What technology is used for identifying and tracking items with electronically stored information?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology specifically designed for identifying and tracking items that have electronically stored information. It operates through the use of tags that contain a microchip with an antenna, allowing the tags to communicate with an RFID reader using radio waves. This enables the automatic identification of objects without direct line-of-sight, which is crucial in environments such as warehouses, retail spaces, and even quick-serve restaurants for inventory management, asset tracking, and supply chain logistics.

In contrast, other options have specific functionalities that limit their applicability for item tracking in the same way as RFID. Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range communication technology that typically requires close proximity to function, making it less suitable for broader tracking purposes. Barcode scanning, while effective for tracking, relies on visual line-of-sight to read printed barcodes, which can be less efficient than RFID’s non-line-of-sight capability. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is used for digitizing printed text and is not intended for tracking items in a way that involves electronically stored information. Therefore, RFID stands out as the most appropriate technology for this application.