also talked about the benefits that Ekahau brings to Oracle customers considering a RTLS project wether it be for Visibility and Tracking in SCM or Person Location, Healthcare and Asset deployments.

Can you tell me a little bit about Ekahau and its history?

Ekahau is one of the leading vendors in the RTLS (Real-Time Location System) market, and a pioneer in Wi-Fi based RTLS solutions, having launched the first commercial Wi-Fi based tracking system in 2002.

When hospitals and manufacturing facilities today have a need to deploy asset- and people-tracking applications, to improve productivity or staff safety, they very often today select Ekahau RTLS. The primary reason they choose Ekahau is our solution runs over any standard Wi-Fi network, and is therefore the most cost effective solution for accurate asset tracking within enterprise campus.

Ekahau was founded as a spin-off from Helsinki University in Finland, in 2000, and has today its headquarters in Saratoga, CA with sales offices in Reston, VA and throughout Europe. We currently have more than 100 resellers worldwide—including Siemens, Nortel, McKesson, Fluke and others-- distributing Ekahau products and solutions..

Ekahau’s technology and location algorithms, which are protected with over 10 patents, were first invented by the university scientist team called Complex System Computation Group (COSCO). Former COSCO team members include for example Linus Torvalds, the inventor of Linux. Our location algorithms are very important because they avoid the inherent problems with traditional triangulation methods. They give our RTLS solution unrivaled accuracy and allow us to deliver an all-software solution that can be deployed on top of any existing Wi-Fi infrastructure.

You mentioned that Ekahau’s RTLS system is Wi-Fi based, what are the main benefits of that, and what system components does your solution include?

It is possible to use UWB, Zigbee, Infrared and RFID for location tracking, but the problem always is the prohibitively high cost of these proprietary infrastructures. I should also mention GPS, but GPS does not work indoors. The fact is, most enterprises already have Wi-Fi networks for data and often for voice purposes, so it makes lot of sense to use that same standard wireless platform also for asset tracking. Because Ekahau RTLS can be deployed right on top of existing Wi-Fi networks, the benefit is that we eliminate the infrastructure cost and shorten the deployment time.

Ekahau RLTS is a turn-key system that includes the following components:

· Ekahau Site Survey(ESS) software for deployment,

· Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE) server software, which calculates the location and provides API to other applications, such as Oracle Asset tracking,

· Ekahau Vision application software as a front-end interface for end users, and

· Ekahau Wi-Fi tags that can be attached to any assets or carried by people.

In addition to locating our Wi-Fi tags, Ekahau can also locate device that has a Wi-Fi radio already built inside--things like laptops, PDAs, and VoIP phones.

What makes your RTLS solution different to other Wi-Fi based tracking systems on the market?

We are using this slogan “Open-Easy-Accurate”, and it quite well sums up the competitive advantage we have on the market. First of all, Open, meaning that our solution works over any brand of Wi-Fi network infrastructure as long as it is 802.11 compliant. Most of our competing systems are proprietary solutions to one Wi-Fi network vendor only. Easy, means that with Ekahau solution, there is no cabling required. For installation you only need our software and wireless tags. The system is really fast and easy to install. And lastly, Accurate, means that, unlike competing systems that require additional hardware chokepoints or exciters to be accurate, Ekahau delivers high accuracy over any existing enterprise grade Wi-Fi network, with no additional infrastructure needed. It is just software and tags.

Tell me about the Wi-Fi tags, what’s the difference to traditional RFID tag?

The main difference is that passive RFID tags are used mostly for ID purposes and periodically read by portals and scanners as assets pass by, while RTLS tags are used for real-time location and they can report the location continuously as long as they are within the wireless network coverage area. Wi-Fi RTLS tags can also support two-way communications like receiving text messages or acting as a wireless pager. It has a battery inside that lasts typically 4-5 years depending on the use case.

One significant difference to competing solutions is that Ekahau Wi-Fi tags behave as any standard Wi-Fi client devices, and therefore it does not require any proprietary features from the network vendor. This characteristic ensures that our tags can work over any vendor Wi-Fi infrastructure.

Don’t the tags demand large amounts of network bandwidth if you have thousands of them in your campus?

No, Ekahau tags are very efficient. They transmit only 60 bytes of information per each location scan, and most of the tags are in a sleep mode until triggered by motion sensor to track location. So, bandwidth is not an issue in our deployments.

So what is the typical benefit the average enterprise customer is expecting to gain by using the RTLS system?

The ROI drivers for this industry are:

· 1: Better asset utilization through asset visibility. For example in a hospital campus with RTLS the staff can find the medical equipment, for clinical use and preventive maintenance, faster than before.

· 2: Improved enterprise processes through better process visibility. It is much easier to improve the workflow and process when you actually see the process, bottlenecks etc.

· 3: Safety and security. We are tagging miners underground, nurses in psychiatric care wards and hazardous area workers in heavy manufacturing. When there is an emergency it is important to know where your staff is.

How would you say the Oracle/Ekahau combination will benefit Oracle’s customers?

The key benefit from this partnership to enterprise customers is that Ekahau makes Oracle applications location-aware. When Oracle Asset tracking application is running in a manufacturing facility, it can now receive real-time asset location information simply by using the existing enterprise Wi-Fi network. And the same way this solution runs in one factory, you can be sure it runs anywhere where there is a standard 802.11 Wi-Fi network in place, hence is it network agnostic. So Ekahau also helps Oracle’s eco-system partners to develop new location-aware Oracle applications that are easy to scale across 100% of the enterprise Wi-Fi market.

To learn more about Ekahau, please visit www.ekahau.com .

For those who missed it, here is the archived TV webcast. it was a great experience discussing mobility with the folks who really know the subject ground up. I will also be hosting a webcast to update our customers and the field on RFID.

http://www.cisco.com/go/semreg/motvjuly15/163994_8

Some key content from the presentation material:

• What qualifies as Context Aware information

• Ecosystem of a Context Aware enterprise mobility solution

• Common usage scenarios

• Cisco Appliances for Context Aware Mobility

I understand there are going to be additional subsequent release to Motion which will further enrich the solution and provide customers with more choice.

youtube video on RFID

Video on youtube on RFID applications in the Supply Chain.

How multi-modal capabilities empower ubiquitous computing.

Centered around the user, multi-modal computing is as much a hybrid approach to user input as multiple drive trains are to a Prius. we will attempt to answer the following questions:

• What is multi-modal and how is this different
• What are it's uses?
• And most importantly how does this benefit companies adopting it?

Fig 1a: Tethered Modern Worker

We are all used to carrying multiple devices with us and the modern forklift warrior is also encumbered by having to use a number of devices and input devices to update a system with what he/she has done. Depending on the work situation, this would include any number of inputs and communications types.

For example if the user is working in a distribution center handling returns or maintenance/repair, a typical workflow would look like the following:

• Scan received carton/case.
• Inspect the item received for damages, special instructions etc.
• Confirm the quantity into mobile unit after inspection
• If this is a custom high value line e.g. custom trucks like Peterbilt, there may be a need to possibly call the customer/returnee to get more details
• If the DC has implemented task interleaving and it is high volume season, then tasks alerting and dispatching is done using a mechanism that can page
• If there is speech available as a capability, then a worker could use this input variation along with scanning
• If there are sensor capabilities like RFID, which is one of the top uses of RFID returns for high value goods, and a hazmat or hands free operation is required then scanning, RFID and speech may all be used in conjunction.

As you can surmise, the above operations in combination or singly can involve one or many modes of inputs in the form of scanner, sensor, speech, manual mobile input and some form of automation.

Multi-modal or Aria as branded by some industry exponents, is as much a device solution capability as well as software that enables the orchestration of these machine events and inputs into a synchronized business flow.

Keep a lookout for key capabilities, TCO impact and ROI measures.....

When measuring the efficiency of a supply chain, there is no better indicator of fulfillment man holes and planning stop signs than that holy grail of metrics - "The Perfect Order". It is an elusive goal to most and is subjected to various influencers like the "perfect" matching of supply to demand as close to the pickup time as possible, maintaining as real a visibility picture of the various echelons of supply etc.

So, where are we now? Of course there are acceptable levels of perfection, especially in a discipline as fraught with uncertainties as operations. Even so, recent studies conducted reveal an interesting and optimistically challenging set of facts. On an average companies only managed 52% perfect fulfillment of their customer orders (see table below)

Imperfect Tendencies - Missing the Mark
What is a Perfect Order?

• On Time - delivered to the requested or promised date and time

• Complete - no partials over a period of time

• Damage Free - unless it is refurbished, based on contract

• Correct Invoice - usually has implications on finance integrating with Sales & operations

Research shows we are missing the mark

• 84% -WERC/DC Velocity: This is a percentile of all the above contributors.

• 80% -AMR study: From a different analyst

• 23% -Retail Compliance Council

Source: WERC 2006

What is more startling about the table above is the % of Perfect vendors within Sample = 9.5%, if that is the long tail, then where would the average vendor fall, obviously 52%.

Of course there are different disciplines contributing to making the order perfect, accurate forecasting, optimal planning to those forecasts and of course execution systems that can fulfill demand, match supplies and coordinate tasks. Of course, some of the inefficiencies are just poor business processes and outdated practices or software.

Now we have a new implement to achieving this Perfect Order - RFID, we will go ahead to explore how to identify processes for adoption, measure pilots and prove or disprove benefits. By reading between the lines you will be able to see that this approach is a short term budget qualifier and a long term continuous improvement methodology.

RFID would in essence make the job of locating, tracking those elusive supplies much easier and by transference make the matching process more efficient and streamlined. Before we go into how that can be done, we need to understand what a perfect order is. There is a perfect order to a customer and a seller, operationally of course to a seller, this means the least cost - inventory acquisition and holding, labor and space, order processing and so on, we ignore pricing and other non supply chain factors for perfection outside for now. To a customer, perfect order in our world is measured by correct item shipped, in time, without any damages.

Figure 1a: Measurement Metrics and suggested RFID solutions

Figure 1b: Measurement Metrics and suggested RFID solutions

Figure 1c: Measurement Metrics and suggested RFID solutions

Figure 1d: Measurement Metrics and suggested RFID solutions

Metrics for Comparison - Level 2 and 3 Metrics

From the benchmarks it is clear that the two major contributors to an imperfect order are "% on-time delivery" and "% complete". With sample averages for "% on time delivery" at 51.7% and "% complete" 47.7%, there is significant opportunity for improvement. It is, necessary for us to drill down to level 2 and 3 processes to be able to identify what can be improved and more importantly, what can be tracked for improvement. As industry standards for metrics gain wider adoption, companies can benchmark against industry specific best-practices, this also enables companies the opportunity to implement continuous improvement using similar scales.

Adopting Cycle Time metrics for Intra Facility Activities

While the above metrics and the facilitating RFID capabilities that benefit companies are useful, it is leveraging RFID and associated transactions and processes at the most granular levels that interest this professional. To actually adopt and measure for the purposes of continuous improvement, tracking and measured should be done at the task level.

Fig 2a: Fulfill and Deliver Cycle Time Metrics

Taking Intra-Facility operations as an example, we can again leverage and derive SCOR standards to track, measure and benchmark activities. Since Cycle Time KPI's at are the most granular level, these are the best indicators of actual efficiency improvements. This approach can be adopted during pilots to quantify possible benefits if approval is required for actual adoption.

Of course the schematic above is only a partial representation of what can be measured and what needs to be tracked. In conclusion: in order to improve order fulfillment, companies must go down to this level (II, III and lower) to track down potential improvements with regard to labor efficiency, inventory accuracy and tactical optimization.

Live on Mobility TV

• Reduce Costs, Raise Output
• Track Assets and People in Real Time
• See the Power of Context-Aware Mobility

Improve Asset Visibility Through Context-Aware Mobility:

Register Here: http://www.cisco.com/go/semreg/motvjuly15/163994_8

Live Video Webcast, Tuesday, July 15, 2008
10–11 a.m. Pacific Time/1–2 p.m. Eastern Time

Locating assets and people in real time in today’s fast-paced, highly mobile business world can enable your organization to reduce excess costs, improve business process efficiency, and minimize errors and delays. Now, learn how context-aware mobility solutions can provide this visibility across your entire enterprise.

This live 60-minute Mobility TV webcast will show you how companies are already using technologies such as received signal strength indication (RSSI) and time difference of arrival (TDoA) to manage their high-value assets more effectively. Benefit from their real-world experiences and insights as they share best practices and practical tips.

Find out why Cisco technology partners such as Oracle chose the new context-aware mobility software from Cisco as the platform for integrating their applications to deliver customized business solutions. Take deep dives into the top deployment considerations, including site survey, configuration, and troubleshooting. Finally, learn why context-aware mobility provides unmatched flexibility with:

• Support for the widest range of location technologies, enabling deployment in virtually any environment
• An open platform, empowering third-party application providers to create more relevant business solutions
• Simplified licensing and deployment that let you expand coverage at your own pace

Live Q&A with the Experts

Cisco context-aware mobility experts will also be available to answer your questions throughout this live Mobility TV video webcast.

Topics covered include:
• Moving beyond location applications to context-aware solutions
• Overview of technologies, including RSSI, TDOA, and chokepoint
• Integration with Oracle enterprise applications
• Deep dive covering top deployment considerations
• Customer case studies sharing best practices

Also Watch:

Cisco Takes the Mobility Network to the Next Level
Learn how to enable business mobility with ease and from more places than ever before. See the innovative network architecture from Cisco that will enable you to eliminate the silos that divide your networks, applications, and mobile devices.