The work has just been completed as a pilot project initiated by GS1 EPCglobal, the not-for-profit standards organization driving adoption of the electronic product code to improve supply chain performance.

The milestone project was the first time that real-time information generated from active, battery-powered RFID tags on sea containers was exchanged with EPC information services (EPCIS), a draft GS1 EPCglobal standard enabling trading partners to communicate in a common computer language on objects moving throughout the supply chain. The communication interface with the EPCIS server and repository was enabled through integration of Oracles sensor edge server, a component of Oracle fusion middleware, as well as Savi site nanager operating software and active RFID tag and data collection systems.

"Reading RFID tags produces a vast amount of data all along a supply chain, and Oracle sensor edge server is an essential part of capturing, interpreting and validating such a mass of information," says Peggy Chen, principal product director, Oracle. "Because of the wide variety of participants in a supply chain, open standards are essential to give all authorized people visibility of all of the critical events involved in the chain. Oracle has been working with EPCglobal for some time in the development of standards. Software, such as Oracle sensor edge server and Oracle sensor data manager, can work very effectively in this complex heterogeneous environment."

Oracle and Savi achieved the interface as part of phase one of the GS1 EPCglobal transport and logistics RFID pilot, which is a two-phase project involving a number of companies using EPCglobal standards to enable greater transport visibility across stakeholders, countries and continents.

"We're very pleased to be part of the first team to demonstrate a working system using active RFID and EPCglobal's EPCIS standard as part of this important pilot," says Fraser Jennings, Savi Technology's vice president of standards and regulatory activities "Like Oracle, we see the need for standards to enable interoperability among multiple trading partners and service providers in a global supply chain, and we are keen to work with EPCglobal and companies such as Oracle to develop and promote those standards that will help facilitate supply chain efficiency. We're pleased our RFID technology and savi site manager software facilitated integration of real-time data into the EPCIS system through Oracle's RFID middleware."