Pervasive RFID and near field communication technology

RFID was the most discussed topic at the Pervasive RFID/Near Field Communication Technology and Applications (PERTEC) workshop, held on March 19, 2007. Other topics discussed included management of data ownership in supply chains generated through RFID, integration of RFID and sensors, security and privacy, NFC applications, RFID-based location sensing, and emerging research challenges. RFID offers a huge variety of security approaches, starting from simple ID coding to lightweight cryptography and provide cost-effective solutions based on the value of products. RFID is a cheap, effective method to track many objects simultaneously, as well as it is unobtrusive and maintenance free. Other discussions at the conference centered on the value proposition of Near Field Communications (NFC) for end users and end-user innovation to build tools and infrastructure to allow users to use ubiquitous RFID tags.