Time to feds to develop RFID standards: report

The IBM Center for the Business of Government has released a report (PDF) calling for the federal goverment to take the lead on making RFID a widespread technology. The report details three federal case studies, at the Defense Dept., FDA and Dept. of Agriculture, where RFID is being used to identify "things" in different ways.

According to FCW.com:

The report’s author, David Wyld, a management professor at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La., said government can become a test bed for RFID technologies and develop and establish lessons learned and best practices.

“This is a technology akin to the development of the PC,” said Wyld, who is also an e-government and e-commerce expert. “We are the world leaders in this technology.”

He said the federal government can encourage greater research not only within the private sector but also in the academic community. University interest is increasing on basic RFID research and related fields, such as the social and ethical implications of RFID, he added. There’s also a role for promoting RFID education with regular business, technology and science programs because it adds value for students entering the job market.