(International Organization for Standardization, Geneva) -- ISO has just launched a CD-ROM containing a collection of 24 ISO/IEC standards and one amendment on radio frequency identification (RFID). A wireless technology enabling communication between interrogating devices and embedded electronic tags, RFID is used to identify and track any type of item, from individual products to shipping containers, livestock and even people.

RFID systems, like the bar codes that have become ubiquitous in recent decades, can carry information such as size, color, weight and product identifier data, but without the need for physical contact between the tag and the reader. Another major advantage of RFID over older bar code systems is the capacity to allow overwriting of tag data as items move through a process.

Standards are critical for many RFID applications, such as payment systems and tracking goods or reusable containers in open supply chains. The ISO/IEC joint technical committee JTC 1, Information technology, has worked for the past decade to develop standards for a variety of RFID frequencies and applications.

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