TOPIC: Introduction to the class 

MATERIALS:

1. Syllabus

2. Student Profile Form

3. RFID Kit Bochure

4. Video 1

5. Video 2

6. Slides

7. RFID Reality Check

TOPIC: Introduction to Auto-ID

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mr. Mel Davis (Reverse Logistics Services Director, ModusLink Corporation) is running an "Apprentice" show here in Houston. If you are looking for a job in SCM (or would like to learn more about the field), please consider participating in the show. Click here for more information. 

MATERIALS:

Readings

Slides

TOPIC: Introduction to RFID

Readings

Slides

TOPIC: RFID Systems and Operating Principles (2 classes)

MATERIALS:

1. Please read and make sure that you understand the following paper. If you have any questions, please ask them in class or come talk to me during my office hours

2. Please read Chapter 3 from Finkenzeller's book "RFID Handbook" (pp. 29-59). Some of the content is very technical, so please don't worry if you don't understand what the author is talking about. If you don't understand something, just skim it and move on. The most important thing is to get a general understanding. Some of the technical details will be explained in class, but we won't get into that level of details. This book is available in electronic format from the U of H library. To view the book, go to UH Library catalog: http://library.uh.edu/. Then type "RFID Handbook" in the search window and press "Search". The system will display the link to this eBook. Connect to the eBook and read the assigned chapter. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view it. 

3. Slides1

4. Slides2

5. Some interesting news updates on Wal-Mart: Business Week and RFID Journal . Please read these short articles

6. Video

TOPIC: Configuring RFID Kit

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

This class will be held in r. 290G (DISC Conference Room)

(!) There will be quiz based on today's readings

MATERIALS:

1. Kit Brochure

2. Mantis Reader User Guide

3. Demo Software Manual

4. Asset Visibility by RF Code

ASSIGNMENT: Assignment 1, DUE: MONDAY, Feb 14

TOPIC: Economics of RFID and Competitive advantage (Feb 9 and Feb 16)

1. This is an excellent market report on RFID by Bear & Stearns. Although I would like you to read pp. 38-41 only, I suggest that you read the whole report in your spare time. It's really like a textbook that contains pretty much everything that you need to know about RFID

2. "Auto-ID Across the Value Chain: From Dramatic Potential to Greater Efficiency & Profit" by Accenture

3. If You Build It, They Will Come: EPC™ Forum Market Sizing Analysis by Accenture

4. EPC Forum Survey by Accenture

5. RFID and Beer (!) - NEWS

6. Databases Can't Handle RFID - NEWS

7. Profitable Use of RFID by Gartner

8. Slides

TOPIC: TAVIS Concentrator LI

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• You do not have to buy VB 6.0. U of H has a site license for Visual Studio 6.0. After Wednesday, there will be two sets of Visual Studio CDs (+ MSDN Library in the Office): original and copies. Please do not take originals out of the room. If you wish, you can make a copy of the originals or put them on your hard drive. Only the copies can be taken home to install on your computer. Please bring the copies as soon as you can, so that others will also have time to install the software. 

MATERIALS: 

1. Please read TAVIS Concentrator Manual (VERY IMPORTANT!)

2. Read about the Winsock Control in Visual Basic

3. For your next lab assignment, you may find this useful as well

TOPIC: Economics of RFID and Competitive advantage (continued)

MATERIALS: 

1. Video 1 - A movie of the METRO Group RFID Innovation Center

2. Video 2 - Microsoft and KiMs created an RFID solution to achieve strategic goals

3. Slides

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• There will be Quiz 2 today (!)

• Lab Assignment 1 is due :(

MATERIALS:

1. Lab Assignment 2

2. Source Code for the applications that were shown in class. The name of the project that uses Winsock control to receive data from the Concentrator is TCP_Connect

TOPIC: RFID and Supply Chain Management

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Guest Speaker: Mr. Mel Davis, Reverse Logistics Services Director, ModusLink Corporation

Presentation topic: "RFID and Supply Chain Management"

There will be a quiz at the end of the class

MATERIALS:

1. Mr. Mel Davis' Bio

2. ModusLink Corporation

3. White Paper on SCM by EPC and Accenture

4. White Paper on SCM by Intermec

5. Presentation Slides

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Guest Speaker: Mr. Abeezar Tyebji, CEO of Shipcom Wirelss, Inc. 

(!) There will be a quiz at the end of the class based on the guest speaker presentation

MATERIALS:

1. Please familiarize yourself with Shipcom Wireless Inc. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• I'll be at school on Sunday as well (starting ~3PM). So if you need to finish the Assignment 2, you are welcome to come

• HINTS FOR ASSIGNMENT 2:

• Use mid() and instr() functions to extract the TAG ID from the string

• Before you place a Tag ID into an array, check whether the ID is already there by creating a loop that goes through all the values of the array and compares a new Tag ID to the ones that are already in the array

TOPIC: RFID in Retail

MATERIALS:

1. RFID in Retail VIDEO by Metro Group

2. Future Store VIDEO by Metro Group

3. RFID in Retail paper by Accenture

4. RFID in Retail SLIDES

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Today we are going to vote to determine whether to have the exam on Wednesday, March 9 or right after the spring break (Monday, March 21). If you are not planning to attend the class today, please send me an email by the end of the day. The decision as to the test date will be made today by midnight (based on voting results)

2. If you are not receiving my emails with class updates, that means you are not on my mailing list. Please send me an email with "ADD" as the subject if you want to be added to the list

3. I've noticed that all of you have good programming skills, but some people are not familiar with the VB 6.0 environment. If you are interested, we can arrange a meeting during the Spring Break where I will teach you the basics of programming in Visual Basic. If you are interested, please send me an email. If at least 5 people will express interest in this, we will have this meeting. If not, you will have to read about VB on your own. I've also noticed that our student organizations are also having VB workshops from time to time. So if you would like to learn VB, please consider asking Ethem Ekici (Mu Lotta) or Joe Izzoe Izzo (MISSO) about their workshops (both Ethem and Joe are in our class)

MATERIALS:

1. Lab Assignment 3

2. Wal-Mart News Update

3. Using the Timer Control

TOPIC: RFID Middleware

MATERIALS:

1. Slides

2. RFID Middleware market report by Forrester 

SPRING BREAK

TOPIC: ADO in VB6

MATERIALS:

1. I handed out a paper-based materials on ADO. If you missed the class, please pick up the handout from my drop box (near the door of r. 280A)

2. Agenda slides

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. 15 people have voted to move the exam to this date, so we are having the midterm on March 23. The downside to this is that there will be more material covered by the exam. Also, please read the WHOLE Bear and Stearns report for the midterm. The link is in the study guide document. 

MIDTERM EXAM

MATERIALS:

1. Exam Study Guide

2. If you have difficulties motivating yourself to study for the exam, consider reading this article: "A trade group says its recent survey points to a shortage of RFID technicians so extreme it could slow the progress of RFID adoption". By learning about RFID you are placing yourself in a unique position to take advantage of the shortage of RFID experts.

TOPIC: Test Review

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

This class is dedicated to going over the exam questions. If you did not attend this class, you may pick up your scantron sheet from me to make sure the exam was graded correctly by the scantron machine. The answers to the exam will be posted on the weekend. The test questions will not be given out.

MATERIALS:

• Source code of the ADO example for configuring the concentrator that was shown in class.

MATERIALS:

• Please read pp. 41-51 in Bear and Stearns report
• I will hand out an article from RFID Journal on EPC Gen 2 standard in class. If you are not there, please pick it up from my drop box. The drop box is to the right from my room's door. My room is 280 A MH
• Slides

1. Midterm exam answer key has been uploaded. Grades have been recalculated.
2. Please look over your scantron and make sure that the grades are correct.
3. Please pick up the Gen 2, Part II article from my drop box if you did not attend the class. You have to have 2 articles about Gen 2 protocol. 

MATERIALS:

1. Slides

MATERIALS:

1. Video (please watch Albrect's "RFID: Privacy and Societal Implications" presentation only. It starts ~ at 26min: 30sec and ends at ~1:05)

2. 8th chapter from from Finkenzeller's book "RFID Handbook" titled "Data Security". The book is available online from the UH Library (see Jan 31 class description for instructions on how to download the book). I will also make copies of the chapter and give them out in class. Those who were absent today can pick up the copies from my drop box (near room 280A).

3. Read about some of the RFID legislature

4. Slides

MATERIALS:

1. Future Store VIDEO by Metro Group
2. Chap. 13 from Finkenzeller (2003)
3. Slides

    

    

    

    

MATERIALS:

1. Slides

2. Video 1  Video 2

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Both Lab Assignments 3 and 4 are May 4th. No exceptions will be made.
2. If you would like to write an extra credit paper, please have your paper topic approved by me (send me an email or talk to me after class). The extra credit paper is due on May 4th
3. The last two classes will be dedicated to final exam reviews (this is tentative). We might have at least 1 quiz during these review sessions.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

We are having an exciting guest speaker today: Doug Steel from University of Houston. Mr. Steel has completed research on smart dust for the Information Systems Research Center (ISRC). Mr. Steel is going to present the results of his research to us.

THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!

MATERIALS:

1. Presentation Slides ; Nanotechnology Slides

2. The research report on smart dust by Mr.Doug Steel

Slides

For the review session, make sure you review the documents listed in the midterm exam study guide.

THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!

Materials

1. Final exam study guide

THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!

For the review session, make sure you review the documents listed in the midterm exam study guide.

FINAL EXAM

r. 114

11am-2pm

Today is the deadline for everything!