Earth Sciences Foundation leverages RFID tags and mapping software to improve workflow by 80%, and deliver near-perfect accuracy in tracking fossils from field to museum.

“I know where everything is – right now. I can’t speak glowingly enough about how well this works for us. We are in the middle of nowhere; there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity here, and it (RFID) still works,” said Tom Hebert, Founder and Director of Earth Sciences Foundation. 

Leveraging technology from HID’s RFID tags, InfraMarker’s RFID system and Esri’s field mapping software, Herbert and Earth Sciences Foundation, a fossil excavation non-profit, are excavating dinosaur fossils in remote South Dakota and are experiencing an 80% improvement in workflows, reduced burden of manual data entry and administrative tasks. 

This frees up valuable time for the field technicians to focus on core activities like research and fossil conservation.

In brief, RFID tags are a type of tracking system that uses radio frequency to search, identify, track, and communicate with items and people.

An easy way to think about RFID tags is to consider them as wireless barcodes attached to objects that users can change and update. 

The big benefit for Hebert and his team is the ability to update the RFID tags on the fly. As the fossil bones go through the whole process of being excavated to being displayed at a museum, each step of the process can be easily updated and documented.

The challenges

Traditionally, field notebooks serve as the primary repository of information, capturing location coordinates, sketches, and field numbers — a complex code encompassing site details, discovery dates, and taxonomic clues. 

However, upon leaving the excavation site, these notebooks often become separated from their corresponding specimens, resulting in a significant disconnect between crucial context and the physical fossil itself.

At the storage facility, the reliance on paper spreadsheets for fossil tracking creates additional inefficiencies. Manual data entry is susceptible to human error, leading to inconsistencies and  inaccurate location information. Retrieving a specific fossil can become a separate time-consuming treasure hunt within itself, hindering research workflows.

The process of preparing fossils for additional study presents yet another hurdle. Removing the protective jackets, a necessary step for analysis, severs the physical link between the specimen and its field number. 

This disassociation further complicates the ability to connect the fossil back to its crucial contextual information documented in the field notebook, potentially delaying accurate classification and interpretation of the data.

From field to museum

“Using HID’s RFID tag technology, GIS mapping, and geospatial curation, we can see the life of this fossil from the time we found it in the ground, to the time we put it in storage, to the time we prep it, clean it, restore it and display it in the museaum” said Hebert.

“This allows people to follow the adventure of this bone from beginning to end. It also allows us and other scientists to do better research, collaborate easier and exchange ideas faster.”

The solution proved to be a resounding success. Within just five days, the excavation team had seamlessly cataloged 347 fossils, demonstrating this innovative approach’s rapid adoption and efficiency gains.

“This project is the proof that any organization that needs to track and manage assets across space and time will benefit from incorporating RFID with the GIS,” said Mike Klonsinski, President of Berntsen, the provider of InfraMarker and an Esri partner.

Watch the video to learn more about the bones’ journey from the field to the storage facility.