Sybase iAnywhere announced the latest version of RFID Anywhere, the company's software infrastructure that provides an extensible environment for developing and managing robust, highly distributed sensor network applications including radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions. RFID Anywhere 3.0 breaks new ground with the delivery of a context-aware Location Information System.

Using RFID Anywhere, businesses can not only track assets from a range of data collection points [such as passive RFID, active RFID, real-time location systems (RTLS), barcode, global positioning systems (GPS) and environmental sensors], but also can dramatically enhance the value of this data by associating environmental inputs (e.g., temperature) along with the location data. In addition, the RFID Anywhere 3.0 Location Information System exposes its complete feature set via a rich service oriented architecture (SOA) web services layer allowing organizations to easily transform static business information into business- aware intelligence.

"We're seeing that companies are looking for a single solution that gives them the ability not only to track their assets, but also to provide business context to them," said Martyn Mallick, director of RFID and Mobile Solutions, iAnywhere. "RFID Anywhere's Location Information System is able to add location awareness and business intelligence to the sensor network, providing context-sensitive, real-time views of the enterprise."

"One of the key areas of concerns for early adopters of RFID is how to make intelligent business decisions based on the massive amount of data created by RFID. The enhancements made to Sybase's RFID software platform address this issue and provides an increased level of value by combining RFID into an intelligent sensor network," said Curtis Price, Program Director at IDC. "Asset tracking is one of the applications that IDC believes is driving early deployments of RFID, and the new release of RFID Anywhere provides a common infrastructure for managing and tracking assets, as well as obtaining contextual information from the data collected in a sensor network. This allows businesses to derive greater value by making better informed decisions."

Context-Aware Location Services in Action The ability to enhance location information with business context is desired in applications including asset tracking, asset control and resource management across vertical solutions in healthcare, logistics, cold-chain, and warehouse management environments.

"Sybase iAnywhere provides a powerful integration platform for combining Ekahau RTLS location information with passive RFID data and other sensory inputs, delivering business intelligence to the location data," said Tuomo Rutanen, vice president, business development, Ekahau Inc. "This enables both companies to satisfy the needs of a very broad customer base, which underlines the powerful synergy of this partnership."

"We are pleased to have worked with iAnywhere in the integration between its RFID Anywhere technology and RF Code's Tavis RTLS Platform," said Dr. Nissim Ozer, Chief Technology Officer, RF Code. "This effort provides our joint customers the real-time location visibility and reporting needed to improve the management and utilization of assets across the enterprise."