The beginning of a sensor network era: an inter-enterprise RFID-agent enabled EPCglobal supply network architecture and the matrix model

AMR Research Group has envisioned RFID to dwarf the Internet and the Y2K problem by the scale and scope of changes that it will bring. The Gartner Hype Cycle indicates that intelligent agent technology has descended from a peak of inflated expectations into a trough of disillusionment. It is expected to gain momentum and begin delivering business value in the near future. This paper will commence with an introduction to RFID and it will proceed to describe the complementing nature of RFID and intelligent agent technology and the classification of the potential levels of intelligence that can be embedded in a RFID architecture. The core part of the paper will focus on the introduction and demonstration of a proposed interenterprise RFID-agent enabled EPCglobal supply network architecture. A brief introduction to the matrix model will also be included in this paper.