Converging Technology in Society: Opportunity for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in Thailand´s Transportation System

Undoubtedly in the world of urbanization, time and efficiency are matter of priority. RFID (Radio Frequency Deification) emerges as one of the noteworthy converging technologies which improve standard of living, particularly the two abovementioned ones. While transportation, being mass transit or logistic, plays important part in the development of urbanization, RFID is now key catalyst in signify the merit of it. Thus, it is necessary to thoroughly study RFID technology for transportation advancement from initial deployment to each variety of its applications. There are many RFID applications available in the market such as RFID contactless smart card- commonly used by commuters or bus riders, Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) - an applied RFID technology, used in Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), Smart Parking, and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP). In Hong Kong, the Octopus Card is used not only in mass transit but also in convenience stores, fast food stalls and car parkings. Driven by such success story aboard, deployment of RFID technology in Thailand is thus encouraged. This paper researches existing technology and examines appropriate set of standard in integrating them for transportation applications. This paper has been carried out with a purpose to understand benefits of the RFID technology in other countries and to identify readiness of Thailand in exploiting it.