In order to raise efficiency of scietific work and proper management of results of the measurements, a dedicated scientific web database tool has been developed. Accessible from laboratory of all partners of a scientific project, it enables upload, querying and management of the acquired data. It deploys sample catalog which automatically assigns unique identifiers to the samples which can be bar-coded or RFID-coded and stored in an ordered manner. The system logs “processes” applied to every sample, so full history of every sample can be accessed in matter of seconds.
The following figure shows the idea of labeling and scanning of scientific samples:
The samples are marked with self-adhesive labels that contain RFID transponder, textual description and barcode. Such a sample can be identified in four ways:
- by reading of sample id from the label (and eventually typing this number into a database query field),
- by manual scanning of the barcode with a laser scanner similar to those used in supermarkets,
- individual RFID scanning by handheld scanner, or
- mass RFID scanning of sets of samples (e.g. containers or packages) by a scanner hand-held or fixed e.g. at lab’s door.
The sample id scanned in either way is placed into a query field of a web-based application and full sample history is instantly shown. The system can be used from any location, including mobile devices (e.g. Nokia 5140 contains RFID receiver).
