Damco, the combined business unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk offering global logistics services, has joined the DASH7 Alliance, a coalition of organizations promoting a worldwide standard for wireless sensor networks. Damco will work with more than 40 companies around the world to advance development of the ISO 18000-7 (DASH7) standard. The company's membership will advance the group's goal of establishing the de facto standard for commercial organizations tracking the whereabouts and condition of their people, assets and cargo, according to Patrick Burns, president of the DASH7 Alliance. DASH7 is a wireless sensor networking technology which evolved from radio frequency identification (RFID) and sensing technologies used in the defense industry. DASH7 offers long-range functionality, a 10-year battery life and the ability to penetrate water, concrete and other materials that can block other radio frequency signals. As a result, it is used extensively today by the military for the tracking of ocean cargo shipments. The DASH7 Alliance recently formed the Container Sensing and Security Initiative (CSSI) to define the next generation of cargo container tracking and monitoring devices. Members of the alliance include manufacturers, systems integrators, developers, regulators, academia and end users. Damco, offering a wide range of supply-chain management and freight-forwarding services, is represented in 120 countries, with more than 280 owned offices around the world.

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