[LINK] RFID in Govt, and in People

[Geoff Ramadan]

Kim

Libraries are already using RFID for books and security. Though not in the way 
you described. A reader is either at the Counter or is in a "self check-out" 
systems.
check out.
http://www.dalibtech.com/
http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/Libraries/Structure/About/TheCentre.aspx

I assume you are joking about the clandestine reading?

Reg
Geoffrey Ramadan


Kim Holburn wrote:
> I have thought for a while that Libraries would be a great use. for 
> RFID  A reader at the door would mean you would just have to walk out 
> with the books and the library could automatically check them out to 
> you!  Also staff could locate a miscatalogued book much more easily than 
> now.
> 
> On the other hand, for privacy reasons maybe it wouldn't be such a good 
> idea!!!  I clandestine reader at the door could tell someone what you 
> were reading - but then a government organisation wanting that info 
> could look up the database anyway and I seem to remember a bill that 
> allows ASIO to hack into databases and read and change data legally.
> 
> On 2006 Oct 03, at 11:13 AM, Geoff Ramadan wrote:
> 
>> Roger
>>
>> Most RFID inquiries our industry get (including us) are crap.
>>
>> Most people have no real understanding of RFID and their applications, 
>> and even less understanding of the limitations, including Government 
>> Departments.
>>
>> We generally find that solutions to customer issues can be found in 
>> other technology means, including barcoding or process changes.
>>
>> I can quote you one example where a Government department wanted to 
>> RFID tag documents, thinking that they could wave a magic wand and 
>> locate them. What they really needed was a process change, as their 
>> work practices were extremely sloppy with no accountability.
>>
>> However, there is a growing interest and applications in "non-human" 
>> asset management as indicated in the article.
>>
>> There is a strong trend towards active RFID tags for "location based 
>> tracking" of assets. Hospitals and Mining being an excellent example 
>> of this type of applications. The assets are expensive (eg. Medical 
>> devices) which are very mobile and need to be located efficiently, 
>> therefore gaining better utilisation and lowering capital costs, while 
>> improving services.
>>
>> In Government departments I suspect there is an interest in asset 
>> tracking of notebooks.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Geoffrey Ramadan, B.E.(Elec)
>> Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Australia (www.adca.com.au)
>> and
>> Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au)
>>
>>
>>
>> Roger Clarke wrote:
>>> SMH/Age Next Section
>>> 3 October 2006
>>> Not so smart
>>> Almost a third of Australian government agencies have set aside money 
>>> for RFID-related projects, despite knowing little about the 
>>> technology, a new survey has found.
>>> RFID is the short-range wireless technology used in 'contactless' 
>>> smartcards and e-passports.
>>> Consultants Booz Allen Hamilton interviewed people in 28 
>>> Canberra-based government departments.  Fewer than 10% had a good 
>>> understanding of RFID standards, although money had been allocated 
>>> for RFID projects.  Three-quarters of respondents plan to investigate 
>>> or use RFID within the next three years.
>>> [The local Booz site, which uses the suitably sceptical domain-name 
>>> 'bah', doesn't seem to provide any information on the matter:
>>> http://www.bah.com.au/Whats_New/press_releases.htm
>>> [If anyone has any knowledge about what BAH thinks the 21 departments 
>>> think they plan on doing with RFID, a posting to the list, or an 
>>> off-list note to me, would be appreciated.  There are a few potential 
>>> applications, e.g. in Defence Materiel;  but most agencies don't 
>>> actually do the kinds of physical things any more that RFID is 
>>> potentially useful for]
>>> __________________________________________________________________________ 
>>>
>>> In addition, the part of the Oz IT Section that operates purely as a 
>>> relay for Media Releases (IT Business) has a breathless piece on RFID 
>>> today.
>>> Fast track for radio tags
>>> Ben Woodhead
>>> Australian IT Section
>>> OCTOBER 03, 2006
>>> http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20500547%5E15302%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html 
>>> AUSTRALIAN businesses are attaching radio frequency identification 
>>> tags to sheep, trains, heavy mining equipment and nurses as they take 
>>> advantage of the technology's ability to track assets and people.
>>> ...
>>> [The report is completely lacking in scepticism.  That the reporter 
>>> is prepared to have his name on it is a testament to how little 
>>> self-respect many journos have these days.  Although I'd better allow 
>>> for the possibility that 'Woodhead' is a pseudonym, intended to 
>>> convey that the reporter thinks the same about this kind of rubbish 
>>> as the rest of us do.
>>> [Especially noticeable is the equivalent treatment of people and 
>>> things.  There's no distinction at all drawn between tracking and 
>>> controlling gamblers, nurses and prisoners and doing the same thing 
>>> to sheep, cattle, and mining and hospital equipment]
> 
> 
> -- 
> Kim Holburn
> IT Network & Security Consultant
> Ph: +61 2 61258620 M: +61 417820641  F: +61 2 6230 6121
> mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
> skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request
> Cacert Root Cert: http://www.cacert.org/cacert.crt
> Aust. Spam Act: To stop receiving mail from me: reply and let me know.
> Use ISO 8601 dates [YYYY-MM-DD] http://www.saqqara.demon.co.uk/datefmt.htm
> 
> Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny.
>                           -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link