PanGo Networks is launching an upgrade of its asset tracking software tomorrow, as well as a second-generation active RFID tag that’s half as big and less expensive than the original version, reports ComputerWorld.
PanGo’s system is primarily deployed in hospitals, where it uses Wi-Fi networks to transmit data captured by radio frequency identification (RFID) tags placed on medical equipment to a central location. The technology is designed to help hospital administrators keep track of expensive assets, said Mike Braatz, vice president of business development at the Framingham, Mass.-based vendor.
The new software, PanGo Locator 3.0, further automates the site survey process and adds Web-based monitoring and management tools as well as a notification function to send alerts about the status of equipment that is being tracked, Braatz said. Pricing starts at $30,000 for 500 endpoints, and the software is due for release next month.
Meanwhile, PanGo’s Active RFID Tag 2.0 device costs about $50 and is roughly the size of three AAA batteries — 40% of the size of the initial tag that the company released a year ago. The 2.0 version includes advanced wireless security and 50% longer battery life, Braatz said.
Ekahau, in Helsinski, Finland, also offers a location tracking system that works over Wi-Fi. The Ekahau Real Time Location System (RTLS) is a suite of applications using the company’s Ekahau Positioning Engine. The three applications the Ekahau Finder, Ekahau Tracker and Ekahau Logger are aimed at end-users.
Other WiFi tracking software and devices are available, too. Handy for the Virtual Tourist.
Herecast provides location-based services on a WiFi device. At its simplest level, it can tell you where you are. More advanced services can use your location to enhance information lookups, publish presence information, and create unique games — all while preserving privacy.
Herecast uses a symbolic naming system — instead of using coordinates such as “42.9875, -81.2915″, it expresses your location in terms an ordinary person would use — for example, the name of the building. Every wireless access point broadcasts a unique identifier, which can be used to tell it apart from other access points. That identifier can also be used as a “landmark” to identify a particular location.
Quarterscope’s Wi-Fi positioning technology, is a similar GPS replacer. Wi-Fi Planet has the scoop on Quarterscope and their Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS). It calculates the position of a client in a manner similar to other Wi-Fi positioning developers such as PanGo Networks, Newbury Networks, Bluesoft and Ekahau.
Location Based Services might also develop around Blogmapper (links blog entries to clickable locations on a map), GeoURL ICBM Address Server (add Lat/Long to webpages), GeoNotes, (a free JAVA app that automatically detects your position for location-tagged messages), as used in Annotate Space, Trepia (a location-based list of other nearby Instant Messaging users), LocalFeeds (finds nearby RSS News feeds) and WWMX Travelogue (GPS tagged maps, photographs and text). Google Location Search can find local resources.
Ford Motor Co. has deployed WhereNet’s WhereCall real-time parts-locating system in its new F-150 truck plant in Dearborn, Mich. The wireless real-time locating system, should be able to track and schedule work more efficently.
Related DailyWireless articles include Map Bureau’s BlogMapper, Portland Bloggers, Localizing Content, Homeless Roaming Hotspot, Revenue for the “Free” Cloud, Handheld Content, the OregonLive Blog, Seattle’s PlaceLab, Streaming Location Content, Handheld Tours, Wireless Museums, GPS Narrative Archaeology, Wireless Walking Tours, Electric Bike Tours, Mapping to Go Projects, My Pal Mickey, Cellular Walking Directions, Ekahau + ESRI, Linkspoint GPS + Symbol, MapInfo’s Hotspot Services, MapInfo’s Open LS, ATT + Microsoft + Maps, Location without GPS, Location By Triangulation - Not, Open GIS Magazine, Mapping Oral History, Poem Spots, Geocoding the Wiki, The Un-walled Garden, Tracking Individuals, Tracking Bryon, GPS+TV=Location and Location, Location, Location
.gif)
