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5.2 Expressing data using GS1 Application Identifiers

GS1 Application Identifiers enable a set of attribute:value pairs of data to be encoded in a data carrier. Each attribute within a pair is a GS1 Application Identifier (AI) expressed as a numeric string, e.g., ‘00’ is the AI corresponding to the SSCC, ‘420’ is the AI for the ship-to / deliver-to postal code. The value is the corresponding value for each GS1 Application Identifier. For example, ‘106141412345678908’ is an example value for the SSCC where the attribute / AI is ‘00’.

5.1 Data necessary for correct handling

A critical principle to ensure many stakeholders will implement the standardised 2D barcode is to keep the content of the barcode simple, meaning limiting the number of data elements included in it.

At the same time, the information in the barcode must be sufficient for an operator to handle the transport unit accurately. The full content of the 2D barcode is intended to be used only in cases when there is no access to information from an IT system or business process demands immediate action based on local information.

4.6 How would 2D barcodes help?

Note that the preferred way to handle the transport unit is to use the SSCC of the transport unit to access the latest available information for that transport unit and then decide what to do with the transport unit. Traditionally, the transport unit handler retrieves this information from his own IT system, which received the information via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

4.5 The challenges

The vision outlined above clearly requires at least one of two main conditions to be met:

■ Parties have somehow exchanged relevant data for the Transport Unit in advance;

■ Party handling the Transport Unit has access to the relevant data in an Information System at the moment they handle the transport unit.

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