Our RFID Tags Make Tracking Dinosaur Fossils Easier And More Accurate

Thanks to RFID tags by ASSA ABLOY’s HID, tracking fossils is now almost as easy as scanning items at a store.

The Earth Science Foundation (ESF) in South Dakota say their data collection time in the field was reduced by 80 percent and artifact data accuracy was recorded at nearly 100 percent.

When 347 dinosaur fossils were discovered on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, ESF decided to use advanced technology for better management.

The dig site was located in a remote area, 300 miles from Fort Gigs where there was little internet or cellular connectivity. With the dig, each artifact needed to be weighed, documented and moved to warehouse storage in boxes or directly on shelves prior to being permanently transferred to a museum.

The ESF partnered with Berntsen International, who provided InfraMarker RFID system with HID Global tags. The team attached these tags to each fossil. They also used GPS to record where each bone was found.

When scientists scan a tag, they can update information about the fossil. This creates a digital record of each bone's journey from the dig site to the museum.

The technology was so helpful that it will now be used to track 15,000 more fossils in a museum. It might also be used for other old objects like ancient tools or pottery.