GS1 Networked Services Architecture - v1.00 …...GS1 Networked Services Architecture - Report 03...

GS1 Networked Services Architecture - Report

03 July 2013, Issue 1.00 All contents copyright © 2013 GS1 of 35


Issue 1.00, 03 July 2013



Document Summary

Document Item Current Value

Document Title GS1 Networked Services Architecture - Report

Date Last Modified 03 July 2013

Current Document Issue Issue 1.00

Status Final

Document Description GS1 Architecture Group – Networked Services Architecture Subteam Report

Log of Changes

Issue No. Date of Change Changed By Summary of Change

1.00 03 July 2013 Sean Lockhead Initial release

Disclaimer

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the guidelines to use the GS1 standards contained in the document are correct, GS1 and any other party involved in the creation of the document HEREBY STATE that the document is provided without warranty, either expressed or implied, of accuracy or fitness for purpose, AND HEREBY DISCLAIM any liability, direct or indirect, for damages or loss relating to the use of the document. The document may be modified, subject to developments in technology, changes to the standards, or new legal requirements. Several products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.



Table of Contents

0. Executive Summary and Recommendations .................................................................. 7

0.1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 7

0.2. Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 7

1. Interim Report Reference ................................................................................................. 8

2. GS1 Networked System and Services Definition ............................................................ 8

2.1. Business Opportunities ............................................................................................................ 8

2.2. Technical Opportunities ........................................................................................................... 8

2.3. GS1 Services ........................................................................................................................... 8

2.4. GS1 Networked-based Services .............................................................................................. 9

3. Model Definition for Existing GS1 Services .................................................................. 11

3.1. GDSN (Global Data Synchronisation Network) ..................................................................... 11

3.1.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 11

3.1.2. GDSN ACTORS ........................................................................................................... 12

3.1.3. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 14

3.1.4. Service Entry Point ....................................................................................................... 14

3.1.5. User .............................................................................................................................. 14

3.2. GS1 Source ........................................................................................................................... 14

3.2.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 14

3.2.2. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 16


3.2.4. User .............................................................................................................................. 16

3.3. GEPIR .................................................................................................................................... 16

3.3.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 17

3.3.2. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 17


3.3.4. User .............................................................................................................................. 17

3.4. GS1 GLN Service .................................................................................................................. 18

3.4.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 18

3.4.2. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 19


3.4.4. User .............................................................................................................................. 19

3.5. Object Name Service (ONS v1.X) ......................................................................................... 20

3.5.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 20

3.5.2. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 20


3.5.4. User .............................................................................................................................. 21

3.6. Federated Object Name Service (F-ONS) or (ONS v2.x) ...................................................... 21

3.6.1. Process ........................................................................................................................ 21

3.6.2. GS1 Backbone ............................................................................................................. 22




3.6.4. User .............................................................................................................................. 22

4. Linked Data Concept ...................................................................................................... 23

5. GS1 Networked Services Architecture Principles ........................................................ 25

6. Process for Identifying Local Networked-based Services ........................................... 27

6.1. Process Definition .................................................................................................................. 27

7. Process for Identifying Global Networked-based Services ......................................... 28


8. Process for Transforming from Local to Global Networked-based Services ............. 30


9. Service Levels and Agreements (SLAs) ........................................................................ 32

9.1. GS1 Service Level Agreement .............................................................................................. 32

9.2. GS1 Service Level Agreement Customisation Guide for Service Level Agreement Framework ......................................................................................................................................... 32

10. Data Quality Impact ........................................................................................................ 33

11. Benefits Summary .......................................................................................................... 35



0. Executive Summary and Recommendations 1

0.1. Executive Summary 2

This document contains several areas of discussion for the concept of GS1 Networked 3

Services, resulting in a number of specific deliverables and a series of recommendations. This 4

document is not meant to be a prescriptive set of rules but is intended to provide guidance in 5

these areas. 6

A GS1 Networked-based Service is a GS1 Service that involves the exchange of data between 7

end users: some end users inject data into the service, and other end users consume that 8

data, subject to access control and transformations of the data that are particular to each 9

service. Depending on the service, the source of data may be a distinct group of end users 10

from the recipients or they may be the same end users. This does not typically reference the 11

general information normally contained in a GS1 MO website. 12

By following the concept of a federated approach consistent with the GS1 Member 13

Organisations, GS1 System Architecture, and the GS1 System Landscape, this work remains 14

consistent with overall GS1 strategies. It provides a methodology that GS1 Member 15

Organisations can follow when developing a networked-based service. 16

Included in this document are: 17

• A model for describing generic GS1 Networked Services 18

o Backbone 19

o Service Entry Points 20

o Users 21

• The application of this model for existing GS1 Networked Services 22

• Identification of Networked Services Architecture Principles 23

• References to existing Service Level Agreement templates 24

o Includes guidelines for effective use 25

• The creation and use of the Process for defining: 26

o Local networked services 27

o Global networked services 28

o Transitions / Migrations of networked services from local to global 29

• The overview of the application of Data Quality across all levels of the Networked 30

Services 31

0.2. Recommendations 32

The GS1 Architecture Group makes the following recommendations based on the work of the 33

Networked Services Subteam: 34

• Creation of requirements for architectural principles for networked-based services 35

o To be an input for the next update to the GS1 Architecture Principles 36

• Planning of roadmaps for networked service life cycles 37

• Use of existing open standards where appropriate 38

o Maintain these standards as users 39

• This proven model that has been analysed and evaluated (described in Section 3) for 40

existing GS1 Networked Services should also be used for the definition of future GS1 41

Networked Services 42

• Continued investigation of Linked Data and Semantic Data Mapping 43

• Creation of GS1 Website Portal for MO Services 44

o Consistent and searchable service definitions / descriptions 45

• Align the Networked Services Architecture with the current GS1 Strategy 46



1. Interim Report Reference 47

The GS1 Networked Services Architecture Subteam published a report in December 2012 that 48

provided the groundwork for this next phase of consideration. This report, “GS1 Network-49

Based Services Interim Report 01/2013” is available through the GS1 Architecture Group 50

website. 51

2. GS1 Networked System and Services Definition 52

2.1. Business Opportunities 53

Having a GS1 Service Architecture framework: 54

• To enable more rapid development of services 55

• To leverage the best of innovation from across MOs and to make that available to a 56

wider audience (based on internet / web-based distribution to lower costs) 57

• To improve the ability of existing web search engines to increase the visibility of 58

products and services 59

• To provide guidelines for localization (customization for local needs) 60

• To strengthen the role of GS1 in the development of Internet technologies (semantic 61

web, linked data, etc. and other efforts in the GS1 Digital Project) 62

• To avoid incompatible technical approaches across different services that could 63

benefit from sharing common modules 64

2.2. Technical Opportunities 65

Having a GS1 Service Architecture framework: 66

• To develop a platform for product-based services 67

• To improve the ability of existing web search engines to increase the visibility of 68

products and services 69

• To avoid incompatible technical approaches by MOs 70

• To best leverage the development of Internet technologies (semantic web, linked 71

data, etc. and other efforts in the GS1 Digital Project) for the GS1 community 72

• To avoid incompatible technical approaches across different services that could 73

benefit from sharing common modules 74

2.3. GS1 Services 75

GS1 Services are facilities that are offered or coordinated by GS1 that provide benefit or 76

assistance to other parties. Each GS1 Service is available globally, with consistent functionality 77

as viewed by end users around the world. The responsibility for provisioning of the service and 78

support of users is divided between the GS1 Global Office, GS1 Member Organisations, and 79

3rd party service providers. The details of this division of responsibility vary from service to 80

service and are discussed below. 81

Both GS1 Member Organisations (MOs) and 3rd party service providers may also provide their 82

own services to GS1 end users, which are not “GS1 Services” as defined here. Such MO and 83



3rd party services are not necessarily offered globally and are not coordinated across GS1 as a 84

whole. They are out of scope of this architecture document. However, local services of this kind 85

are sometimes a proving ground for new ideas that eventually become GS1 Services. * 86

* GS1 System Architecture v2.0 87

2.4. GS1 Networked-based Services 88

89

90

91

GS1 Backbone = Registry or equivalent enabling global availability 92

Service Entry Point = Provided by MO or 3rd party 93

94

FIGURE 1. Generic Model of GS1 Network Based Service 95

96

A GS1 Networked-based Service is a GS1 Service: 97

• That is offered to end users by a combination of GS1 MOs, the GS1 GO, and 98

possibly (though never exclusively) 3rd party providers. 99

• That involves the exchange of data between end users: some end users inject data 100

into the service, and other end users consume that data, subject to access control 101

and transformations of the data that are particular to each service. Depending on the 102

service, the source of data may be a distinct group of end users from the recipients or 103

they may be the same end users. This does not typically reference the general 104

information normally contained in a GS1 MO website. 105

• Where the data is related to the things identified by GS1 Identification Keys. 106

Sometimes the data is master data (as in GDSN), sometimes the data is 107

transactional data (as in product recall services), and sometimes it is a mix. 108

109

A GS1 Networked-based Service has the following characteristics: 110



• It is available on a global basis 111

• From an end user perspective it is seamless: no matter where the end user resides 112

or by what path the end user connects to the service, the same data is available and 113

it means the same thing 114

• It is governed by GS1 Standards that ensure uniformity, from an end user point of 115

view, of a minimum core of data, operations, and service level. 116

• There may be variation in offerings that extend this minimum core; see below. 117

118

Each GS1 Networked-based Service is usually implemented in a “federated” manner. When 119

federated, this means: 120

• While it acts as a single, seamless, service from an end user point of view (as 121

described above), it is provided via multiple Service Entry Points. 122

• Each end user chooses a Service Entry Point with which to interact (possibly more 123

than one, though this is never necessary to enjoy full functionality). 124

• Behind the scenes, the Service Entry Points interact with each other as needed to 125

deliver a seamless experience. 126

• In many cases, the multiple Service Entry Points for a GS1 Networked-based Service 127

are supported by a GS1 Backbone which helps the Service Entry Points to interact 128

efficiently. The GS1 Backbone is invisible to end users. 129

• Each Service Entry Point is capable of continuing to provide service to its direct end 130

users even if it becomes isolated from other Service Entry Point and/or the GS1 131

Backbone, whether such isolation is due to technical or political causes. Of course, 132

when operating in this mode the service is likely to fall short of appearing globally 133

seamless; i.e., end users of the isolated Service Entry Point may no longer have 134

access to data originating with end users of other Service Entry Point. However, 135

interactions between end users of the isolated Service Entry Point continue to 136

function. 137

138

The federated nature of GS1 Networked-based Services provides many advantages to end 139

users: 140

• Where permitted, it allows for competition among Service Entry Points which lowers 141

costs and improves service for end user 142

• It allows for variation in governance and pricing specific to a given market. For 143

example, some markets may require strong government oversight for a Service Entry 144

Point whereas others prefer no government intervention. 145

• It allows any country that has concerns about national sovereignty to create its own 146

Service Entry Point in order that the ability to serve the national market cannot be 147

disrupted by the actions of other countries (building upon the point regarding 148

isolation, above). 149

• It provides greater scalability and greater fault tolerance than a centralized service 150

would. 151

152

GS1 Network based Services allow for Service Entry Points to offer enhancements beyond the 153

minimum core, in order to meet the needs of a given market. Such enhancements may include 154

tailoring to local language and customs, extending the service's data model to meet market 155

needs, complying with local regulation, and bundling with other services or value-added 156



functionality. Each GS1 Networked-based Service defines the acceptable modes of Service 157

Entry Point-specific enhancement, so that the interoperability of the core service is not 158

jeopardized. 159

3. Model Definition for Existing GS1 Services 160

The characteristics for networked-based services, as described above, are based on the 161

similarities in the main existing GS1 networked-based services, which have proven to be viable 162

and reliable concepts in practice. This is elaborated in this chapter. 163

3.1. GDSN (Global Data Synchronisation Network) 164

165

FIGURE 2. Model of Global Data Synchronisation Network 166

3.1.1. Process 167

The Global Data Synchronisation Network™ (GDSN™) is an automated, standards-based, 168

global environment that enables secure and continuous data synchronisation, allowing all 169

partners to have consistent item data in their systems at the same time. 170

The GDSN is built around the GS1 Global Registry®, GDSN-certified data pools, the GS1 Data 171

Quality Framework and GS1 Global Product Classification, which when combined provide a 172

powerful environment for secure and continuous synchronisation of accurate data. 173

174



175

FIGURE 3. GDSN Choreography 176

3.1.2. GDSN ACTORS 177

Below are the functions of the actors in the GDSN - Global Registry, Data Source, Source Data 178

Pool, Recipient Data Pool, and Data Recipient: 179

3.1.2.1. GLOBAL REGISTRY 180

Enables the registration and distribution of Party information, identifying the actors and roles 181

• Enables the registration of all the Item information through a small set of core 182

information 183

o GTIN, GLN of the information Provider, Target Market, and the GPC 184

• Provides Validation Services to ensure uniqueness 185

• Enables the registration of all the Item subscriptions with a small set of criteria 186

o GTIN, GLN of the information Provider, Target Market, and the GPC 187

• Performs the Item / Subscription matching process at the core of the GDSN 188

choreography 189

3.1.2.2. DATA SOURCE 190

• Typically a Manufacturer / Distributor 191

• Maintains trade item information that it wants entered into the GDSN 192



• Registers trade item information in a Source Data Pool to be registered with the 193

Global Registry and sent to a Recipient Data Pool 194

• Sends trade item information in any format agreed by the Data Source and the 195

Source Data Pool 196

3.1.2.3. DATA RECIPIENT 197

• Typically a Retailer or User of Data 198

• Subscribes to trade item information by any of the following combinations of criteria: 199

o GTIN (Item) 200

o GLN of Information Provider (Party) 201

o Target Market 202

o GPC (Brick) 203

• Receives trade item information in any agreed-to format with Recipient Data Pool 204

3.1.2.4. SOURCE DATA POOL 205

• Validates Item Information against the GDSN Validation Rules (Mandatory) 206

• Receives trade item information from Data Sources to be registered 207

• Uses standard XML Messages to register the item information in the Global Registry 208

• Uses GS1 Standard XML Messages to exchange trade item information with the 209

Recipient Data Pool (& Data Recipient) 210

3.1.2.5. RECIPIENT DATA POOL 211

• May validate Item Information against the GDSN Validation Rules (Optional) 212

• Receives subscriptions from its Data Recipients using criteria 213

• Registers subscriptions in the Global Registry 214

• Receives item information from the Source Data Pool, including new and updated 215

• Provides the trade item information from the Source Data Pool to the Data Recipient 216

217

The significance of the cloud (the light blue cloud in the diagram above) is that the inside of this 218

cloud represents the “in-network” portion of the GDSN. Inside the cloud, all of the exchange of 219

the messages is strictly defined by the GDSN standards. All Data Pools must use the same 220

messages in the same exact way. Out of the network (outside the cloud), the way that the Data 221

Pools communicate with their trading partners (Data Sources and Data Recipients) is up to the 222

Data Pools. This flexibility allows for the Data Pools to create value-added offerings for their 223

customers. For example, item information can be communicated to the Data Pools in additional 224

formats such as excel files, text files, existing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) messages. 225

Data Pools translate these formats into the standards-based XML messages (provided that all 226

of the required semantic definitions are present) for use in the network and can translate when 227

messages are received through the network. 228



3.1.3. GS1 Backbone 229

The GDSN component equivalent to the GS1 Backbone is the GS1 Global Registry. The GS1 230

Global Registry provides processing that enables the GDSN network to function. 231

3.1.4. Service Entry Point 232

The GDSN has two possible Service Entry Points, namely a Source Data Pool or a Recipient 233

Data Pool. All GDSN Certified Data Pools have the capability to perform both functions. 234

However, it is not a requirement that they do. 235

3.1.5. User 236

The GDSN has two possible users, namely a Data Source or a Data Recipient. These roles 237

may be performed by end user companies or third party service or solution providers. One 238

company may, but does not have to, play both roles. 239

3.2. GS1 Source 240

241

FIGURE 4. Model of GS1 Source Network 242

243

3.2.1. Process 244

GS1 Source is a framework for sharing product information in consumer-facing digital channels. 245

It is standards-based, scalable and interoperable. Companies can use GS1 Source to share 246

information about their products. Application developers can then integrate this product data in 247

their web and mobile applications. 248



GS1 Source can help companies to communicate with consumers in a digital, multichannel 249

world by providing a single point of contact for companies to share their product information in 250

digital format. 251

The GS1 Source Global Interoperability standards enable the below architecture vision 252

whereby: 253

• Brand Owners have options (GDSN Data Pool or content provider syndication) to 254

share their trusted product information once and have it globally available. 255

• Internet Application Providers (IAPs) can connect once to have access to product 256

information for all products sold anywhere in the world. 257

• Data Aggregation Services can quickly provide data stored locally and externally 258

(other global aggregators) to IAPs 259

260

261

262

FIGURE 5. GS1 Source Choreography 263

264

The GS1 Source Architecture vision shows how a decentralised network can enable product 265

data supplied by brand-owners and coming from both GDSN and non-GDSN sources to reach 266

consumer-facing applications. It also shows that whilst business relationships between brand-267

owners, content providers and internet application providers happen at the local level, product 268

data is globally available. 269

In the vision, internet application providers will interface with data aggregators to obtain data 270

regarding products identified with the GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Each data 271

aggregator may draw upon a variety of sources for this data authorised by brand-owners, 272

including but not isolated to the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). 273

Since no single local data aggregator will have data for all products, local data aggregators will 274

be federated by means of a global index. The index will indicate which data aggregators have 275



data about which GTINs, allowing each data aggregator to efficiently access missing product 276

records from peer data aggregators. 277

The Global Interoperability Standards enable a common data model and messaging for 278

aggregators to be able to exchange product data. 279


The GS1 Backbone for the GS1 Source Network is one of the subsequently defined services, 281

the Federated ONS Service. By leveraging existing GS1 Services and Standards, there is an 282

attempt to make the implementation of additional services easier and more efficient for 283

everyone, including solution providers and users. 284


The service endpoints are Data Aggregators. Data Aggregators are collection repositories for 286

master data about a Trade Item, identified by a GTIN. This data may be provided by the GS1 287

Key Licensees. However, there may be other sources of information that are used by the data 288

aggregators in establishing their data content. 289

3.2.4. User 290

The users of the GS1 Source Network are entities that are interesting in either establishing or 291

finding the trusted source of data about a particular Trade Item and the relevant data for that 292

item. There is a requirement that the data provided by the GS1 Key Licensee has completed a 293

process whereby it is known as the authoritative source communicated through the network. 294

3.3. GEPIR 295

296

FIGURE 6. Model of GS1 GEPIR Network 297

298



3.3.1. Process 299

GEPIR (Global Electronic Party Information Registry) is a unique, internet-based service that 300

gives access to basic contact information for companies that are members of GS1. These 301

member companies use GS1’s globally unique numbering system to identify their products, 302

physical locations, or shipments. By simply typing a product bar code number into GEPIR, 303

anyone can find the contact information of the licensee of that barcode. Physical location 304

numbers and Shipment numbers can also be used as search criteria. 305

306

307

FIGURE 7. GEPIR Choreography 308


The GS1 Backbone for the GEPIR network is the GEPIR Root Directory. The Root Directory is 310

a series of XML files that provide information on the routing of queries in the network based on 311

the GS1 Company Prefix allocation ranges assigned to individual GS1 Member Organisations. 312


The Service Entry Points of the GEPIR Network are the GS1 Member Organisations. There 314

are Member Organisations that host their own node in the GEPIR network. In addition, for 315

those Member Organisations that either cannot or choose not to host their own node, the 316

Global Office provides the GS1 Global Office GEPIR Hosting Services. This facilitates all 317

Member Organisations’ participation in GEPIR. 318

3.3.4. User 319

The Users of the GEPIR service are the general public. The GEPIR network is an open system 320

available to all users who can access the network. There are no restrictions in the context of 321

being a member of GS1 in any way. The Users can access GEPIR either through an MO or 322

through the interface with the GS1 Global Office GEPIR Hosting Services. The benefit of the 323

GEPIR network is reliant upon the information that is communicated by the GS1 Member 324



Organisation, which relies on the proper allocation of GS1 Company Prefixes and one-off GS1 325

Identification Keys. 326

3.4. GS1 GLN Service 327

328

FIGURE 8. Model of GS1 GLN Service 329

3.4.1. Process 330

The objective of the GS1 GLN Service is to enable an efficient retrieval of basic data about 331

locations from all connected GLN registries. This may include registries that are different from 332

the local registry that a company is using. This is complementary to the GS1 Company Prefix 333

Licensee data retrieved through the GEPIR network. 334

The GS1 GLN Service choreography establishes an initial request to the Global Index and then 335

a follow-up query made to all other Local GLN registries that contain information about the 336

requested Party or Parties based on the information provided by the Global Index. 337



338

339

FIGURE 9. GS1 Source Network Choreography 340


The GS1 Backbone for the GS1 GLN Service is the GS1 Global Index. This index facilitates 342

the choreography of the network by establishing a validated, searchable set of attributes about 343

a Party, referenced by a GLN to enable efficient search and response of a larger, more 344

complete set of attributes about the Party. 345


The Service Entry Points are the Local GLN Registries that maintain the full set of master data 347

about the parties and perform the registration process as well as the query and response 348

functions. 349

3.4.4. User 350

The users of the GS1 GLN Service are end users who are interested in finding out additional 351

information about a particular Party or a set of Parties based on a set of search criteria. 352



3.5. Object Name Service (ONS v1.X) 353

354

FIGURE 10. Model of Object Naming Services 355

3.5.1. Process 356

The objective of ONS is to enable an efficient retrieval of data from distributed repositories that 357

are stored in a standardised manner. ONS enables the GS1 EPC-IS event network concept. 358

Its target audience is developers that will implement Object Name Service (ONS) resolution 359

systems for applications. 360

The formal specification of ONS is a set of procedures and rules to be followed by ONS Clients 361

and ONS Publishers. The ONS Root contains pointers to defined services for all GS1 362

Company Prefixes. 363

The ONS specification consists of three ingredients: 364

• A procedure in order to present a query to ONS. This procedure specifies how a GS1 365

Key is converted to a DNS NAPTR query. 366

• A set of rules that ONS Publishers follow to represent ONS information (namely, 367

pointers to services for GS1 keys) as DNS NAPTR records within an ONS Server. 368

• A procedure that an ONS Client follows in order to interpret the results of an ONS 369

query. This procedure specifies how an ONS Client can locate a service using the 370

information provided by the ONS Server. 371


The GS1 Backbone for the Object Name Service (ONS) is an ONS Root Service that contains a 373

reference to a key and additional information on how additional services can be accessed 374

based on the key. 375




The Service Entry Points for ONS are a Publisher and a Client. An ONS Publisher is an entity 377

responsible for making services available to ONS Clients by creating service pointer entries. An 378

ONS Client is an application that uses ONS to identify a service that may provide information 379

about a specific GS1 identification key. 380

3.5.4. User 381

A user of ONS can be any end user that can access the Service Entry Points. The Service 382

Entry Points may create additional requirements for authentication, authorisation, and access 383

control. A user leverages the interfaces of the Service Entry Points performing functions 384

related to either publishing or a requestor of information. 385

3.6. Federated Object Name Service (F-ONS) or (ONS v2.x) 386

387

FIGURE 11. Model of Federated Object Naming Service 388

3.6.1. Process 389

The objective of the F-ONS is to provide the same functionality as the ONS in a distributed 390

manner, to reduce dependencies of local services and political interferences. The F-ONS model 391

offers functionality that if one of the backbones in the federated structure breaks down or is 392

isolated from the rest of the federation, the other backbones and hence local service can 393

continue to function for users, within the scope of the remainder of the total network. 394

The formal specification of ONS is a set of technical rules and procedures to be followed by 395

Publishers, Clients, and Peer Node Operators (MOs). An ONS Client is an application that 396

wishes to use ONS to identify a service that may provide information related to a specific GS1 397

Identification Key. An ONS Publisher is an entity responsible for making services available to 398

ONS Clients by creating service pointer entries in an ONS Peer Root. 399



The ONS specification consists of four ingredients: 400

• The Dynamic Delegation Discovery System (DDDS) Application Specification for 401

ONS to locate authoritative metadata and services associated with a given GS1 402

Identification Key 403

• A procedure that an ONS Client follows in order to present a query to ONS. This 404

procedure specifies how a GS1 Identification Key is converted to a DNS Naming 405

Authority Pointer (NAPTR) query 406

• A set of rules that ONS Publishers follows to represent ONS information (namely, 407

pointers to services for GS1 Identification Keys) as DNS NAPTR records within an 408

ONS Peer Root 409

• A procedure that an ONS Client follows in order to interpret the results of an ONS 410

query. This procedure specifies how an ONS Client can locate a service using the 411

information provided by the ONS Peer Root. 412


The GS1 Backbone for the Federated ONS is a collection of peer roots. Whereas, in ONS, 414

using version 1.x of the ONS Standard, the Federated ONS, using v2.x of the ONS Standard, 415

relies on a distributed network of roots in the network instead on one centralized root server. 416


The Service Entry Points for ONS are a Publisher and a Client. An ONS Publisher is an entity 418

responsible for making services available to ONS Clients by creating service pointer entries. An 419

ONS Client is an application that uses ONS to identify a service that may provide information 420

about a specific GS1 identification key. 421

3.6.4. User 422

A user of ONS can be any end user that can access the Service Entry Points. The Service 423

Entry Points may create additional requirements for authentication, Authorisation, and Access 424

Control. A user leverages the interfaces of the Service Entry Points performing functions 425

related to either publishing or a requestor of information. 426



4. Linked Data Concept 427

Linked Data technology (also known as Semantic Web technology) provides a way to represent 428

exchange and query factual information. These include ontologies for representing knowledge 429

about hierarchical classes of objects and concepts and the relationships that connect them. In 430

the context of GS1 Networked Services, Linked Data technology provides a mechanism to 431

define in a machine-readable way the correspondences or mappings between the information 432

in networked services that fulfil a similar role but have been developed independently; it makes 433

it possible to say that data field X in system A has the same meaning as data field Y in system 434

B. Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) are used as a globally unique way of referring to an 435

information object, class or relationship and multi-lingual labels and descriptions are supported, 436

to support localization. 437

438

In recent years, many governments and government agencies have begun publishing data that 439

is collected at taxpayers’ expense as open data, often using Linked Data technology such as 440

RDF data format or through provision of SPARQL endpoints for querying of the data. At the 441

same time, the major web search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex) have joined forces to 442

develop and promote schema.org, a web vocabulary for embedding structured data within web 443

pages that describe people, places, companies, products, offerings etc. In November 2012, 444

schema.org incorporated most of the functionality of the GoodRelations ontology, which 445

provides an even broader vocabulary for describing commercial activity. 446

447

There is clearly an incentive for companies to consider embedding richer semantic markup 448

within their web pages, since they increase the chance that search engines will display 449

prominent ‘Rich Snippet’ enhanced search results for their company or product. The benefit for 450

the search engines is that they can much more efficiently harvest the master data about 451

products and organizations (e.g. retailers) to support improved search and comparison 452

capabilities for consumers. The GS1 Digital project is investigating how to participate in these 453

developments to provide maximum advantage for the GS1 community, particularly as part of 454

the GS1 B2C strategy. 455

456

Master data about products or the location and opening hours of stores is essentially in the 457

public domain already – using Linked Data technology such as RDFa makes it easier for search 458

engines and other software applications to extract the information reliably. However, this is 459

quite a different approach from GS1 Source / Trusted Source of Data because the brand 460

licensees would directly publish their own master data as structured data (e.g. using RDFa 461

markup) within their own web pages and the web search engines effectively act as the data 462

aggregators, so the need for GS1 and solution providers to build bespoke infrastructure for 463

exchange of trusted consumer-facing master data is questionable. 464

465



466 467

FIGURE 12. Visual Representation of Linked Data (Web Content) 468

469

However, GS1 Networked Services may still play an important role for exchanging confidential 470

or sensitive data within a restricted community and which require authentication and access 471

control or which do something that is functionally more sophisticated than mere data retrieval. 472

Those which are primarily concerned with retrieval of data that is already or effectively in the 473

public domain (or could be) are at risk of becoming redundant if companies publish master data 474

openly, e.g. in linked data format. In that situation, the web search engines might effectively 475

harvest that data and provide the primary lookup interface for that data. 476

Where authenticated login is required or some sophisticated processing / analysis of the data, 477

then such services might be the most viable as GS1 services in the longer term. 478



5. GS1 Networked Services Architecture Principles 479

The traditional GS1 Architectural Principles must still be observed. As a reminder, the current 480

version (2.0) principles are: 481

• Conformance 482

• Consistency 483

• Demonstrable Business Value 484

• Deprecation 485

• Elimination of Non-conformance 486

• Extensibility 487

• Forward Looking 488

• GS1 Identification Keys 489

• Interoperability 490

• Non-duplication 491

• Non-significance 492

• Open Supply Chains 493

• Overall Value/Overall Cost 494

• Re-use of Components 495

• Royalty free 496

• Scalability 497

• Security 498

• Simplicity 499

• Technology Independence 500

• Third Party Standards 501

• Vision and Mission 502

503

Further information can be found on the GS1 Architecture page on the GS1 Global Office 504

website. 505

506

There are additional principles when considering networked services. These include: 507

• Security (authentication, authorization, access control) 508

• Respecting national sovereignty (avoiding centralized points of failure / service 509

denial) 510

• Respecting data domiciling constraints (e.g., privacy laws) 511

• Supporting different interaction styles (push, publish/subscribe, pull, etc.) 512

• Layering of interface definitions, fine-grain access control to confidential data, 513

framework for local extensions514



6. Process for Identifying Local Networked-based 515

Services 516

In the functional context, the establishment of a local networked-based service is such that it 517

appears to all end users to be a single service – the same data is available anywhere within the 518

system. 519

From an operational context, a service may be deployed as part of a network of multiple service 520

providers, whose individual deployments collaborate to provide the appearance to end users of 521

a single seamless service. There must be functionality that if a local service becomes isolated 522

from the rest of the federation, the local service must continue to function for its users, within the 523

scope of the local service. 524

6.1. Process Definition 525

The following is a process for identifying and making available information about networked 526

services that are created, operated, and maintained by a local GS1 Member Organisation or an 527

authorized 3rd party on behalf of the GS1 Member Organisation. 528

By utilising the recommended GS1 MO Service Website Portal, the lookup of existing MO 529

services creates visibility to MO services that may already meet the needs of the local 530

requirements. 531

532

533



534

FIGURE 13. Process for Identifying Local Networked-based Services 535

7. Process for Identifying Global Networked-based 536

Services 537

In the functional context, the establishment of a global networked-based service is such that it 538


system. 540

From an operational context, if the service is actually deployed as part of a network of multiple 541

service providers, whose individual deployments collaborate to provide the appearance to end 542

users of a single seamless service. 543




The following is a process for identifying and making available information about networked 545

services that are created, operated, and maintained by the GS1 Global Office or an authorized 546

3rd party on behalf of the GS1 Global Office. 547

548

549

550

FIGURE 14. Process for Identifying Global Networked-based Services 551

552



8. Process for Transforming from Local to Global 553

Networked-based Services 554

In the functional context, the establishment of a global networked-based service is such that it 555


system. 557

From an operational context, the transformation from a local to a global service must take into 558

account the end users such that the service still appears to be a single seamless service. 559


The following is a process for the local GS1 Member Organisation to analyse and determine if a 561

local networked-based service can possibly be transformed, migrated, or facilitated and 562

maintained by the GS1 Global Office or an authorized 3rd party on behalf of the GS1 Global 563

Office to be offered as a global service. There are a set of considerations that need to be 564

addressed as the process is completed. 565

By utilising the recommended GS1 MO Service Website Portal, the lookup of existing MO 566

services creates the visibility to MO services that may already meet the needs of the local 567

requirements. 568

By establishing a group of MO’s with consistent requirements, it is possible to identify these 569

consistencies and possibly create a global service that meets the needs of all the individual 570

MO’s. 571



GS1 Website

Service

Request

Portal

Input by

MO’s

Collection Point

for Service

Requests

Identification of

User-based

Needs

Discoverable

Local MO

Service Listing

Does a Local

Service already

Exist?

Investigate

Existing Services

Analyse and

Invesigate

Existing Service

Against

Requirements

Yes

Engage Global

Solutions and

Services ProcessNo

Considerations to Include:

Information about services that should be consistent

Using the same data models on a global service scale

Versioning impacts

Transitional considerations

Local data models may extend the baseline global

definition

Leveraging existing standards if they exist or GDD

Service Level Agreements

Business-related issues (business models)

Services

Remains Local

Is a Global

Service Needed?

No

A Management decision

needs to be made at either

the Regional or Global level

Engage Global

Solutions and

Services Process

572

FIGURE 15. Process for Transforming from Local to Global Networked-based Services 573



9. Service Levels and Agreements (SLAs) 574

Whenever possible, GS1 Services should always attempt to use the existing GS1 Service Level 575

Agreement template and Service Level Agreement Customization Guide for the basis of a 576

Service Level Agreement Framework. These documents were created under the guidance of 577

the GS1 Architecture Group as generic documents that can be adapted as needed for each 578

individual service’s needs. The documents are comprehensive enough to provide direction at 579

the GS1 Backbone, Service Entry Points, and User layers. 580

9.1. GS1 Service Level Agreement 581

This is the actual document that defines the various, specific service levels and their 582

requirements for conforming to these requirements and agreements. The document template 583

provides an overall view to most every conceivable possibility based on the GS1 Networked 584

Services Architecture Model. As a result, it is likely that not all sections of the Service Level 585

Agreement document will be used with all GS1 Networked Services. 586

The SLA is in the form of a two-part document: 587

1. The Master SLA – the master agreement that contains terms for all provisions that 588

are consistent across the different Services and that refers to the Appendix for terms 589

specific to a Service. 590

2. The Appendix to the Master SLA – the Appendix defines terms that are specific to the 591

Service. Where a requirement is specific to the Service, the Master SLA references 592

the Appendix for the appropriate terms of the requirement. 593

While every effort has been made to make the Master SLA consistent across Services, there 594

are still some terms that will need to be customized in each agreement, depending on the 595

Service, Service Provider and jurisdiction. 596

9.2. GS1 Service Level Agreement Customisation Guide for Service 597

Level Agreement Framework 598

A service level agreement will govern GS1’s relationships with its various Service Providers, be 599

they GS1 Member Organizations or independent third party service providers. This SLA is to be 600

used in conjunction with: 601

• A Master Service Agreement governing the Service Provider’s relationship with GS1 602

• One or more Statements of Work describing the services provided the associated 603

fees, as well as other terms. 604

The SLA itself mainly deals with the Service Levels that are required of the Services and the 605

means to monitor and achieve them. 606

In order to customise the Service Level Agreement, there is a need to replace generic 607

information with specific details, depending on the context. In addition, there is a need to review 608

all provisions for applicability and possibly make choices depending on context. 609



10. Data Quality Impact 610

All GS1 Networked Services rely on several actors to complete their individual responsibilities 611

within each service. Each service’s requirements are different and, as a result, the technical 612

solution to meet each service’s needs may be different. However, one common requirement of 613

all GS1 Services is the ability to implement a Data Quality component. The impact of Data 614

Quality dictates a performance metric of any given GS1 service. The definition of Data Quality 615

many times varies by the entity that is creating the definition. 616

Within GS1, Data Quality is viewed as fundamental to the success of not only any GS1 Service 617

but also the entire GS1 community. 618

Using our Networked Services Architecture model, the implementation of Data Quality occurs at 619

all levels, including the GS1 Backbone, the Service Entry Points, and the Users. 620

621

622

FIGURE 16. Data Quality 623

624

It is when each of the layers is considered by itself AND as part of the larger system is Data 625

Quality being truly embraced. It is understood that there may be differing requirements 626

depending on the context of the GS1 Backbone, the Service Entry Points, and the users. There 627

may also be additional value-added offerings made by GS1 Member Organisations as well as 628

3rd party solution providers. 629



11. Benefits Summary 630

By establishing a framework for GS1 Networked Services and all of the various components, 631

GS1 creates efficiencies and set of consistent definitions and processes. The resulting benefits 632

are: 633

• A single point-of-entry for global coverage of service 634

• Creation of competition among interoperable service providers leads to better 635

services at lower cost 636

• GS1 standards, governance, validations, and consistent implementation provide 637

higher quality of data 638

• Oversight by GS1 improves protection against misuse of data 639

• Through the use of GS1 governance and processes defines minimum service levels. 640

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