What is AIDC?
For many years the identification technology industry has been struggling to find the form of words and the acronym that precisely sums up what it does, in the light of continuous technical advances and increasing use. With so many differing technologies under the umbrella – such as barcoding, radio frequency identification (RFID), smartcards and biometrics – and so many applications for their use, it has never been easy to arrive at a satisfactory or memorable conclusion. AIDC has been chosen because it best describes the basic activity of most of the technologies: Automatic Identification and (automatic) Data Capture. These are technologies that are embedded-in, attached to, accompany or use the natural features of an item for identification. The data captured using AIDC technologies is invariably in computer usable format. So, for instance, the bar code seen printed on every product in a supermarket – either as part of the packaging or on a label – has (usually) black and white stri
Automatic Identification and Data Capture (Auto-ID Data Capture; Automatic Identification; Auto-ID) refers to the methods of identifying objects, collecting data about them, and entering that data directly into computer systems. Technologies typically considered part of AIDC include bar codes, magnetic stripes, OCR, and smart cards, among others.
AIDC stands for Automatic Identification and Data Capture. It is one of the most prevalent technologies on the planet. It is so prevalent, in fact, that you don’t even realize you’re using it a half dozen times a day. Specifically, AIDC is the collection of data into a device for identification and validation purposes without the use of a keyboard. Examples of this kind of functionality are everywhere. Any time you swipe your credit card, you are allowing the swipe device to perform AIDC on your card. Remember that the next time you use your credit card to buy gasoline, groceries, coffee, or any other of a huge handful of things that can be bought with credit these days. These cards have magnetic strips which contain user information that can be accessed via the swipe. Speaking of groceries and coffee, one technology that is all the rage these days is the smart card. This card can be “loaded” with a certain amount of money. Each time you swipe the card, the swipe device’s computer subt
Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) are the terms used to describe direct entry of data into a computer system, programmable logic controller (PLC) or other microprocessor-controlled device without using a keyboard. AIDC technologies provide a reliable means not only to identify but also to track items. It is possible to encode a wide range of information, from basic item or person identification to comprehensive details about the item or person. AIDC includes a number of technologies which provide different solutions to data collection problems. These include: Bar Code, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Data Communications, Magnetic Stripe, Voice and Vision Systems, Optical Character Recognition, Biometrics, as well as others. Each of the AIDC technologies has specific advantages and features which make it better suited for some applications than others. However, whether the need is to identify and track file folders on a lawyer’s desk, shipping containers on a
