Data synchronization with conflict resolution for RFID-based track and trace

In an RFID-assisted track and trace information network, the same set of data may be stored in distributed locations. Data conflicts occur when the values of distributed data copies are modified locally with different values causing data inconsistency. In order to restore data consistency, the values of distributed data copies have to be synchronized to the same value by resolving the conflicts. The conventional conflict resolutions do not consider the unique characteristics of RFID data and therefore are not able to maximize the benefit of information users or may even provide erroneous resolution result. In this paper, a data synchronization method with conflict resolution accommodated to RFID applications is proposed. The method resolves the conflicts based on multiple RFID data attributes and takes the dependent relationship between data into account. Simulations confirm the efficiency of the algorithm.