Modeling and implementation of SIP and EPC protocols in airline luggage tracking applications

In this paper we address the problem of tracking in an end user-accessible, secure and efficient manner the information about the location of objects, for example luggage items transported by airlines, over a geographically distributed area, using Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology. We analyze the use of a centralized, commercial software approach based on the Electronic Product Code-based (EPC) standard, and of a distributed, open approach based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard. The challenges include, first the use of inexpensive RFID devices to continuously track the location of objects. Second the integration of these devices within the Internet addressing scheme, in order to enable fast development of the related end-user services. Third the creation or adaptation of the required infrastructure (e.g. object location databases) and of the access mechanisms (via HTTP or other protocols). Fourth the identification of the most appropriate ways to communicate the location and tracking information to people who may not be computer experts, but just casual users of PCs and smartphones. We provide an initial comparison between the two approaches in terms of architecture, openness versus commercial support, network load and overall performance.