Track and trace

In the distribution and logistics of many types of products, track and trace or tracking and tracing, a type of tracking system that determines the current and past locations and other information of a unique item or property. Mass serialization is the process of assigning and marking each product with a unique identifier, such as an Electronic Product Code (EPC), for track and trace purposes. The marking or "tagging" of products is usually completed within the manufacturing process through various combinations of human-readable or machine-readable technologies such as DataMatrix barcodes or RFID. The track and trace concept is part of modern telematics and can be supported by a vehicle tracking system. This often relies on automatic vehicle location technology for vehicles and containers for the property of concern, with data stored in a real-time database. This data, a form of telemetry, is used for fleet management to compose a coherent depiction of status reports. Another approach is to report the arrival or departure of the object, recording its identification, location, time, and status. This method requires verifying the reports for consistency and completeness. An example of this is the package tracking provided by shippers, such as the United States Postal Service, Deutsche Post, Royal Mail, United Parcel Service, AirRoad, or FedEx.