An optimization approach for a RFID-enabled passport tracking system

RFID is an automatic object identification technology that identifies objects within a given radio frequency range through radio waves without human intervention or data entry. In the industry, the implementation of RFID was rapidly developing into different sectors such logistics and supply chain management and object tracking. Even though, this implementation faces several hurdles from different perspectives such as the collision that may occur between RFID readers and economic challenge. This work investigates the design of a RFID-enabled passport tracking system in terms of numbers of related facilities that should be established. To this aim, a multi-objective optimization model was developed. The objectives are minimizing the implementation and operational costs and RFID reader interference. To reveal Pareto solutions, two solution methods namely the ϵ-constraint method and the LP-metrics method were applied. The best solution by comparing the obtained Pareto solutions was determined using the Max-Min method. The implementation of the developed model based on a case study has proved its applicability in presenting an optimal design for the RFID-enabled passport tracking system and trade-offs among the two objectives.