No, it's not a garbage truck.
It is the GS1 MobileCom Extended Packaging Pilot Handbook. Where does this pilot fly? Into your mobile device, and into the hands of consumers, retailers, inspectors, auditors, and more. And the four wheels are the GTIN, the GEPIR, the GDSN and the GLN.
The full version of the pilot document is at:
http://www.gs1.org/docs/mobile/GS1_Extended_Packaging_Pilot_Handbook.pdf
The objective of extended packaging is "giving consumers access to additional information or services about products through their mobile phone". A big deal presently, as the OMA (http://www.openmobilealliance.org/), Microsoft Tags, Gphone barcode reading, ScanBuy, and more vend their solutions.
The difference? Extended Packaging can (and will) tie directly to product track and trace, provenence, consumer information and even security applications. Let's review the four wheels, and please dig deeper into the document if you wish to learn more...
1. GTIN:
"The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the primary identifier used for identification of all products (usually barcodes and RFID). It is a globally unique identifier and universally adopted across all industries. It is the most widely used physical identification standard in the world (implemented by more than 1,000,000 companies in more than 140 countries worldwide)." In other words, this wheel is familiar to us all. It's the data read from the barcode or RFID chip.
2. GEPIR:
This is the Global Electronic Party Information Register. It is the "DNS" of the GTIN, if you will--the GEPIR can be interrogated by either the GTIN of GLN.
3. GDSN:
The GDSN (http://www.gs1.org/productssolutions/gdsn/), or Global Data Synchronisation Network, can be thought of as the "database filled with information about the products [a company] makes, or sells, or buys. [It acts] very much like a catalogue that customers can use to place orders and manage vendors. Difficulties happen when one company needs to change information in their database or add a new item or location to it: suddenly their "catalogue" isn't up to date anymore." GDSN synchronises data across these databases.
4. GLN:
The Global Location Number is a key for entry into the GDSN, and incoporates company prefix, location reference and a check digit.
Read more about how to go mobile while improving your supply chain visibility (and ultimately use the economy of the commons to get up-to-the-minute customer and retailer feedback).
Cheers,
Steve
Posted
02-13-2009 5:15 AM
by
StevenSimske