Pervasive Computing

Some of you may have read about the Bloomingdale results, article here, it has been recorded that there is significant improvement in visibility of items within a store. The interesting outcome for me was that it also accounted for improvements in processes, in this case cycle counting. Cycle counting as you know is also a very common process in Warehouse processes – often complemented with physical counting.

Always On: In fact cycle counting as we know it may with more sophisticated sampling software and RFID be a pervasive always on source of counting information. Or it could be on demand triggered by not only a physical stimulus but a software signal.

SW as an Initiator: For example in order to reduce load on servers etc, when we run Wave planning or Allocation batches, we can with the right middleware trigger a count or read event to the reader or cluster. This would improve some cross channel operations tremendously. For example during very heavy loading periods where shelf (where there is deep stacking) and back room inventory is used to feed web orders and pickup from stores.

Real-Time REALLY!!: There is often a debate of how often to synchronize the store inventory with the promising and booking system. If we have a reader cluster that can scan a requisite space of items, the sync is moot. When a customer is ready to checkout, run the scan on demand & this time it is REAL TIME – real physical reads to real promising of inventory.

…… more to come in next week’s post

Also some thoughts on physical counting – which IMHO is much more interesting for software, and ultimately result in a bigger saving if RFID is used.

In one of the more interesting evolutionary branches of RFID, tags and applications designed for temperature sensitive environments and products are being adopted in varying degrees (no pun intended).

During recent times, there have been many innovations in temperature sensor development which enabled more sensitive detection, accurate monitoring and real time notification, sensing capabilities of heat sensitive environments.

One such an example on RFID Weblog: http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/the_temperature_sensing_rfid_tag.php

Applicability: it gives the retailer, distributor, restaurant a much better context visibility into the entire chain, thus enabling dispute resolution, better service and compliance etc. Better visibility for it’s own sake is like the ability to observe symptoms without the ability to offer diagnosis or medication.

There may be usage for such diverse areas as blood bank to hospital applications, produce on vehicle monitoring, on shelf monitoring, installation of sensors to ensure compliance. This kind of sensor may also be used for hazardous and safety needs, such as geothermal, utilities and any king of monitoring related to temperature.

Here is a sample video on YouTube from MIT Open Courseware which also discusses such applications of RFID:

Please post any comments and views.. also please check out my other blog on Risk Management – topics for  supply procurement, supply chain risk issues, global procurement considerations, operations and working capital management etc. Will also cover news, topical opinions, discussions and reports. http://blogs.oracle.com/risk

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.....