Developments with GS1 standards and
applications
John Pearce
7 November 2014
Agenda
• What the GS1 System is achieving
• The importance of GS1 barcodes to enable accurate
data capture
• Which barcodes are going to be more popular
• Changes to the GS1 General
especially concerning verification
Specifications,
GS1: A global system of standards
GS1
designs and
implements a
global system
of supply
chain
standards
GS1 standards provide a
framework that allows products,
services, and information about
them to move efficiently and
securely for the benefit of
businesses and the improvement
of people’s lives, everyday,
everywhere.
GS1 System of Standards
GS1 Standards for identifying, capturing, and
sharing information—about products, business
locations, and more—make it possible for
companies to speak the same language,
connect with each other, and move their
business forward.
GS1’s four key product areas
Global standards for automatic identification
Rapid and accurate item, asset or location identification
Global standards for electronic business messaging
Rapid, efficient & accurate business data exchange
The network for global data synchronisation
Standardised, reliable data for effective business transactions
Global standards for RFID-based identification
More accurate, immediate and cost effective visibility of information
GS1 System Architecture
GS1 identification keys
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GTINs for products, services
GLNs for locations (legal and physical)
SSCCs for logistics units
GIAIs for individual assets
GRAIs for returnable assets
GDTIs for documents
GSRNs for individuals in a particular context
GINCs for consignments
GSINs for shipments
GCN for money-off coupons
CPID for manufacturers’ own supply-chains
GS1 barcodes
• For retail point of sale and general distribution:
EAN/UPC, GS1 DataBar
• For general distribution
ITF-14, GS1-128
• For regulated healthcare products
GS1 DataMatrix (GTINs and GIAIs)
• For animal healthcare products (including general
distribution)
GS1 DataMatrix
• For extended packaging
GS1 QR Code
GS1 barcodes
More GS1 barcodes
GS1 DataMatrix in use now
for regulated healthcare
products and all animal
healthcare packaging
levels.
GS1 QR Code, standardised
since 2012, to provide link to
extra information about the
product – technique called
‘extended packaging’.
Increased use of 2D symbols
• GS1 is working with the Consumer Goods Forum and
the Food Marketing Institute to develop the next
generation of product identification – NGPI.
• This will enable more specific information about the
product to be available to the consumer.
• This would be a GTIN plus either Packaging Variant,
Web URL, Expiry Date, Batch/Lot Number, or Serial
Number – with Packaging Variant being looked at
first.
Same five GTIN attributes as
healthcare
More information
GTIN plus:
Package Variant
Web URL
Expiry Date
Lot Number
Serial Number
Advanced data carriers
GS1 QR Code
GS1 DataMatrix
GS1 DataBar
12
Short-term focus
Data Item
Package
Variation
Number
Issues and opportunities
What’s next?
 Provides consumers with accurate
information
 PVN Allocation Rules to be established
alongside refresh of GTIN Allocation rules
 GS1 Standard does
not exist – GSMP
starting now
 AIDC testing
 Requires larger area on packaging
 Potential alternative to using a URL
embedded in a GS1 QR Code
 Update OMA
standards
 AIDC testing
Expiry date
 Parameters to be established
 Dynamic printing currently limited to line
speeds up to 120 ppm
 Catalogue best
practices
 Assess dynamic
printing capability
Lot Number
 Little interest here due to practical problem
of dynamic printing capability
 Lower priority, for
now
Serial
Number
 Little interest here due to practical problem
of dynamic printing capability
 Lower priority, for
now
URL
Increasing reliance on extra data
• The GS1 work on NGPI is continuing, and at the
moment is considering how best to enable mobile
scanning – consumers using their smartphones.
• The GS1 standard for extended packaging using a
GS1 QR Code, and the AIs 01 and 8200 is not being
used.
• Whatever is eventually decided, a two-dimensional
symbol will be required, initially alongside an
EAN/UPC/GS1 DataBar symbol, and perhaps,
eventually replacing it.
Consumer Information Transparency
Initiative
• This is sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers
Association (GMA), with support from the FMI and
GS1, and is aiming to improve information for
consumers.
• A smartphone app that will enable consumers to
have much more detailed information about the
particular product they are looking at.
A CITI governance model is needed
Scan the
QR Code
Initiative
Information
Consumer
Transparency
CITI
Defined Attributes
Attributes on the landing page
must be correct, regulated and defined
Information
and
dialogue
provided
by
the
Brand
CITI needs to explain this is
communication with the brand
A possible landing page
Other GS1 research
• As new barcodes (such as GS1 DataBar Expanded)
can be used throughout the supply chain, and
scanners must be able to decode more symbols, are
the barcodes the correct size?
• GS1 is organising research with the University of
Pittsburgh, to test thousands of differently sized,
different symbols with different scanners, to see if
the Symbol Specification Tables should be adjusted.
Changes to GS1 standards for 2015
• New AIs for fish traceability
• New rules for text below bar codes on healthcare
trade items
• New GTIN allocation rules for healthcare products
• USA coupon codes withdrawn
Changes to GS1 standards for 2015
• Allowing GS1 DataMatrix for direct part marking for
retail point of sale together with EAN/UPC/GS1
DataBar symbols.
• Allowing for more use of GS1 QR Code as an
alternative to GS1 DataMatrix
• Changes to aperture sizes for verification of
EAN/UPC symbols.
The verification changes
• These are being made so that verification matches
more closely the scanning environments.
• Retail point-of-sale scanners use narrower beams of
light than general distribution scanners.
• Axicon plug-ins will be available for users to ensure
that they choose the correct aperture size for the
particular application.
• See section 5.5.2.7 of GS1 General Specifications.
New minimum quality specifications
EAN/UPC/GS1 DataBar symbols
X-dimension range
Scanning
environment
Minimum quality
specification
0.264 mm* to 0.66 mm Retail point-of- sale
(Target size - 0.33 mm)
1.5/06/660
0.495 mm to 0.66 mm General distribution
(Target size – 0.66 mm)
1.5/10/660
0.495 mm to 0.66 mm
(Target size – 0.66mm)
1.5/06/660
Retail POS and GD
*0.250 mm is minimum size for on-demand printing
GS1 Verification Templates
For 1D and 2D symbols
Plug-ins for extra functionality
• GS1 verification templates are one example of the
optional plug-ins that Axicon provides.
• Plug-ins can be used to validate the correct
structure of some identification numbers, check
GTIN validity with the correct database, and so on.
• Plug-ins can be written by Axicon staff to meet
customers’ particular requirements.
Contact details
John Pearce
E-mail jp@axicon.com