Universities and towns around the world are using RFID tags to combat bicycle theft. At Ohio State University, students, faculty and staff can have their bikes tagged free of charge in the Bug-A-Bike program.

Public transit riders in the Seattle area will soon be able to pay for buses, ferries, and trains with a single RFID card. They call it the "ORCA Card" which stands for "One Regional Card for All." And if you've ever been to the Pacific Northwest, you'll be quick to pick up on the fact that the ORCA name also pays homage to the region's beloved orca whales.

Taking transit ticketing technology one step further, South Korea’s Seoul subway system is introducing the world’s first RFID based program for single journey reusable ticketing. The new smart card system will serve a city of over 10 million people and replace paper tickets for passengers that were previously paying with cash.

For the first time, organizers of the World Cup issued RFID cards in efforts to increase security. Evolis ID card printers were used at checkpoints to create cards for credentialed guests including coaches, athletes, members of the press and VIP attendees. Card readers at each of the event’s 16 checkpoints were then used to determine which guests had clearance to enter certain areas of the event. Prior to implementing the new technology, World Cup organizers had relied on a system of colored badges, which indicated different levels of clearance.

Zebra ID card printers will be used by Vail Resorts to produce RFID-enabled ski and snowboard passes for the coming season. They're calling it an "easy-scan" system because the ski passes will provide instant authentication of lift pass holders when they arrive at the slopes. Zebra P330i card printers will print and encode the RFID cards.

At the U.S. border entry point in Nogales, Arizona, RFID readers are being installed to read new travel documents that will be required for entry. One of those documents is the recently produced U.S. Passport Card, which features an RFID tag. The tag can be read wirelessly by the RFID readers at distances of up to 30 feet. To protect privacy, each passport card will contain a reference number that must first be matched against the Homeland Security Department's secure database before the cardholder's personal information can be obtained.

Starting this fall, French public transportation company SNCF plans on using RFID-enabled smart cards with USB connectivity. The public transit cards, which will be used to make fare payments, can be plugged into a PC or laptop allowing users to connect to the SNCF website and add funds to their cards online.

Imagine flashing your employee ID in front of a vending machine. No, you're not confusing the vending machine with your office guard after a long day of work. Your ID card, equipped with RFID antenna, can buy you coffee or a snack. Office employees in Thailand are about to have this become a reality - with new RFID-enabled employee ID cards.

Zona Systems, a Seattle-based company, has developed an RFID-based system that aims to enhance security for children making bus trips to and from school. Using RFID technology, the new ZPass system makes it possible to identify when a student boards or exits the school bus. Each student is issued a unique RFID card. A special reader on the bus recognizes the card, even if it's kept in the student's wallet or backpack. No waiving or swiping of the card is required. The system provides parents and school officials with peace of mind by tracking each child's daily journey.

Blackboard Communications Systems, a networking tool used by universities and learning institutions around the globe, announced that it has joined forces with Sony to produce contactless student ID card systems in the United States. Blackboard is an online teaching aid, in which students and professors may share information, lecture notes, upload assignments and communicate online. Now, Blackboard is venturing into the security business. The multi-functional cards Blackboard plans to develop would combine access, data and security systems. These state-of-the-art ID cards would function as debit cards, building entrance cards, class schedule data devices and more. Professors may even use the cards as a way to take attendance for classes.

HID Global, a world leader in identification solutions, announced last week that it has merged with ASSA ABLOY Identification Technologies - ASSA ABLOY will now operate as HID Global, and the merger promises many improvements in areas like technology development and identity solution in an age where ID cards and accurate identification is becoming more and more important.

Increasing worries over homeland security and protection have spawned many debates about preventative measures. The upcoming presidential election and current events have made us familiar with some of the most popular ones - airline security measures like liquids bans and a fence along the US-Mexico border, for instance. But, Indiana representative Mark Souder says that one of the most important security measures the United States can have is the ability to track and record biometric information - not just for visitors into the country, but for normal ID cards like drivers licenses, and that security of our ID cards is intrinsically linked to the security of the country.

Beijing, where contactless ID card technology is already a booming business, will use RFID as an integral part of its security efforts for the 2008 Olympic Games. Recent reports indicate that China is now the world's largest RFID market. Uses of the technology include access control, contactless ticketing, and tagging of equipment and hardware. So it's no surprise that RFID will play an important roll when the Olympics roll into town.

A new RFID-based tracking system is being tested by coal provider Southern West Virginia Resources. The MineTracer system, installed in a 3.5-mile tunnel system, provides real-time tracking of miners and assets within the tunnels. Currently, most coal mines in the U.S. have no way of tracking miners, other than reports of who’s in the mine at what time. But after 14 miners died in the 2006 Sago Mine accident in West Virginia, Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act instructing all mines to implement wireless tracking systems by 2009. Read More>>