Information resources
FAQs
Below are some of the frequently asked questions in regards to EPCglobal.
Q1. What is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)?
RFID stands for radio frequency identification. It is a technology that has existed for decades. At a simple level, it is a technology that involves tags that emit radio signals and devices called readers that pick up the signal. RFID technology is a fundamental element of the EPCglobal Network.
Q2. What is the Electronic Product Code (EPC)?
The Electronic Product Code™ (EPC) is the next generation of product identification. The EPC is a simple, compact "license plate" that uniquely identifies objects (items, cases, pallets, locations, etc.) in the supply chain. The EPC is built around a basic hierarchical idea that can be used to express a wide variety of different, existing numbering systems, like the GS1 System identification numbers, UID, VIN, and other numbering systems.
The EPC is a number designed to uniquely identify every single instance or a product, e.g. every jar of coffee produced will have its own unique identity. Ideally, the EPC is the only information stored on the RFID tag's microchip. This keeps the cost of the tag down and provides flexibility. An infinite amount of dynamic data can be associated with the EPC number and made available through access to databases where supplementary information is stored. It is however understood that initially, users will require additional information to be stored in the tag in order to use the technology in conjunction with their existing IT systems.
Q3. What is the EPCglobal Network?
The EPCglobal Network is a community of trading partners engaged in the capture, sharing, and discovery of EPC related data using EPCglobal certified hardware and software components and standard interfaces. Allowing organisations to be more effective by enabling true visibility of information about items in the supply chain by using the EPCglobal Network.
Q4. Will EPC tags replace barcodes?
EPC tags will not replace barcodes. Although barcodes have limitations (they require line-of-sight for scanning, have limited encoding capacity, and cannot receive and store information), they are currently used by more than one million firms in more than 140 countries across more than 23 industries, and clearly remain important to supply chain operations. We believe that barcodes and EPCs will coexist for many years to come.
Q5. How does a company get started in implementing the EPCglobal Network?
- Plan implementation - Use EPCglobal Subscriber Portfolio of planning tools and processes.
- Install Readers and Tags - User EPCglobal Gen2 certified hardware and related EPCglobal standards.
- Implement Software to use EPC Info - Use EPCglobal standards and standards-based software components from solution providers to link to current company systems.
- Connect to Partners - Use EPCglobal standards and standards-based software components from solution providers (primarily EPC Information Services) to facilitate data exchange between trading partners.
- Connect to Global Services - User EPCglobal standards-based network services to authorise location of EPC information and enable track and trace functions.
Q6. Will EPC support Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)?
The EPC number comprises a version number (or header), an EPC Manager, an Object Manager and a Serial number. The combination of EPC Manager and Object Manager is equivalent to the GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). A specific value of the version number will be allocated to an EPC structure including the GTIN followed by a serial number. This will enable current GS1 users to apply the EPC technology in a way that is compatible with the current implementations. However, we must recognise that some future
EPC users do not and will likely never use GTIN, because they use other systems than the GS1 System or because their application requirements do not necessitate the identification of trade items.
Q7. What is the Object Naming Service (ONS) service and what is the total system of this service?
The Object Name Service (ONS) is very similar to the Domain Name Service (DNS) of the Internet. The ONS service translates EPC numbers into Internet addresses. It enables information queries based on EPC numbers to be routed to the databases that contain the required information.
Q8. What is the Auto-ID Center?
The Auto-ID Center is an independent, not-for-profit global research organisation headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA. The founding sponsors were GS1 US, Gillette, and Procter & Gamble. GS1 participated by invitation.
Founded in 1999, the Auto-ID Center's vision is of a world where computers will be able to identify any object, anywhere, instantly. Further, the Center's mission is to design the infrastructure to create a universal, open network for identifying individual products and for tracking them as they flow through the global supply chain.
The Center has sister labs at the University of Cambridge in England, Adelaide University in Australia, Keio University in Japan, Fudan University in China and St. Gallen University in Switzerland.
Q9. How can I learn about Research and Development (R&D) output from the Auto-ID Center?
All the research papers produced by the Auto-ID Center are available at
www.autoidlabs.org
