Intelligent tagging for transport and logistics: the ParcelCall approach

Many solutions already exist within the transport and logistics industry to enable goods to be tracked as they move through the supply chain. Most of these solutions are based on proprietary technology, with information only updated at key points along the chain. However, with transportation processes becoming ever more complex, routinely involving multi-mode and multi-carrier scenarios, there is an increasing need for accurate and up-to-date information exchange between carriers and customers. One possible solution that seeks to provide this information has been developed within the European IST (Information Systems Technology) project 'ParcelCall'. This paper covers the background to ParcelCall, describing some of the key functional elements that comprise this real-time tracking and tracing system. In particular it concentrates on the short-range, radio-based intelligent tags that were developed as a core part of the project.