Information lifecycle management with RFID for material control on construction sites

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an emerging technology in the building industry. Many researchers have demonstrated how to enhance material control or production management with RFID. However, there is a lack of integrated understanding of lifecycle management. This paper develops and demonstrates a framework to Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) with RFID for material control. The ILM framework includes key RFID checkpoints and material types to facilitate material control on construction sites. In addition, this paper presents a context-aware scenario to examine multiple on-site context and RFID parameters. From tagging nodes at the factory to reading nodes at each lifecycle stage, this paper demonstrates how to manage complex construction materials with RFID and how to construct integrated information flows at different lifecycle stages. To validate key material types and the scenario, the study reports on two on-site trials: read distance test and on-site simulation. Finally, the research provides discussion and recommended approaches to implementing ILM. The results show that the ILM framework has the potential for a variety of stakeholders to adopt RFID in the building industry. This paper provides the understanding about the effectiveness of ILM with RFID for material control, which can serve as a base for adopting other IT technologies in the building industry. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.