Radio-frequency identification system for files at the DCAF Archive Repository
A radio-frequency identification system for files is being implemented at the Archive Repository of the Department of Civil Affairs and Foreigners. This modern search method reduces the search time for requested files by more than 70%. The system was financed under the FAMI fund.
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is a technology that allows remote location of appropriately programmed chips, while recording and reading is possible at distances ranging from few centimeters, up to dozen meters. Equipped with such a chip, a file folder can be found within seconds (even in the case of its unmarked position in a cabinet or on a shelf).
Manual search of a repository full of archived documents takes many hours. When the search involves the entire repository area, it can take weeks to find all the files needed. An RFID locator can point the precise location of each document, reducing the total search time significantly. This eliminates the time needed to reach the files and, as a result, contributes to increased efficiency at the substantive matter of the Department's work.
Currently, two workstations are prepared, equipped with printer of labels containing a programmable identification chip, a program that supervises the registration of documents, and a collector - a device for searching marked files on shelves. It is also planned to launch a similarly prepared workstation at the West Pomeranian Voivodship Office Division in Koszalin. The entire venture is being implemented under project 8/14/2022/OG-FAMI - "West Pomeranian Voivodship friendly to foreigners" - financed by the Fund for Asylum, Migration and Integration.