
RFID ARCHITECTURE 25
Generally speaking, an RFID system must provide some, if not all, of the following fea-
tures and capabilities:
• The ability to encode RFID tags
• The ability to attach encoded RFID tags to items
• The ability to track the movement of tagged items
• The ability to integrate RFID information into business applications
• The ability to produce information that can be shared between businesses
• The ability to develop self-organization of intelligent devices
Let’s take a closer look at each of these items.
Encoding RFID Tags
Encoding RFID tags is a two-step process. The first step is to select an identification scheme
to uniquely track the items in question. Once this is done, you can attach those identities
to the RFID tags. Let’s look at both steps in greater detail.
FIGURE 2-3. Capabilities required of different types of RFID systems
Proprietary Compliance
RFID-
Enabled
Enterprises
RFID-
Enabled
Industries
Internet of
Things
RFID adoption
Functionality
Identify
item-numbering
scheme
Encode RFID tags
Attatch RFID tags
to items
Read the tags as items
move through
Integrate RFID
information into
business workflows
Share RFID
information
B2B
Develop device
intelligence and
self organization