AFI (Applikation Family Identifier) for libraries ISO TC46/SC4/WG11 RFID in libraries |
Identifier: http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/national.htm
Hosted by Royal Danish Library Last update: 17 February 2009 |
AFI definition
The AFI (Application Family Identifier) is a mechanism
used in the data protocol and the air interface protocol to select a class of
RFID tags relevant to an application, or aspect of an application, and to ignore
further communications with other classes of RFID tags with different
identifiers
The AFI is a single byte code, often in the systems
memory of the tag.
AFI assigned to libraries
On request by EDItEUR, NISO and
Danish Standards The Data Constructs Steering Group of ISO/IEC 15961 has
allocated RFID Data Constructs including AFI value C2 (hexadecimal) (also written: C2HEX) explicitly for library use.
If the AFI is used for security purposes, the AFI value ”C2” is for items out for loan. For items in stock are
used AFI value ”
See letter from Secretary Data Constructs Steering
Group:
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/docs/AFI_Preliminary.pdf
EDItEUR has followed up with explanations and instructions:
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/docs/AFI-RFID_for_Libraries-Stds_Advice_1.pdf
A library may use the AFI in one of two ways:
·
It may use a single AFI, the value C2HEX assigned under the registration of ISO/IEC 15961-2. This distinguishes library items from all others, and
avoids the risk of an RFID reader in another domain reading the RFID tag on a
loan item and confusing its encoded content with data in an application outside
the library domain. It also enables a library system to reject items that carry
a different AFI code, possibly from another domain visited by a client.
·
The AFI may additionally be used as part of an
"item security system" where the AFI value C2HEX is written to
tags for items that are on loan to a client.
When the books are returned, an in-stock AFI (07 HEX, as agreed by
JTC1 SC31 WG4 SG1 to be included in 15961-3) is written to the tag.
ISO/IEC 15961:2004 Information technology -- Radio frequency
identification (RFID) for item management -- Data protocol: application
interface
Link to ISO/IEC
http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=30528