Click&Find: an Internet service for full tracing and tracking

This paper presents the architecture, the system implementation and the performance evaluation of an innovative Internet-based service for object position tracing and tracking (T&T). It supports "full" T&T, as tracking data are not limited only to warehouse check-ins/checkouts, but are extended to the whole transport process, i.e., even when the traced item is on the road, taking advantage of GPS and GPRS technologies. The system works as an Internet component, made available to other systems such as factory automation systems and enterprise resource planners, easily integrated through Web or Web services interfaces. Wide area coverage, high-precision and real-time characteristics make the system suitable for the integration with factory automation tasks, whenever such tasks need to extend beyond the plant area boundaries