On the use of the Internet of Things and Web 2.0 in inventory management

Abstract

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) uses sensors to enable communication among things or objects in what is called Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Web 2.0 tools, on the other hand, are used on electronic devices (phones, PDAs, computers, etc.) to transmit data contents over the internet. In this study, we used a synergy of both technologies to enhance inventory control. We proposed software architecture which combined RFID and Web 2.0 tool advantages. The proposed architecture was used to develop an inventory management software prototype focused on enterprises in developing countries in Africa, specifically South Africa. The inventory management prototype was developed and was able to detect misplaced products and low stock levels, and send notification on Twitter to update inventory managers on mobile phone. Scalability measurements of the software were taken to validate the performance of the software prototype. The findings show that the system scaled reliably with increasing numbers of items read. The contribution of this work was compared to existing literature and our findings are presented in this paper. Real- life evaluation for a specific industry will be necessary to further reveal what improvements would be required to make this architecture more relevant. Behavioural study of users will also be required to further determine the economic and social benefits of this approach.