Verifying data with GS1 standards

The reliability of data is a critical factor in today's business environment, where decisions are increasingly based on real-time data. GS1's global standards enable the identification and sharing of authenticated data in supply chains across industries and between stakeholders.

Verifying data means ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data, so that you can be confident that the information you use is accurate and up-to-date. This is especially important in supply chains, where data errors can lead to production or logistics errors, and can undermine customer satisfaction and the credibility of the company.

GS1 standards provide a consistent and globally recognized way to ensure the accuracy of data. They improve data management and communication between different systems and actors, creating efficiency and trust in business. This allows companies to make better decisions and provide more reliable services to their customers.

Verified data helps prevent errors, improves traceability, and increases trust between companies and customers.

Uniform interpretation

When information is shared according to common standards, both the sender and the receiver can interpret the information in the same way.

Interoperability between systems

When information is shared in a standardized format, different systems can process the information correctly and ensure its accuracy. This also enables the use of automation in processes.

Data accuracy

Standards can help ensure that the right data is associated with the right object.

Data traceability and auditing

Standards enable data traceability and transparency, which in turn facilitates data verification.

Global interoperability

International GS1 standards enable systems and organizations around the world to communicate and authenticate information consistently and reliably.

Standards provide a globally interoperable identifier

GS1 identification standards provide different parts of supply chains with their own unique identifiers, or numerical codes. They provide an unambiguous and interoperable way to identify parts of the supply chain and their information in all information systems, everywhere in the world. In practice, this means that when we talk about, for example, a product, a physical or digital location or a pallet, GS1 identifiers ensure that all systems understand it in the same way.

And because the identifier assigned to an item is in accordance with an international standard, the same numerical code is not used by any other operator anywhere in the world. This facilitates the verification of supply chain information and the smoothness of processes both in Finland and in export markets.

The numerical code of the identifier also reveals the company that created it, making it possible to access its original source if necessary.

GS1 identification keys can be used to identify, for example:

products (GTIN)
parties and locations (GLN)
assets (GIAI)
service provider and recipient relationships (GSRN)
documents (GDTI)
product models (GMN)
logistics units (SSCC)
shipments (GSIN)
returnable assets (GRAI)

Example: In the event of a quality defect, a quick and efficient recall of a product is critical for both consumer safety and the company’s reputation. The GTIN enables fast and error-free communication with suppliers and retailers, as it precisely identifies the product in question in all information systems. Without the GTIN, it would be much more difficult to ensure that all relevant parties know exactly which products are affected by the recall.

The identifier links digital information together

In information systems, the GS1 identifier is linked to other data, for example, where the product was manufactured, what materials it contains, or how it is maintained. The identifier's numerical code is therefore like a key to the digital environment of a product or other part of the supply chain. At the same time, this key ensures that the information linked to it actually relates to it.

Because the identifier is universal, the data related to it does not have to be in one and the same information system, but the identifier can be referenced in several different data sources.

Example: When companies that manufacture and sell construction products identify and label their products with GTINs in an interoperable manner, information can be linked to products in different databases, such as building information models (BIM), and used effectively during the construction process. And when the materials used in construction are documented and it is known exactly which products have been used, the information linked to the products can also be used in the future during building maintenance, renovation and demolition.

Barcodes connect the physical and digital worlds

When a GS1 barcode is attached to a product, pallet, or other physical part of the supply chain, the GS1 identifier can be scanned to access its digital information. For example, when a product's barcode is scanned during transportation, in a warehouse, or at the checkout, the GS1 identifier acts as a link to the information needed at each stage of the chain.

Example: When a product's barcode is scanned at a checkout, the GTIN it contains links the product to its real-time price information in the information system. Shopping is significantly faster and more reliable when, instead of typing in prices, products can be scanned easily and smoothly at the checkout. The GS1 barcode, which has been in service for over 50 years, is currently on over a billion products, scanned over 10 billion times a day, and is used to identify products in 150 countries.

In addition to barcodes, GS1 identification standards cover EPC/RFID tags, the content of which can be read remotely without contact or line of sight.