The object related storage approach has the
following advantages:
Real-time data collection. Because data storage
occurs object related, events that take place in the real
world can be collected right where the action takes
place even if network infrastructure is unavailable. For
example, in a cold chain, data on environmental factors
such as temperature and humidity can be collected
close to the object via sensors. Even if the cold chain
has to be kept intact across several logistic stages, the
data that is necessary to verify the cold chain is exactly
where the object is located. In each logistic stage, we
can determine whether the cold chain has been violated
because environmental factors increased or decreased
across a certain time period (“the oysters are uneatable
because during the past 5 hours, the temperature in the
container has risen above 10 degrees Celsius for at
least three times for 5 minutes”). Without the data-ontag
storage, we would need infrastructure for each and
every logistic stage to monitor the environmental
factors. At the end of the cold chain, all this data
would have to be combined in order to detect
irregularities. It would take time to determine whether
the cold chain has been interrupted and even more time
to initiate counteractive measures such as repeating an
order. In most cases active tags are needed for realtime
data collection (Class 4 transponders).