By Stephen Larsen

“The RF-ITV Tracking Portal traces the identity, status and location of cargo from its point of origin to its destination, via the DoD’s worldwide Active RFID Network, which is the largest active RFID network in the world, located in more than 50 countries and including more than 3,600 worldwide read and write sites,” said Smith. He added that the RF-ITV Tracking Portal also receives near real-time position information from more than 12,000 satellite-based system (such as the Movement Tracking System, MTS) modules, combines and processes the information, and delivers it to systems such as the Battle Command Sustainment and Support System (BCS3), the Standard Army Retail Supply System (SARSS) and the Transportation Coordinators' - Automated Information for Movements System II (TC-AIMS-II).

Smith demonstrated to the Soldiers in the class the RF-ITV Tracking Portal’s Google Earth mapping capability, which enables users to see exactly where interrogators, shipments and conveyances were located anywhere in the world.

“This is standard, commercial Google Earth with RF-ITV data overlaid,” said Smith, adding that PEO EIS has obtained authority to operate (ATO) and a certificate of networthiness for this application, allowing any DoD user to request and obtain the Google Earth download on their computer from their network enterprise center.

“This is a great tool for logistics in-transit visibility and asset visibility, an additional tool above-and-beyond the IT components currently in the field, such as BCS3,” said Robbins. “We can use the RF-ITV Tracking Portal from any CAC (Common Access Card)-enabled PC – and in the future, we will be able to share this visual tool across agencies – such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the Department of Homeland Security, DoD and the Red Cross – for a common operating picture.”

Staff Sgt. David Arroyo of the Joint Force Headquarters-New York (JFHQ-NY), who provided logistics support out of the emergency operations center at JFHQ-Latham NY after the 9-11 attacks, said the AIT tools the class was being trained with would have “helped tremendously “ in that relief effort.

“It would have been extremely helpful to be able to watch on the computer screen of the RF-ITV Tracking Portal and see exactly where supplies were,” said Arroyo. “Is this inbound? Where is it? The good thing about this is that you can annotate on the tag information about exactly what’s in the truck –MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), water, cots or whatever.”

Robbins said the National Guard Bureau has these AIT products at their headquarters and has implemented AIT pilot programs in five states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

“We also have a training package that we take to units to regionally train – neighboring states collaborate, so we do training that way,” said Robbins. “PM J-AIT has been a really big help in supporting us as we roll this out. It’s a living, breathing program – it’s evolving on the fly and we’re learning new things all the time.”