1. A method for acquiring and managing data relating to item-level movement of products, product type, or other objects comprising the steps of— affixing a RFID tag to each item initialized with at least a product ID code unique to the product type and a serial number unique to the specific product or object, scanning the RFID tag with an RFID antenna or other radio frequency scanner to determine the product ID code, serial number, and current location, receiving the scanned data from said RFID scanner into a local control node computer, transmitting said scanned data from said control node computer through an electronic data network to an RFID tracking server, creating a data record on said tracking server to contain said scanned data, supplementing said scanned data with static reference data pertaining to the product and manufacturer, further supplementing the scanned data with business context information such as invoice, purchase order, repair order or maintenance request, and recording said scanned data and said supplemental data in one or more data records in an electronic data storage and retrieval system.