Final Report Summary - SAMANTHA (Safety intelligent fisheries product traceability management throughout the supply chain)
The main objective of the SAMANTHA project was to develop and produce a system which would enable the traceability of fishing goods in big companies as well as in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The product was conceived as a hardware-software (HW-SW) architecture consisting of two distinct parts. The first was related to radio frequency identification (RFID) that enabled to collect all necessary information from the fishery products in order to perform suitable traceability tests. The second part of the proposed was composed of the main components of the traceability information system (TIS). The result of this approach was a configurable platform, based on a workflow basis, which supported the business dimension of monitoring and control applications. The latter were firstly developed in beta version and were customised by applying a design based on parameters which could be changed according to the needs of specific SMEs. In order to render infield performed activities more dynamic two types of access were developed, namely computer based and hand-held based. The entire system was distributed, so that information could be remotely managed.
A series of prototypes was constructed during the first year of the project, in order to evaluate the effects of several readings' parameters, such as humidity, temperature, ice presence and water effects. Relevant results were utilised for the selection among the alternative technologies and devices. The TIS architecture was composed by modules for traceability management, user management and efficient communication of TIS components. A security framework was also developed to ensure safe information exchange. The selected RFID system technology was based on ultra high frequency (UHF), which proved to be the most suitable for the specified scenario characteristics. Moreover, passive tags were identified as being optimal for the proposed structure. RFID included a management component, combined with fixed and mobile reader middle-ware modules.
The project was anticipated to offer innovative technologies to SMEs that did not have the minimal information technologies (IT) capacity to automate internal processes for the allocation of resources and management of costs. Hence, the conformity of practices and products to existing standards and specifications would be ensured and European SMEs would certify the origin of their products and set a collaborative framework to prevent black market in the sector. Finally, it should be highlighted that SAMANTHA did not only develop innovations for the fishing industry, but also served as a technology reference project for other food production sectors.
The product was conceived as a hardware-software (HW-SW) architecture consisting of two distinct parts. The first was related to radio frequency identification (RFID) that enabled to collect all necessary information from the fishery products in order to perform suitable traceability tests. The second part of the proposed was composed of the main components of the traceability information system (TIS). The result of this approach was a configurable platform, based on a workflow basis, which supported the business dimension of monitoring and control applications. The latter were firstly developed in beta version and were customised by applying a design based on parameters which could be changed according to the needs of specific SMEs. In order to render infield performed activities more dynamic two types of access were developed, namely computer based and hand-held based. The entire system was distributed, so that information could be remotely managed.
A series of prototypes was constructed during the first year of the project, in order to evaluate the effects of several readings' parameters, such as humidity, temperature, ice presence and water effects. Relevant results were utilised for the selection among the alternative technologies and devices. The TIS architecture was composed by modules for traceability management, user management and efficient communication of TIS components. A security framework was also developed to ensure safe information exchange. The selected RFID system technology was based on ultra high frequency (UHF), which proved to be the most suitable for the specified scenario characteristics. Moreover, passive tags were identified as being optimal for the proposed structure. RFID included a management component, combined with fixed and mobile reader middle-ware modules.
The project was anticipated to offer innovative technologies to SMEs that did not have the minimal information technologies (IT) capacity to automate internal processes for the allocation of resources and management of costs. Hence, the conformity of practices and products to existing standards and specifications would be ensured and European SMEs would certify the origin of their products and set a collaborative framework to prevent black market in the sector. Finally, it should be highlighted that SAMANTHA did not only develop innovations for the fishing industry, but also served as a technology reference project for other food production sectors.
