Refining the Semantic Model of Functionality of Radio Frequency Identification Systems

Abstract

The adoption of RFID systems has been slow and their implementation often yielding lower than expected returns. Much of this is attributable to lack of planning. Prior research attempted to find order in this apparently chaotic adoption and implementations by proposing a model (Matta & Koonce, 2009) to classify the fundamental functions served by the RFID technology. This model semantically classified the functionality provided by RFID technology into three categories: Identification, Location and State, with Location and State consisting of specialized sub-categories. With the advancements in RFID technology over time and the establishment of new standards for the use and deployment of RFID tags business applications and functions of RFID have also evolved. Within the category of Identification, this paper proposes an additional sub-category, Authentication, a function achieved by RFID systems that is discreet from the function of Identification. Additionally, the paper argues that the Proxy function of the tag, whereby one tag represented other tags is fundamentally a sub-category of Identification and not Location as proposed by the original model. The transfer of the Proxy category from Location eliminated the need for any further classifications, therefore simplifying the model and facilitating its utility. For the entire category (including its sub-categories) of State, the paper suggests a more cogent naming convention, one that is a function rather than a description of the tag. In this way, this paper discusses the potential of newer applications and extends the functional model proposed in prior research.