Wireless Asset Tracking and Management System for Depot Shops

We propose to develop a wireless asset tracking and management system for DOD's depot shops. This system will be able to track assets, including tools and equipment, and persons who use those assets so the resources can located in real-time and visualizedby the depot manager. This system will also match the assets with tasks and the persons who use the assets, analyze and predict the usage of the assets so the scheduling of resources can be optimized. The proposed system also doubles as a wirelesscommunication network. Workers can use a PDA or a Laptop to query locations of tools, to reserve tool, and to communicate with other works or management through the same wireless network. We call the proposed depot asset tracking and management systemDATM. We recommend using a new wireless technology called Time-Modulated Ultra-Wide Band (TM-UWB) for implementing the asset tracking capability. This software will be designed using a multi-agent infrastructure called Cybele. During Phase I, we willdemonstrate the feasibility of developing DATM through analysis, high-level design, simulation, and experiments. At the end of Phase I, we will deliver detailed report on the system concept, high level design, simulation results, and initial test results.IAI collaborates with Time Domain Corp., Huntsville, AL, which is the leading company in developing the basic components to support implementation of UWB radios. TM-UWB will not be affected by multipath signals, will require minimal power, will allow highdata rates, and the low frequency content of TM-UWB signals allows propagation through walls. TM-UWB also has very important applications in radar and position tracking. TM-UWB radar is low-cost, compact-size, low power-consumption compared to conventionalradar. The position and tracking capability of TM-UWB devices make them perfect complement to the global positioning system especially for indoor applications that GPS and other traditional radar cannot perform well.