Distributed Information & Automation Laboratory

Research

DIAL research is currently divided into five key areas:

1. Operations Analysis:
   1. Measuring the responsiveness of an organisation to assess its ability to respond to disruption and changes.
   2. Modelling complex organisations to identify the source of problems and bottlenecks.
2. Distributed Automation Solutions:
   1. Developing flexible, autonomous manufacturing systems and reconfigurable supply networks capable of responding to disruption and change.
   2. Using 'intelligent' software to create control systems that interact with each other in order to determine the best way of doing things.
3. RFID systems:
   1. Developing methods and testing equipment which can both measure the performance of an RFID system, and predict its future performance.
   2. Developing techniques to assess how particular products will affect tag performance, where tags should be placed for optimum results, how critical position and alignment are and how the technology will perform under different conditions in the supply chain.
   3. Integrating RFID and EPC network and real-time operations as well as developing techniques to overcome current limitations for high speed operations.
4. Effective Information Sharing
   1. Product Information Management: Connecting tagged items to a computerised network to enable instant access to information concerning the product throughout its life-cycle.
   2. Quantifying the impact of information: Developing practical tools and methodologies to quantify the impact of RFID on product life-cycle decisions and processes and providing a means to determine the return on investment
   3. Global standards for information exchange: Deep involvement with EPCglobal and other standards development organisations to develop user requirements and technical standards. Active involvement in development of EPC Information Services (EPCIS), Tag Data Translation (TDT) and current work in requirements for Discovery Services, as well as participation in the Data Exchange JRG and EPCglobal Architecture Review Committee. We use our first-hand understanding of industry needs together with results from research projects to contribute requirements for standardisation, together with critical analysis of technical options to be considered.
5. Asset Management
   1. Developing novel decision-making techniques to help organisations to understand the operational behaviour of their assets and make effective decisions regarding investment, maintenance, and replacement of critical assets.
   2. Asset tracking: Using Auto-ID technologies to tag critical assets so they can be tracked throughout the supply chain anywhere in the world, thereby providing accurate, real-time information to support manufacturing, distribution, stock control and service operations.

Please click here for a list of our current and recent research projects.