ITest is focused on the development and validation, with respect to interoper- ability, performance and conformance to standards, of methodologies and equipment for the security of the supply chain.
Employing stable and mature wireless technologies (such as Radio Frequency Identification - RFID, GSM, GPS), ITest adds intelligence to security devices, yielding more self-sufficient and feature-rich products.
This addition of intelligence enables the design of a more general and compre- hensive approach to supply chain security, and serves as a basis for producing general guidelines and best practice rules in supply chain management. ITest is, on the one side, policy support oriented towards new legislations and standards and on the other side it is developing different applications integrat- ing intelligent seals (based on active and passive transponder technology) and other sensors in order to implement a fully intelligent system able to monitor and track over the internet or GSM network the status and the position of containers, but also of objects and people.
Major 2008 achievements
Container Security and Standards
ITest supported the cooperation between the European Commission (Directo- rate-General for Taxation and Customs Union - DG TAXUD) and the Customs Authorities of China, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom by supplying know-how and technologies in the framework of the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) pilot project. The JRC-IPSC organised a workshop in Ispra in May 2008, where potential sealing solutions were presented by industrial companies. An agreement was reached for the use of the electronic sealing systems based on active and passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology developed by the JRC-IPSC in the pilot project.
A delegation of customs operators was trained on the use of JRC-IPSC sealing technology during a seminar hosted in Ispra in September 2008.
On request of DG TAXUD, ITest participated in the Customs Seals Working Group (CSWG) for the definition of interoperability standards in cargo security devices. Comments made by JRC-IPSC on the draft ISO 17712 “Freight contain- ers – mechanical seals”, mainly related to tampering issues triggered a lot of positive reactions. It is foreseen to create a reference test and vulnerability assessment laboratory in Ispra to run physical and tamper evidence tests on mechanical seals.
An experimental test bed to control the loading of containers is under preparation at the Sealing and Identification Laboratory (SILab). Several tests will be carried out to demonstrate the possibility of loading goods assuring their traceability and avoiding mistakes. The final aim is to demonstrate that a better control of goods will dramatically increase security, will decrease the possibility of mis- takes and will also result in lower costs in terms of logistics and personnel.
Innovative technologies for assisting disabled people
SESAMONET (Secure and Safe Mobility Network) is a guidance system for visu- ally impaired people. It relies on a path of RFID transponders embedded in the
Contact Marco Sironi Tel. +39 0332 785754 e-mail: [email protected] website: http://silab.jrc.it
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Active RFID seal (patent pending).
Passive RFID seals fabricated for the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) pilot project.
pavement, read by a special RFID-enabled walking cane. The transponder data collected are processed to give localisation and environmental information directly to the user’s mobile phone.
SESAMONET in 2008 has evolved from being a stand-alone proof of principle to a modular guidance system ready to be integrated in wider social inclusion projects. It now has the interfaces to exchange data with existing infrastructures such as smart public transportation systems, wireless on-demand services, do- motic technologies, etc. In addition, by mapping the RFID transponders which form the electronic path, the system can provide the geographical positioning of the visually impaired user and send, in case of danger, a help request message using the GSM network. The message is sent to both pre-authorised people and a central server, which processes the information and localises the user. The system was presented at the inter-ministerial e-Inclusion conference held in Vienna in November 2008. A trial path was set up inside the conference area. The indoor guidance capabilities of the system and the other relevant features were fully demonstrated to the participants.
ITest received various expressions of interest in the system and in the possibil- ity of adopting it in the European Union in order to improve independence and quality of life of visually impaired people.
ITest won the JRC innovation project competition and received special funding to prepare SESAMONET for industrialisation. SESAMONET was also awarded the first prize at the LIUC University in Castellanza (Italy), in April 2008 during the conference “La convergenza Università-Impresa sui sistemi RFID”.
Challenges for 2009 and beyond
The work carried out in 2008 in conjunction with DG TAXUD, the Customs agen- cies of China, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the contributions to the Customs Seals Working Group will be finalised and will yield a common ground to support the drafting of an international standard for supply chain security. The development of a European reference test laboratory for vulner- ability and physical test on seals is a huge challenge.
Our goal is to contribute to the discussion bringing EU-based expertise and technology, thus giving technical support to policy makers.
The future orientation of the Container Security and Standards project will be defined involving all the stakeholders (DG TAXUD, Italian Customs Agency). By the end of 2009 we expect to have the test trial fully operational and ready to carry out tests as indicated by the users.
The implementation through outsourcing of a number of pilot projects in different conditions is the main future goal of the SESAMONET project. The aim is to de- velop a significant model able to integrate different solutions for the assistance to visual disabilities. In this context, the integration with satellite based naviga- tion systems and communication infrastructures to enable on-demand, context- sensitive data download services, represents a fundamental objective.
In 2009 this action will be renamed CI- Supply Chain (Tracing Technologies in the Supply Chain).
Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) pilot project
Experimental test bed to control the loading of containers
GLOSSARY
CSWG Customs Seals Working Group
DG TAXUD Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union
GPS Global Positioning System
GSM Global System for Mobile Com- munications
RFID Radio Frequency Identification
SESAMONET Secure and Safe Mobil- ity Network
SILab Sealing and Identification Laboratory at JRC-IPSC in Ispra