GS1 standards

To facilitate data integration between IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply and the local systems of member organizations, compliant data is based on GS1 standards. Global Standards One (GS1) is a not-for-profit global business organization that develops and maintains standards and services for supply chain participants. GS1 standards enable businesses that use divergent processes and procedures to interact and transact with clarity and efficiency.

GS1 identifier types

GS1 provides a method for registering identifiers for company prefixes, locations, and products. Each registered ID is a unique identifier that can be used on any supply chain, worldwide. The following GS1 Identifier Types are commonly used in IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply. A complete list of GS1 ID types is available on the GS1 site. Understanding the GS1 Business Data Model can also facilitate the data upload process.

Identifier Description Examples
GTIN Global Trade Item Number (products and services) Milk, mangoes, tomatoes
GLN Global Location Number (parties and locations) Businesses, warehouses, retail stores
SSCC Serial Shipping Container Code or Logistics units Pallets, containers

GS1 URNs

As shown in Table 1 below, IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply uses GS1 URNs, which follow the GS1 Tag Data Standard.

Table 1. GS1 URNs

Element Example and syntax
EAN-13 / GTIN-13 formats IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply does not support EAN-13 / GTIN-13 formats; add a leading zero (0) to construct a GTIN-14 URN.
EPC-SSCC urn:epc:id:sscc:5012345.0678901234 urn:epc:id:sscc:<CompanyPrefix>.<SerialRefAndExtension>(17 Digits)
EPC-SGTIN urn:epc:id:sgtin:0614141.107346.2017 urn:epc:id:sgtin:<CompanyPrefix>.<IndicatorDigit><ItemRef>.<SerialNumber> (13 Digits + Serial Number)
EPC-SGLN urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.00777.0 urn:epc:id:sgln:<CompanyPrefix>.<LocationReference>.<Extension> (12 Digits + Extension)
EPC-LGTIN urn:epc:class:lgtin:0614141.107346.101 urn:epc:class:lgtin:<CompanyPrefix>.<IndicatorDigit><ItemRef>.<Lot> (13 digits + Lot)
GS1-GTIN 40987650000223 <Indicator><CompanyPrefix><ItemRef><CheckDigit> (14 Digits)
GS1-SSCC 409876506700001010 <Extension><CompanyPrefix><SerialReference><CheckDigit> (18 Digits)
GS1-GLN 4098765000010 <CompanyPrefix><LocationReference><CheckDigit> (13 Digits)
GS1_ENTITY urn:epcglobal:cbv:bt:1234567890123:T1234 urn:epcglobal:cbv:bt:<GS1-GLN>:<Transaction ID>
GS1_ENTITY_TYPE urn:epcglobal:cbv:btt:po urn:epcglobal:cbv:btt:<Business Transaction Type> Valid Business Transaction Types = bol, desadv, inv, pedigree, po, poc, prodorder, recadv, rma
GS1_BIZSTEP urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:receiving urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:<bizStep> Valid bizSteps = accepting, arriving, assembling, collecting, commissioning, consigning, creating_class_instance, cycle_counting, decommissioning, departing, destroying, disassembling, dispensing, encoding, entering_exiting, holding, inspecting, installing, killing, loading, other, packing, picking, receiving, removing, repackaging, repairing, replacing, reserving, retail_selling, shipping, staging_outbound, stock_taking, stocking, storing, transforming, transporting, unloading, unpacking, void_shipping
Note: Custom bizSteps are supported, in the format of a valid HTTP URL starting with either http:// or https://. The recommended format is http://<client-controlled-domain-name>/<path>/<biz_step_name>
GS1_DISPOSITION urn:epcglobal:cbv:disp:destroyed urn:epcglobal:cbv:disp:<Disposition> Valid Dispositions = active, container_closed, damaged, destroyed, dispensed, disposed, encoded, expired, in_progress, in_transit, inactive, no_pedigree_match, non_sellable_other, partially_dispensed, recalled, reserved, retail_sold, returned, sellable_accessible, sellable_not_accessible, stolen, unknown
GS1_SOURCE_DEST_TYPE urn:epcglobal:cbv:sdt:possessing_party urn:epcglobal:cbv:sdt:<Source Destination Type> Valid Source Destination Types = owning_party, possessing_party, location

Read Points

For EPCIS Events on a vehicle or ship in transit, GS1 read point geo-coordinates are supported using RFC5870 compliant URNs. Valid geographic coordinates for <readPoint><geo> XML are comma-separated latitude,longitude coordinates or comma-separated latitude,longitude,altitude coordinates, as shown in the following examples:

<readPoint><geo>geo:13.4125,-103.8667</geo></readPoint>
<readPoint><geo>geo:13.4125,103.8667,9.098</geo></readPoint>

IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply surfaces read point data through the Trace API only, it is not available through the UI. For an example of IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply read point upload syntax, see the annotated Commission Event XML. For GS1 read point details, refer to section 7.3.4 of the GS1 EPCIS Standard.