This paper aims to provide the reader with a review of the main technologies explored in the literature to solve the indoor localization issue. Furthermore, some systems that use these enabling technologies in real-world scenarios are presented and discussed. This could deliver a better understanding of the state-of-the-art and motivate new research efforts in this promising field. Finally, focusing on one of the major challenges in the indoor localization field, i.e., the indoor animal tracking, existing indoor tracking systems have been reviewed and compared by analyzing advantages and drawbacks.

One can perform a heuristic evaluation of a hypermedia application effectively by coupling a systematic analysis of the application based on a hypermedia design model with general usability criteria, independent of the specific application area, user profile(s) and user task(s). We call our method design-oriented evaluation (as opposed to the user-oriented evaluation commonly applied in usability testing) since it evaluates the internal strength of the design underlying the hypermedia application. Design-oriented evaluation results from our experience both in developing several hypermedia applications, and systematically inspecting and evaluating many commercial applications and prototypes. By its very nature, our method addresses neither software design (which can be evaluated with general software evaluation techniques), nor how well the application relates to a domain or to specific user needs (a main concern of other usability evaluation techniques). Our approach complements more general evaluation methods [1, 12, 13, 18, 19, 21] for the field of hypermedia. In this paper we describe our design-oriented evaluation method and apply it to a highly popular commercial application: Microsoft’s “Art Gallery” , a hypermedia guide to the National Gallery in London’s painting collection. Art Gallery is an outstanding and enjoyable application. Initially designed only for the museum’s visitors [20], it is now widely available as a CD-ROM [17]. We also discuss aspects of reuse in hypermedia applications and propose some initial suggestions for “designing for reuse.

In this paper, a Smart Parking System (SPS) based on the integration of Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies is presented. The system is able to collect information about the occupancy state of parking spaces, and to direct drivers to the nearest vacant parking spot by using a customized software application. Such application also leverages an NFC-based e-wallet system to allow users to pay for the parking fee. Furthermore, a software application based on RESTful Java and Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) technologies has been installed on a Central Server in order to manage alert events (e.g. improper use of a reserved space or expiration of the purchased time). In such a case, it promptly informs the traffic cops through an Android mobile app, which has been designed ad hoc for the considered scenario. A proof-of-concept has demonstrated that the proposed solution can meet the real requirements of a SPS.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is more and more adopted in a wide range of applicative scenarios. Nevertheless, in many applications, commercial and general-purpose solutions can be unsuitable as in the case of the tracking of small-size living animals for the behavior analysis. In such a case, the whole RFID hardware, as well as the control software, should be opportunely tailored for the particular application. In this paper, a novel RFID-based approach enabling an effective localization and tracking of small-sized laboratory animals is proposed. It is mainly based on a near-field (NF) RFID multiantenna system working in the UHF bandwidth, to be placed below the animal's cage, and able to rigorously identify the NF RFID tags implanted in laboratory animals. Once the requirements of the reader antenna have been individuated, an antenna system composed of a matrix of specifically designed segmented loops has been prototyped. Moreover, to improve the effectiveness of the whole tracking system, a properly algorithm based on the measured received signal strength indication has been developed and integrated. It aims at removing potential minor ambiguities of the data captured by the multiantenna system. The whole animal tracking system has been then largely tested on phantom mice to verify its ability to precisely localize each subject and to reconstruct its path. Additionally, a first test performed on living mice has been presented. The achieved and discussed results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The paper presents an innovative gapless traceability system able to improve the main business processes of the fresh vegetables supply chain. The performed analysis highlighted some critical aspects in the management of the whole supply chain, from the land to the table of the end consumer, and allowed us to reengineer the most important processes. In particular, the first steps of the supply chain, which include cultivation in greenhouses and manufacturing of packaged vegetables, were analyzed. The re-engineered model was designed by exploiting the potentialities derived from the combined use of innovative Radio Frequency technologies, such as RFID and NFC, and important international standards, such as EPCglobal. The proposed tracing and tracking system allows the end consumer to know the complete history of the purchased product. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the potential benefits of the reengineered processes in a real supply chain, a pilot project was implemented in an Italian food company, which produces ready-to-eat vegetables, known asIV gammaproducts. Finally, some important metrics have been chosen to carry out the analysis of the potential benefits derived from the use of the re-engineered model.