A SCADA oriented middleware for RFID technology

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) has emerged as the new technology paradigm for acquisition and information management. RFID can be used to improve significantly the efficiency of business processes by providing the capability of automatic identification and data capture. This technology introduces new challenges on data and process information management in current systems. RFID data are time-dependent and dynamically changing. In addition, data carry implicit semantics. The homogeneous data processing of such implicit semantics allows us to propose RFID middleware as a WHO–WHEN–WHERE data problem. This paper presents DEPCAS, a new middleware for RFID information based on the SCADA architecture for control systems. An application of DEPCAS is the resolution of heterogeneous situations, which solves the WHAT or context-aware to apply the auto identification data received from RFID systems in business applications.

► New topological networks of tag readers and heterogeneous business applications need to be connected through RFID middleware.
► This paper summarizes the features that must be supported by any “real” RFID middleware, identifying the main drawbacks of existing middleware proposals.
► To overcome such drawbacks, a new middleware called DEPCAS is proposed, which starting point is the well known SCADA architecture.
► The paper includes the architectonic definition of DEPCAS, an outline of its current implementation and an application scenario.