Most Developers Use RFID For Security Applications, Not Inventory
The use of electronic tags is often discussed for inventory control, but more developers are applying the technology to security applications, a survey released Wednesday showed.
Radio frequency identification technology (RFID) has been in the spotlight since Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, said last year it would require some of its largest suppliers to be ready to track goods using RFID tags in 2005. Other large retailers have made similar announcements since, including Albertsons and Target.
Nevertheless, a survey of 450 developers in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America found 3 in 10 using RFID in security applications, and only 2 in 10 using it in inventory-control software, Evans Data Corp. said. The respondents were all building applications or services that use wireless technology.
The remainder of the developers was about evenly split in their use of RFID in applications for tracking industrial equipment, shipping, and vehicle identification.
The results surprised Evans Data analyst Jason Kaczor, who led the project. "My assumption originally was that inventory tracking would be the highest use for RFID," he said.
