Hi-G-Tek

Hi-G-Tek Joins DASH7 Alliance as a Founding Member

Companies partner to advocate ISO 18000-7 Standard

Rockville, Md. -- March 18, 2009 -- Hi-G-Tek (www.higtek.com), a developer of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based tracking and monitoring solutions for high-value cargo and sensitive materials, today announced that it joined the DASH7 Alliance as a founding member. The DASH7 Alliance is an independent industry action group whose purpose is to promote the use of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 18000-7 active-RFID technology standard and influence future iterations of the measure from an end user perspective. Initial participants come from the manufacturing, systems integration and end user communities, including the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin and Savi Technology.

The ISO 18000-7 protocol, which is used around the world by the DoD, National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and various military defense systems, operates at 433 megahertz. This frequency features low power consumption that allows the incorporation of various sensor attributes including temperature, location and humidity. In addition, the 18000-7 standard establishes a method for an automatic identification of assets at distances exceeding 100 meters.

ISO 18000-7 set the stage for mass adoption of interoperable active-RFID technology. Standardization means that RFID Interrogators (Readers) and Transponders (Tags) from various manufactures can be interoperable. The protocol defines the way in which Interrogators transmit information to networks and the software where the value of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) systems are realized. 

The ISO 18000-7.2008 version of the standard recently reached significance with the award of the U.S. Army Program Executive Office-Enterprise Information Systems RFID III contract to supply active RFID to the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO Allies. The RFID III contract, valued at $428 million over three years, requires all active-RFID products to comply with the ISO 18000-7 interoperability standard. The DoD uses RFID-III as the primary contract vehicle to purchase active-RFID, a technology to secure and monitor the status of all military cargo in transit around the globe and especially those shipments sent to support the war fighter in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, RFID tags are attached to approximately 35,000 shipments of military supplies each day. The RFID III contract will supply a universal, integrated platform to all government and military users of active-RFID components for logistics and location tracking and conditional monitoring of cargo and assets.

With the Defense Community established as the first and most significant end user of ISO 18000-7 active-RFID, the DASH7 Alliance will advocate the use of the technology in the global commercial sector. Adoption in global intermodal shipping, seaport logistics, downstream petroleum transportation and other remote asset management applications will accelerate due to the standardization of active-RFID. 

According to Larry Blue, CEO of Hi-G-Tek, “We are glad to be founding members of this important Alliance to promote ISO 18000-7. Hi-G-Tek has always been active in the standards process, contributing to the original 18000-7 standard as well as the 18185 e-seal activity. We look forward to working with group members in our common efforts to create active-RFID systems and standards designed for the entire industry. Because RFID is such a versatile technology, Hi-G-Tek is dedicated to the pursuit of making this valuable tool accessible and user-friendly and joining the DASH7 is a proactive step in that direction.”

The DASH7 Alliance is a coalition of organizations from multiple industries that are committed to collaborating on the promotion of wireless data technologies based on the ISO 18000-7 standard. Organizations initially planning to participate include Dow, Michelin, Lockheed Martin’s Savi Technology, Northrop Grumman, Unisys Corporation, IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Hi-G-Tek, Evigia Systems, RFind, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices and KPC, Inc. The U.S. Department of Energy and three of its laboratories, the Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as the University of Pittsburgh, plan to serve as technical advisors.  

About Hi-G-Tek

Hi-G-Tek is the developer of Highly Intelligent RFID asset sense and control solutions for fuel distribution and global trade lanes. The company’s patented “sensing” technology has applications in several key markets, including homeland security, transportation, fuel distribution, military, biomedical and global trade lanes.

Hi-G-Tek’s unique active-RFID solutions provide unparalleled levels of real-time security and “sensing” of key assets, whether stationary or in transit, indoors or outdoors. Its sophisticated technology not only detects where an “asset” is, but also its status or condition—anytime, from anywhere in the world. For additional information, please visit www.higtek.com.

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