Mar 18, 2009 9:30 AM

Lockheed Martin’s Savi Technology, Michelin, Texas Instruments, and others are forming the DASH7 Alliance, a cross-industry initiative to expand the use of a wireless data technology commonly used in the global defense industry but increasingly used by commercial customers.

The US Department of Energy and three of its laboratories - Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as the University of Pittsburgh, plan to serve as technical advisors.

The wireless data technology, based on the ISO 18000-7 standard, provides users with the ability to track the whereabouts and status of a wide range of objects, including vehicles, shipping containers, pharmaceutical products, hazardous materials, and perishable goods.

The ISO standard defines the air interface for radio-frequency identification devices operating as an active RF tag in used in item management applications.

The DASH7 Alliance will work to ensure cross-vendor interoperability and reliability, promote greater use of the ISO 18000-7 wireless data standard, and foster new wireless data innovations.

Membership in the organization is open to end users, technology providers, and research organizations.

For more information, please visit www.dash7.org.