GPS (Global Positioning System) is a well known technology used for tracking and navigating. Everyone that have used GPS knows that the signal is blocked when you are inside a house, in a garage or surrounded with tall buildings. IPS (Indoor Positioning System) is a technology used for positioning were GPS can not be used. The most common technologies for IPS are radio, infrared or ultrasound signals.
Lets have a quick look at the three different IPS technologies.
A few weeks ago I attended a partner meeting at RFID Innovasjonsenter AS (web page only in Norwegian) which is a center for research, development and testing on new RFID solutions. We talked about a new RFID show case room/center that is planned to be in operation by the start of 2010. I’m very excited to see what the result of this will be. They are planning a 500 square meters area showing how RFID can be used through the whole life cycle of a product.
But what really caught my attention was the METRO Group Future Store Initiative founded in mid-2002 with more than 85 companies from retailing, consumer goods, IT and service sectors. The aim for this initiative is to drive forward the modernization process in retailing. They say that RFID is the key technology for future retailing.
