Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) are used to locate mobile objects and people with wireless RF tags that can be attached to assets and carried by personnel. RTLS is a relative of RFID technology with some important improvements. Over the past five years, the RTLS market has matured both in its standards-based technology and in customer demand.
Janie Shutton, a charge nurse at Palmetto Health, a large 650-bed hospital in Columbia, OH, has just admitted a new patient to her floor. Janie looks over the patient’s record and sees that the patient needs to start an antibiotic drip. She contacts pharmacy to expedite the order and then begins looking for an IV pump to administer the medication. As usual, she cannot find an available pump in the supply room.
Frustrated, she calls down to central supply and is informed by Bart, clinical attendant, that she already has seven IV pumps on her floor. “Just go and find one,” Bart says. “I don't know where to find one and the patient needs the IV pump now!” Janie retorts.
Bart explains: “Remember, we just bought the Ekahau RTLS Tracking system. Just use your Pocket PC and click on the Ekahau icon. It will find one for you right away.”
Janie responds, “Oh, sorry, Bart, let me log on.” She pulls the wireless Wi-Fi Pocket PC from her pocket, taps the Ekahau icon on the screen, and writes “IV pump” at the prompt. Within seconds, the screen shows two IV pumps located in a closet just two rooms down the hall.
Janie walks to the closet and retrieves the pump. By the time she gets to the patient’s room, pharmacy has arrived with the antibiotic drip. Janie completes the IV procedure and proceeds with the final preparations for admitting the patient.
This is Ekahau RTLS, a clear solution to a real-life problem.
RFID vs. RTLS
So what is the big difference? The major difference is that RFID does not directly bring value to the enterprise process. It is simply a bar code on steroids, an ID technology that requires a heavy infra- structure, stationary readers and mobile scanners, and tailored applications to really bring in the benefits.
An RTLS tag, on the other hand, not only holds the ID, but also knows its location and time at any given moment Ekahau RTLS does this over existing, non-proprietary WiFi networks.
As enterprises are desperately trying to improve their processes and reduce costs RTLS comes to the rescue. Where are our enterprise- critical assets and people right now, and where were they yesterday? What is the utilization level of these assets; do we need more or less of them? What are the workflow patterns and bottlenecks?
Fast growth in an exciting market
With RTLS, by knowing the continuous location of assets, can we save time and cost, while increasing security and safety? In the healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain and military/government sectors, executives are increasingly answering, "Yes, RTLS provides us with a real return on investment."
Over the past 12 months, the RTLS market has clearly come out of its infancy. The market dynamics are healthy with several competitors and a deliverable return on investment. RTLS solutions are finally delivering the value that has been anticipated during the past five years: providing enterprises with cost savings and process improvement through real-time visibility of critical enterprise assets and resources.
Antti Korhonen
President & CEO
Ekahau, Inc.
