Radio-Frequency Tag for Hajj Pilgrims
-- Malaysia will introduce the use of a special tag which would enable the owner to be located while performing the Hajj or Umrah in the Holy Land, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said.
She said the Masjidil Haram (Grand Mosque) authority was in the midst of monitoring the effectiveness of the tag system, which uses the Radio-Frequency Identification Data (RFID) technology, to ensure that it is suitable for pilgrims.
"Senstek Sdn Bhd with the cooperation of Tabung Hajji (TH) Travel & Services had issued 10,000 RFID tags for 5,000 Hajj pilgrims this year," she told reporters after attending a briefing on the E-Hajj Pilgrimage Tracking System in Kelana Jaya, near here, Friday.
She said the tag system would work as soon as the pilgrims came for registration at the TH Complex, where all their personal information, luggage and locations were recorded, and the same process would be done upon their arrival in Mecca.
"The data of the pilgrims will also be recorded while they are onboard the bus to perform the Hajj and these data will be sent directly to the database in Malaysia," she explained.
She said the system would also reduce cases of pilgrims losing their luggage, besides enabling the data collecting process to be done faster, and in a proper and accurate manner.
Senstek chairman Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Zaharudin Idrus said if the Saudi Arabian government accepted the application, it would be expanded to other countries over the next couple of years.
"The tag is also suitable for other pilgrims from all over the world. If it is accepted and we are able to tackle all arising issues, we can expand the use of this tag to other countries within the next one or two years," he said.
Dr Ahmad Zahiruddin also said that discussions were being held with other countries and some of them had shown interest in the system.
Senstek had tested the system in 2007 but using the smallest multi-band antenna, dubbed MM-Chip, on 400 pilgrims departing from Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Senstek is a Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) subsidiary under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Source: Bernama
"Senstek Sdn Bhd with the cooperation of Tabung Hajji (TH) Travel & Services had issued 10,000 RFID tags for 5,000 Hajj pilgrims this year," she told reporters after attending a briefing on the E-Hajj Pilgrimage Tracking System in Kelana Jaya, near here, Friday.
She said the tag system would work as soon as the pilgrims came for registration at the TH Complex, where all their personal information, luggage and locations were recorded, and the same process would be done upon their arrival in Mecca.
"The data of the pilgrims will also be recorded while they are onboard the bus to perform the Hajj and these data will be sent directly to the database in Malaysia," she explained.
She said the system would also reduce cases of pilgrims losing their luggage, besides enabling the data collecting process to be done faster, and in a proper and accurate manner.
Senstek chairman Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Zaharudin Idrus said if the Saudi Arabian government accepted the application, it would be expanded to other countries over the next couple of years.
"The tag is also suitable for other pilgrims from all over the world. If it is accepted and we are able to tackle all arising issues, we can expand the use of this tag to other countries within the next one or two years," he said.
Dr Ahmad Zahiruddin also said that discussions were being held with other countries and some of them had shown interest in the system.
Senstek had tested the system in 2007 but using the smallest multi-band antenna, dubbed MM-Chip, on 400 pilgrims departing from Bayan Lepas, Penang.
Senstek is a Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) subsidiary under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Source: Bernama
