Application for IT Placement

Just applied for a industrial training position in USMKK's PPKT (AFAIK equivalent to our CICT). Personally I prefer something near my house so that's why I chose this. Let's see what happens next.

Report on RFID

Report on RFID

At A Glance

Radio-frequency identification, or more widely known as RFID, is a system where a reader reads tag(s) via radio frequency waves and interprets the content with a predefined format. The technologies that RFID system uses have been here for a while, but only recently the usage has become widespread that now many are not aware that they are using items that contain RFID tags in it.

Various RFID systems are in the market for different purposes and the cost for each system vary greatly, but their functionality, as well the technology employed, are essentially the same.

History of RFID

In 1888, German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz first proved the existence of electromagnetic radiation; then in 1901 Guglielmo Marconi sent the first wireless long-distance transmission. These created a new era in mankind history.

The first RFID implementation happened in World War II when British military installed “Identification, Friend or Foe” (IFF) on their aircraft, which enabled them to identify the incoming aircraft’s identity – a signal would be transmitted to the aircraft’s transponder which would return an encrypted code. Such technology enabled them to reduce friendly fires among Allied forces. Modern technologies are still essentially the same.

The first RFID patent was awarded by United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1973 to Mario W. Cardullo.[1] Also in the 1970s, Los Alamos National Laboratory was developing a system to track nuclear materials. The system was commercialized in 1980s when the scientists who worked on the project left the laboratory and set up a business.

Between 1999 and 2003, two air interface protocols (Class 1 and Class 0), the Electronic Product Code (EPC) numbering scheme, and a network architecture for looking up data associated on an RFID tag on the Internet, were developed by the Auto-ID Center. Uniform Code Council obtained the license for the technology in 2003, and EPCglobal was created, as a joint venture with EAN International, to commercialize EPC technology. EPCglobal ratified a second-generation standard in December 2004, as a way to anticipate broader adoption.

Basic Usages and Applications of RFID

The simplest form of a RFID system contains three major components:  a tag, a reader, and a predefined format to transfer information. RFID tags transfer information in its memory to the reader via radio frequency waves.

Many of us use RFID-enabled devices daily without realizing its existence. Some of the more notable examples of RFID applications are:

1. 
   Passports – Malaysians got the world’s first biometric passport in 1998, when IRIS Corporation developed the technology using RFID. Many other countries have since begun to issue similar passports.
   


2. 
   Digital Currency - Hong Kong’s Octopus Card, and Japan’s Suica, both based on Sony’s FeliCa RFID smart card system, as well as other equivalent cards, let commuters skip the queues in front of ticket vending machines, and is also a form of payment in convenient stores and at vending machines.
   


3. 
   Toll Payments – Systems like Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) use RFID systems to eliminate the need to stop the vehicle completely to pay the toll charges.
   


4. 
   Libraries – The usage of RFID tags on books as well as other materials facilitate checkouts as well as aid patrons to pinpoint its location.
   


5. 
   Animal Tracking – Pets, livestock, and endangered species can be tagged with RFID chips, and then be tracked to observe its movements as well as to store data such as vaccination records, ownership details, birth date and even temperature.
   

 

RFID Technology

RFID Tags

Several designs of RFID tags are available in the market, each with its own characteristics which make one suitable for a particular application while totally impractical to be used on other circumstances.

Regardless of designs, each RFID tag has the following essential components:

1. 
   Antenna – primarily for transmitting and receiving radio frequencies to communicate with the readers. Passive tags also use the antennas to collect energy.
   


2. 
   Integrated Circuit (IC) – An essential part of a tag, its job is to transmit the tag’s unique identifier, and also as a master controller for more complex tags.
   


3. 
   Printed Circuit Board (PCB) – Holds the tag together. Depending on the purpose, it can be rigid or flexible, as well as being made of different materials.
   

Two major classifications of RFID tags, active tags and passive tags are in the market today. An active tag has its own power source, typically battery. Such tags have greater ranges compared to passive counterparts and also can be read through impenetrable materials, but they are larger and more expensive, mostly due to batteries, and the batteries limits its lifespan, depending on its beacon rate, which is the interval of the signal being sent. At up to 8MB, active tags also have larger amount of memory.

Passive tags, on the other hand, are cheap to manufacture, much smaller, and therefore, more common on the market. Passive tags collect energy through its antenna. They, however, have comparatively limited range, and may not be read through impenetrable materials. Furthermore, passive tags are notably lower in memory, often not exceeding 64KB.

RFID Readers

In order to read and understand the content of RFID tags, appropriate readers are needed for the purpose. Essentially there are at least two components needed for any reader:

1. 
   Antennas are needed to receive and transmit radio frequency. The effectiveness of RFID deployments largely depend on the selection of appropriate antennas.
   


2. 
   Integrated Circuit (IC) board handles necessary information to communicate with the tag. Each board contains a microprocessor, memory and a radio frequency transponder.
   

In some setups it is necessary to have multiple readers set up.

EPC Standards

Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the standard for the RFID system developed by MIT’s Auto-ID Center in 2000. Like Barcode’s Universal Product Code, it identifies an item. However, RFID tags with EPC can identify a particular item, compared to Barcodes, which can only identify an item’s type.

An EPC code contains the following fields:

1. 
   Header – it tells the reader the format of the code.
   


2. 
   EPC Manager Number – it contains the manufacturer’s information.
   


3. 
   Object Class – identifies a class of objects.
   


4. 
   Serial Number – identifies a particular item.
   

Depending on the application, the length of the code can be from 32-bit to 256-bit.

RFID Frequencies

Depending on usages, different RFID frequency range caters different needs for a system. It is particularly important to choose an appropriate frequency range or it may cause interference to other electromagnetic waves such as television signals. Also different countries have different regulations on the RFID’s radio frequencies. The table below summarises frequency ranges available for RFID readers. (Content obtained from http://rfid-handbook.de/rfid/frequencies.html)

Frequency-ranges used for RFID-systems shown with the corresponding field strength and power levels.

Algorithms for RFID

Several algorithms exist for RFID systems to provide required functionalities, but two most important algorithms for RFID are cryptography algorithm and anti-collision algorithm.

While most RFID tags, for example tags found on groceries, do not contain security-sensitive contents other than its EPC codes, some other RFID implementations, for example passports and digital cash systems, require sufficient encryption to protect the user from security risks. Encryptions techniques such as DES, 3DES, AES and proprietary KEELOQ® are used to secure sensitive information that could be exploited to expose privacy and security issues.

When two or more RFID tags are being read simultaneously, or two or more RFID readers read the same tag at the same time, collisions can occur. Such collisions affect accuracy of the RFID data being read, as well as overall performance of the readers.

Readers utilize multiple access communication type to communicate with several tags at the same time. For readers three multi-access procedures exist – Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). SDMA reuses resources such as channel capacity of devices that are spatially separated. The usage of a directional antenna causes the reader to communicate only with a tag in its range. SDMA however is complex and expensive, thereby limits its usefulness. Meanwhile, FDMA divides an RF bandwidth into several smaller frequency bands, enabling tags to communicate in different channels. Like SDMA, FDMA’s usefulness is limited due to its implementation cost. TDMA, on the other hand, divides the available channel capacity into unique time slots that are allocated within each channel. It restricts when and how much a tag can transmit data. TDMA is the most widely implemented reader anti-collision procedures, and is also the most widely used anti-collision for tags as well.[2]

The most notable tag anti-collision algorithm is based on ALOHA, which was first developed in 1970s for a packet radio network at University of Hawaii. Data is sent whenever a station has some. The sender station listens to the broadcast to determine if the transmission is successful or has suffered a collision. If a packet fails to be delivered due to collision, the sender waits for a random period before resending the data. RFID works similarly by listening to the radio before transmitting data. An improvement to ALOHA algorithm, known as slotted ALOHA, divide the time intervals between data transmission, further reducing collision wait time. Further improvement, known as frame-slotted ALOHA, is proposed to alleviate problems associated with collisions when multiple RFID tags are simultaneously present in a reader’s field.[3]

Collision and Multiple Access Protocol

 

Conclusion

RFID is increasingly widespread in daily applications and while it has come concerns, its benefit cannot be denied. However there is also a constant need to improve the existing system to suit the requirements better for one application. Increasing scale of economics to reduce per unit cost is also an important factor in order to make the application more widespread in the future.

---

[1] http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/1338/1/129

[2] Banks, Jerry et al. RFID Applied. 2007 ISBN 978-0-471-79365-6

[3] Anti-Collision Algorithm for RFID Tags, Selwyn Piramuthu, Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Florida, 2008, http://tifac.velammal.org/CoMPC/articles/24.pdf

Apples are Safer than Wndows - Myth Busted

So much for their "We Apples don't get attacked as Windows does" statement. As Mac Researcher Dino Dai Zovi says:

"There is no magic fairy dust protecting Macs. Writing exploits for [Microsoft] Vista is hard work. Writing exploits for Mac is a lot of fun."

More on the issue available here.

Title officially approved

Now it's time to put the project into full thrust mode and concentrate more on this. Am gonna uninstall GTA IV from my PC for the time being to aviod my attention being diverted.

Some (not-so-minor) foul-ups

I was told that someone else has a similar project proposal and while I was told by Dr. Subariah that I could proceed with my own, I think I will wait until the result in black and white about the title's approval.

Also I'm experiencing running nose and sore throat since this morning, which for me it happens quite routinely, probably due to my dietary habits. I honestly hope I won't end up as another H1N1 statistic...

The only consolation is that, having a band-5 result, I would not need to apply for PSM in English, or at least that is what we were told.

Google Docs to the Blog

As you may be aware I'm posting the whole Chapter 1 for the PSM1 via Google Docs. This is not only for everyone's peruse (is that a good or bad thing?) but also mosre importantly: as a form of backup.

Backups, if done properly, can save you a lot of hassles as well as preserve your (and probably other's) sanity. Hard disks, being mechanical, have higher failure rate than other parts in your PCs. I once had a problem with a partition storing my photos when it suddenly failed to be detected, but luckily I had a DVD backup from which I recovered them. Nowadays I make multiple copies of backups for my pictures.

So I strongly recommend everyone to back their PSM files up onto multiple destinations. If you are using Bloggers, chances you can also access Google Docs as well. You never know what will happen to your laptop, so better play safe.

psmch1

Airline Special Service Request (SSR) Passengers Tracking System Using RFID

1.1 Introduction to the Project

When Wright Brothers first flew their Wright Flyer, nobody could predict how the flying machine, created purely for the purpose for the mankind to conquer the skies, would greatly change the way we live nowadays. Some 50 years later when Pan American World Airways launched its Boeing 707 flights to Europe, only the rich could enjoy the “jet-set” experience.

Long gone are the days when flying was only reserved for the rich and elite. Technology advancements have made the flying more accessible and affordable, not to mention safer, just like AirAsia’s slogan “Everyone can fly”.  Though, to make such slogan stay true, some passengers need some form of assistance from the airline. Those assistances required from the airlines are collectively called Special Service Requests.

Special Service Requests (thereafter called SSRs) are employed by airlines to capture special requirements for a particular passenger, for instance unaccompanied minors, wheelchair-bound passengers, and passenger with disabilities, which are covered in the project scope, as well as other information that are beyond the project’s scope such as passengers with special dietary requirements or passenger travelling with pets in the cabin.

SSRs are supplementary to Passenger Name Record (PNR) and are typically requested upon booking so the airline can be informed about the passenger’s special requirements in advance and prepare accordingly, for example special dietary requirements (Halal, Vegetarian, Diabetic, etc.) need to be requested at least 24 hours before flight. Some of the services are chargeable, such as Unaccompanied Minors. Typically passengers with SSR will be assisted by the airline’s ground staff at both the departing airport and arriving airport.

1.2 Problem Background

Often managing large amount of passengers causes management headaches to the airlines and the airport authorities, especially if the airport is a particular airline’s main hub which thousands go through the airport daily or even hourly (Atlanta’s main airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, processed 90 million passengers in 2008 and is among the world’s busiest), and more so if irregularities happen, for example multiple flights are delayed due to bad weather. Add in human errors and omissions, often resulted due to extra, unexpected workload in such situations, and this creates an opportunity for Murphy’s Law to happen – if something can go wrong, it will go wrong, at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way.

The primary problem with existing SSR system for handling unaccompanied minors, wheelchair passengers, and disabled passengers is its lack of a central tracking system. As mentioned earlier, human factors can cause irregularities to happen if someone is not careful. On June 2009, Continental Airlines failed to put two unaccompanied minors on the flights they were supposed to be on, the result being them arriving somewhere they didn’t expect to arrive at.

Such incidents tend to cost airlines financially in terms of monetary compensation, replacement flights to send the passengers to the right destination, as well as charges imposed as a result of civil lawsuits. It can also dent their reputations and turn away potential customers, both new and recurring. If a central tracking system can track exactly where they are, and whether they are at the right place, it can possibly save the airlines in the long run.

1.3 Project Aim

The project aims to develop an RFID-based tracking system for passengers with certain SSR codes that can provide near real-time location about their whereabouts and notify the administration staff accordingly.

 

1.4 Project Objectives

The objectives of the project are to:

1. research for similar system and the industry’s requirements
2. design the system according to the specifications obtained using appropriate system design
3. develop the system, and
4. test the system for its functionality

 

1.5 Scope

The scopes for the projects are as below:

1. The research will only be done in one airport for one client (i.e. airline), although it could be implemented for other airlines and airports as well.
2. The system only covers passengers with following SSRs: unaccompanied minors, wheelchair passengers, and disabled passengers.
3. The system runs independent from PNR database as the format for PNR is not known, and it may not be standardised among different airlines.
4. The system assumes the passengers possess their own RFID tags at all times.
5. The system only tracks outbound passengers’ movements and not inbound passengers nor connecting passengers.

1.6 Importance of the Project

If the usage of the RFID-enabled boarding passes for passengers with SSR is deemed acceptable, the RFID boarding passes can track all the passengers requiring special attentions and reducing possibilities of mishandling caused by one human’s error. Such could save the airline financially in compensations due to mishaps as well as liability charges caused.

Furthermore it can also be made possible to extend the functionality of the system by implementing the tracking system for everyone who is flying. Passenger counts for both ground staff and cabin crew can be automated to reveal who has not been aboard yet or who has boarded the wrong flight.

 

1.7 Report Organisation

Chapter 2 will cite references and citations related to the industry and system’s design as well as implementations.

Chapter 3 will discuss methodology used in the designing of the system.

Chapter 4 will highlight specifications for the system. And,

Chapter 5 will conclude the report.