GS1 Digital Link

GS1 US® Implementation Guide

Release 1.0, June 2020

 GS1 Digital Link GS1 US® Implementation Guide

Document Summary
Document Item Current Value
Document Name GS1 Digital Link GS1 US® Implementation Guide
Document Date June 2020
Document Version 1.0
Document Status Ratified
Document Description GS1 US implementation guidance for the GS1 Digital Link
Standard

Log of Changes
Release Date of Change Changed By Summary of Change
1.0 June 2020 Amber Walls Initial issue

About GS1 US
GS1 US®, a member of GS1 global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that
facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the
use of GS1 Standards, the most widely-used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly
300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration that
optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth while also enabling
regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique
numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC®)-based RFID, data
synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations
Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®).

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 GS1 Digital Link GS1 US® Implementation Guide

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 GS1 Digital Link GS1 US® Implementation Guide

Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary .......................................................................... 5

2 The purpose of this document .......................................................... 5

3 Introduction ..................................................................................... 6
3.1 The benefits and value proposition of GS1 Digital Link ........................................... 7
3.1.1 Multi-functional data carriers ...................................................................... 7
3.1.2 Simpler data sharing ................................................................................. 8
3.1.3 Granular identification ............................................................................... 9
3.1.4 Reduced latency ......................................................................................10

4 Overview ........................................................................................ 10
4.1 The Dal Giardino brand .....................................................................................10
4.2 The id.gs1.org domain name .............................................................................10
4.3 What is GS1 Digital Link? ..................................................................................10
4.4 How one data carrier performs multiple functions ................................................11
4.4.1 Link types ...............................................................................................13

5 Implementation Journeys ............................................................... 15

5.1 Maximizing existing B2C digital assets ................................................................15
5.1.1 Potential problems ...................................................................................15
5.1.2 How GS1 Digital Link can help today ..........................................................15
5.1.3 Linking to digital instructions and eLeaflets .................................................16
5.1.4 Adding granular identification ....................................................................16
5.1.5 Slightly more advanced ............................................................................16
5.1.6 More advanced ........................................................................................16
5.1.7 Future Opportunities ................................................................................16
5.2 Back of retail store operations ...........................................................................17
5.2.1 How GS1 Digital Link can help today ..........................................................17
5.3 Solution provider options ..................................................................................18
5.4 Product catalogs ..............................................................................................18

6 FAQs ............................................................................................... 18
6.1 Do I have to use QR codes to use GS1 Digital Link? .............................................18
6.2 How can a 1D barcode or DataMatrix be used with Digital Link? .............................18
6.3 Does everyone have to use id.gs1.org?...............................................................19

7 Glossary.......................................................................................... 19

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1 Executive Summary
GS1 Digital Link is a method by which a range of specific business objectives may be
achieved:
■ one machine readable data carrier (i.e., barcode, RFID tag) can perform multiple
functions, reducing the need to add further data carriers to any item;
■ simpler data sharing for B2B and B2C tasks.
The technologies and standards that underpin the World Wide Web and the GS1 system
are mature and well-proven. Solutions already exist that perform many of the tasks for
which GS1 Digital Link is well-suited. However, only GS1 Digital Link is suitable for so
many tasks while being based on open standards that promote interoperability across
solutions.
There are several different components to the system:
■ the syntax, that is, the structure of a GS1 Digital Link Web URI, that allows complete
interchangeability between the GS1 Application Identifier (AI) syntax and a URL;
■ link types, the machine-readable labels attached to links that radiate out from an
identified item and provide a virtual navigation menu;
■ resolvers that store and activate links, providing the physical means through which
any number of resources can be accessed, starting from the identified item to which
they relate.
GS1 Digital Link does not need to be implemented as a big, single project, but can be
implemented incrementally. Initial changes can be made at zero cost that lay the
foundation for future developments that provide much simpler and cheaper routes to
meeting more sophisticated demands in the future.

2 The purpose of this document

This GS1 Digital Link GS1 US® Implementation Guide provides guidance for retailers,
brand owners, healthcare providers, and solution providers regarding implementations
that can leverage GS1 Digital Link. It is not a substitute for the standard itself, which is
where you will find full technical details, nor is it designed as a non-normative source of
general information about the standard. A basic familiarity with the kind of things that
GS1 Digital Link can do is assumed.

Figure 2-1 The relationship between this document and others related to GS1 Digital Link

General Implementation
Guide The GS1 Digital
information
(this document) Link Standard

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3 Introduction
GS1 Digital Link has the opportunity to transform the way in which data concerning
products, shipments, companies, locations, and assets passes between business
partners, consumers, clinicians, and more. GS1 Digital Link labelling can become a more
efficient, empowering platform that enables limitless linked information, reduced data
latency, and more. GS1 Digital Link provides the ability to encode additional detail about
a product that can then be used to serve up richer product experiences for brands,
retailers, AND consumers. It is completely independent of any data carrier and has the
potential to work with all barcodes as well as with RFID (UHF/RAIN, NFC), and other data
carriers that do not require a line of sight to be scanned.
GS1 Digital Link has the potential to deliver a single line-of-sight barcode per
product/pack that can provide value to consumers, retailers, and brands. There are
equally exciting opportunities for GS1 identifiers such as those for locations, assets and
shipping units, too, but this guide focuses particularly on trade items.

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3.1 The benefits and value proposition of GS1 Digital Link

3.1.1 Multi-functional data carriers

One data carrier to serve multiple functions

GS1 IDs for supply chain, point-of-sale & care

Before

Product Info

Manufacturer’s Code

Promotional Video

GS1 IDs

Product Info
After

GS1 Digital Link Mfr’s Code

Promotion

It is increasingly common to see multiple data carriers on a single item. This is because
each one is placed there for a single purpose such as supply chain operations, point-of-
sale, extended consumer information and promotional interaction. This takes up a lot of
space on the pack and confuses consumers, staff and scanners. In some situations, such
as a hospital operating theater, confusion about which code should be scanned can have
serious consequences.
GS1 Digital Link enables a single code to perform multiple functions, both online and
offline, reducing the need for multiple codes on a pack and has the future potential to
realize a single data carrier for all functions.
These benefits are explored in more detail in section 4.3

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3.1.2 Simpler data sharing

Barcodes and other data carriers have always
Simplifies Data Sharing been a reference to data about the identified
Ecosystems object stored in a computer. Traditionally, this
was limited to data stored specifically in the
Before

computer or computing infrastructure to which

the scanner was attached.
For this reason, it’s common for manufacturers
to have to aggregate data, that is, make a local
copy of some combination of: master data
(perhaps communicated through the Global Data
Synchronization NetworkTM [GDSN]); data
Aggregated data managed by other business partners including
supplier traceability info; information made
available for regulators; information for
customers (websites, apps); multimedia assets
created and managed by marketing agency or
agencies.
After

That usually means that data has to be

harmonized in some way and managed according
to a single process. It can be a full-time task –
Links to multiple data sources perhaps several people’s full-time task – to
manage aggregated data and to keep it up to
date.
GS1 Digital Link connects identified items to
limitless sources of data, whether stored locally or remotely, whoever they are curated
by, enabling many new possibilities in addition to the data carrier's current role in supply
chain and POS tasks.
Furthermore, the GS1 Digital Link syntax effectively provides a common API for multiple
points on the Web making it easy to query different sources for information about the
same item. For example, a retailer will provide information about their offer compared
with the brand owner whose focus will be on the product.

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3.1.3 Granular identification

The EAN/UPC barcode has served industry well

Extends Uniqueness since 1974, but it only offers class-level
identification. This means that the EAN/UPC can
only identify a specific trade item without
Before

information about the particular batch or

individual instance of that trade item. There is a
growing demand for more data to be encoded in
the data carrier such as the batch/lot, expiry
date, measured weight and, in some cases,
individual item level identification through
Class-level identical codes on serialization.
1D labelled products
GS1 Digital Link is applicable at all levels of
identification including batch/lot and serialized
level.

Such identification is possible using GS1 Digital

After

Link without having to make an online lookup,

even if the identifiers are encoded in the data
carrier as a web address.
More granular codes possible
on all products including GS1 Digital Link can be used with any data
batch/lot and serial no. carrier, however, those that typically encode a
URL, such as QR, NFC or non-GS1 Data Matrix,
are a more natural fit. See FAQ in 6.

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3.1.4 Reduced latency

When data is copied and aggregated, there is
almost always a delay between the facts on the
Removes Data Latency ground changing and copies of the data being
updated. This inherent latency can mean that
important updates to the data on which a
Before

business depends are not reflected with due

speed.

Because GS1 Digital Link avoids the need for data

aggregation and simply points to the original
source data, latency is eliminated.
1-day refresh rate
After

Real time refresh

4 Overview

4.1 The Dal Giardino brand

This implementation guide makes extensive use of the ‘Dal Giardino’ brand. This is an
entirely fictitious brand name. It was created originally by SGK/Schawk to support the
development of the GS1 Mobile Ready Hero Images Guideline but has been re-used here.
The website at dalgiardino.com exists purely to exemplify different features of GS1
Digital Link.

4.2 The id.gs1.org domain name

This guide includes a number of examples. In order to make sure that they function as
described, we have used the id.gs1.org domain name, at which the examples are
established. However, this should not be taken to mean that GS1 Digital Link only works
on this specific domain. On the contrary, the establishment of a network of such services
by the user community is foreseen and specifically encouraged. The id.gs1.org service
was originally set up as a test bed before being integrated into GS1’s Data Services suite
but has no formal role distinct from any other service.

4.3 What is GS1 Digital Link?

GS1 has created a global business language based on unique and unambiguous
identification encoded in data carriers including barcodes and RFID tags, and the
communication of data essential for business processes that rely on those identifiers.
These fundamentals are key for enabling efficiencies in processing of goods and services
and are used all around the world to support supply chain partners’ various business
needs.

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The World Wide Web is an environment where people as well as companies can access or
share information on anything. This of course, includes interacting with products and
services.
GS1 Digital Link provides the bridge needed to connect GS1-based identification schemes
with the syntax used on the World Wide Web. In simple terms, GS1 Digital Link provides
a standard way of expressing GS1 keys and attribute data in a format that can be used
on the Web.
The GS1 Digital Link Standard defines how to structure web URIs to include further
information (e.g., batch/lot, expiration date, serial number etc.) as well as other GS1
keys such as GLN (Global Location Number), SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code), etc.

Note: Any valid combination of GS1 element strings, as defined in section 4.14 of the
GS1 General Specifications, can be encoded in a GS1 Digital Link URI.

For example, given a GS1 Digital Link URI such as:

https://dalgiardino.com/gtin/09506000134352/lot/ABC

we can easily extract and express the same information using GS1 AI syntax:

(01)09506000134352(10)ABC

4.4 How one data carrier performs multiple functions

There are many factors that will affect a manufacturer’s choice of data carrier. These
include things like:
■ Printing capabilities such as speed and quality
■ Data capacity
■ Need for product authentication
■ Installed equipment base
■ Intended use by business partners/fellow clinicians etc.
■ Intended use by consumers/patients
■ Visual appearance, available area on the pack
■ More…

This document does not provide direct guidance on this choice, which is available
elsewhere within GS1. However, we do emphasize an important key feature of GS1
Digital Link:
■ one data carrier can perform multiple functions. It is not necessary to add a new data
carrier every time you have a new use case.
This has a number of key benefits:
1. Less space on the pack is taken up by barcodes and other symbols, leaving more
space under the control of the brand designers.
2. Consumers are less confused by multiple data carriers.
3. The likelihood is reduced of a scan failing due to one data carrier interfering with
another.

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4. In the context of healthcare, the presence of a single data carrier ensures that
important clinical decisions are not taken on the basis of the ‘wrong’ barcode being
scanned.
5. The primary purpose of the data carrier – to identify the item in this case – is left
intact and is not compromised by being associated with data that may or may not be
up to date.
6. Data carriers that only serve a short-term aim, such as linking to a promotion, are
likely to become out of date very rapidly. GS1 Digital Link allows real time updates to
information accessed from a persistent identifier printed on the pack.
7. Some information can be retrieved using multiple applications with no need for
mobile phone users to install a specific app for the purpose.

Before you consider adding another data carrier to your product, especially for a single-
function, consider whether your existing on pack data carrier can be used without
modification.

A barcode or other data carrier can be made multi-functional using simple web
technology. All that is needed is to arrange for links to be established from the identified
item to things like:
■ Product information
■ Instructions
■ Spares and accessories
■ Use ideas (recipes, designs)
■ User forums/feedback
■ Registration
■ Product authentication
■ Traceability
■ Social media (online ‘social shopping’)

This is what GS1 Digital Link achieves. Bear in mind also that, because GS1 Digital Link is
using web technologies, the information can be tailored to the end user according to
factors such as purchase history, language, location and whether the customer is known
(logged in) or not.

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4.4.1 Link types

Scanning a barcode or NFC tag with a mobile
phone or device and being taken to a product
information page is trivially easy and offered in
many apps available today. Likewise, scanning a
code and being taken to a promotional page is
easy. But these are single use codes which leads
to the proliferation of codes on packs.

In order for it to be possible to use one data

carrier for multiple purposes, there needs to be
some sort of way-finding service. A means to ‘ask
for directions’ to a particular type of content.

That’s the job of the link types. That is, the

labels that are applied to links so that a human or
a computer application can see which link to
follow to find a particular thing. They perform
exactly the same role as menu options on a
website.

Think of a typical online retailer. You’ll see things

like a search box, a login link, categories of items
for sale, information about delivery options, an
option to checkout, view previous orders, an add
to basket button and so on. These are common
Directions by joohander cc-by-nc and therefore widely understood.

Link types (short for link relation types) are both human and machine-actionable – and
that’s what enables different apps to access different information.

GS1 defines its set of link types as part of the Web Vocabulary (for which the usual prefix
is gs1:). This list is under continuous review with change control under the Global Master
Data SMG under GSMP but at the time of writing, examples include:

Link type examples

gs1:pip (product information page) gs1:hasRetailers

gs1:ePIL (electronic patient information leaflet) gs1:instructions

gs1:traceability gs1:safetyInfo

gs1:recallStatus gs1:review

It is possible to think of link types as forming a standard API for all items identified using
GS1 identifiers.

The table below shows some examples for a (fictitious) Dal Giardino product with GTIN
9506000134352

Link type URL

Pip (product information page) https://dalgiardino.com/risotto-rice-with-mushrooms/

recipeInfo https://dalgiardino.com/mushroom-squash-risotto/

HasRetailers https://dalgiardino.com/where-to-buy/

productSustainabilityInfo https://dalgiardino.com/about/

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Try this yourself – all of these links work:

https://id.gs1.org/gtin/9506000134352?linkType=pip
https://id.gs1.org/gtin/9506000134352?linkType=recipeInfo
https://id.gs1.org/gtin/9506000134352?linkType=hasRetailers
https://id.gs1.org/gtin/9506000134352?linkType=productSustainabilityInfo

In defining a set of link types, GS1 strikes a balance between the need for precision on
the one hand – which suggests that we should define link types for every possible
scenario in every possible detail - and the need to maximize interoperability on the other
– which tends towards as few link types as possible.

When selecting a link type be sure to:

1. Look carefully at all the definitions in the list – don’t just take the first one as there
may be one better suited to your needs further down.
2. Note that the link type is defined for machine processing. The text that humans see
can be set by the GS1 Company Prefix (GCP) owner, in any language, so there is a
way to communicate in more detail what the link is to, beyond the link type itself.

For example, the link type ‘instructions’ can link to a video, a page of text, a set of
diagrams etc. They’re all ‘instructions’ to which you can apply human readable titles like
“instruction video” or “instruction leaflet.”

For clarity for any link, as well as the URL there is also associated metadata:
1. The link type
2. A human readable title
3. The human language of the target (following IETF BCP47 Tags for Identifying
Languages)
4. The media type - HTML, JSON, XML etc. (using IANA-registered media types)

The first two are mandatory for GS1 Digital Link.

If you are sure there isn’t a defined link type for your particular situation then additional
terms can be defined through GS1’s standards process (the web vocabulary is formally
managed by the Global Master Data SMG). You can also define your own terms as set out
in the GS1 Digital Link standard but be aware that it’s unlikely that these will be
interoperable outside your ecosystem.

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5 Implementation Journeys

5.1 Maximizing existing B2C digital assets

(Fictional) Italian food manufacturer Dal Giardino has invested in developing a website to
promote their products. The website includes:
■ a separate page for each product including ingredients and allergen information;
■ recipe ideas for their product range;
■ information about the company, in particular the pride it takes in its corporate
responsibility;
■ links to their social media feeds;
■ a number of videos that are hosted on a separate online platform.

In order to make this digital content available directly to consumers who may be in a
store and considering purchasing a Dal Giardino product, they add a QR code to each
product that links to that product’s information page.

5.1.1 Potential problems

This increasingly common scenario presents a number of potential problems:
■ Adding an additional barcode to the pack takes up real estate on the product;
■ The presence of multiple barcodes on a pack can cause interference at the scanner;
■ Changes to the website may result in the URL in the QR code to become obsolete
leading to ‘404 Page not found’
■ Pointing the QR code directly to a short-term promotion is almost guaranteed to
present consumers with out of date content in future.

5.1.2 How GS1 Digital Link can help today

Instead of using the URL of the Web page directly in the QR code, Dal Giardino uses the
GS1 Digital Link standard to create a persistent URL that contains the product’s GTIN and
that redirects automatically to the product’s information page or can allow for the user to
select where to navigate to from a list of options. This will work with QR code readers,
including the default camera on modern smartphones that remove the need to install any
new app, hence significantly reducing friction for consumers.

Why do this today?

■ the redirection from the persistent GS1 Digital Link URI can be updated at any time
so that things like website updates and short-term promotions can all be handled
easily with no change to the pack;
■ this is a future-looking action;
■ the persistent URL can be on the brand owner’s own website or a third-party service.

You will need:

■ A brand owner’s website with a specific page per product.
■ A webmaster able to configure the redirection (a standard feature of all Web servers)
or the use of a resolver service
■ A simple barcode/QR code generator.

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5.1.3 Linking to digital instructions and eLeaflets

There are a substantial number of benefits in being able to associate a physical product
with digital information dealing with its proper use. With GS1 Digital Link link type
gs1:instructions, consumers can access instructions related to an item’s assembly, usage
tips, and other pertinent details. Advantages of supplementing physical instructions with
their digital counterparts include having the ability to update content real-time, offer chat
support, provide instructional videos, allow for feedback, and enable users to adjust font
and image size, as needed.

Within healthcare scenarios link type gs1:epil can be used for electronic patient
information leaflets, or eLeaflets. It is often easier for a healthcare manufacturer to
procure an external service to manage patient information than to manage the process
in-house. In such a situation, the repository may or may not use the GTIN as an
identifier for the item. If the leaflet repository does not include the GTIN in their
database, talk to the solution provider and explore the feasibility of adding this in.

Ultimately, GS1 Digital Link relies on the data including a mapping from the GTIN to the
patient information.

5.1.4 Adding granular identification

Dal Giardino sets up its production lines so that the GS1 Digital Link QR code includes not
only the product’s GTIN but also the batch/lot number and expiry date. A feature in the
GS1 Digital Link standard is that if no information is available for the specific batch/lot,
information at the GTIN level is returned. Therefore, in this scenario, there is no effect on
the consumer experience of scanning the QR code but Dal Giardino is well set up for
future use cases.

You will need:

■ Barcode software able to generate GS1 Digital Link QR codes within the production
line.
■ Digital printers downstream in the production environment (and associated QC tools
to verify the data accuracy and quality of the QR code)

5.1.5 Slightly more advanced

The redirection to the product’s information page is augmented so that the batch/lot and
expiry date information, present in the QR code, can be processed dynamically by that
product information page to present more specific information to the consumer.

This does not entail any software not already listed.

5.1.6 More advanced

Links to the recipe page, company information, social media feeds and videos can also be
associated with the GS1 Digital Link URI so that they become readily discoverable by
specialized apps. For example, a coeliac consumer will be able to use a specialized app to
go directly to information about whether the product does or does not contain gluten.

You will need a resolver service to achieve this.

5.1.7 Future Opportunities

It is anticipated that in the future:

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■ point-of-sale scanners will recognize GS1 identifiers encoded as GS1 Digital Link URIs
in QR codes so that the existing barcode can be removed, freeing up package real
estate;
■ retail staff scanners will be able to make use of the more granular identification for
things like product recall, first-in-first-out inventory checks and more.

5.2 Back of retail store operations

Many back of store operations depend on products being identified not just by the GTIN
but also with details like the batch/lot number, or the expiry date in the data carrier as
well. Either might be used to decide which batch to put on the shelf (first in first out), to
identify a recalled batch, to prevent the sale of an expired item or perhaps to give a
discount at POS for a near-expired item. These kinds of actions are perfectly possible
without GS1 Digital Link since the key information can be in the data carrier such as a
GS1 DataMatrix or a GS1-128. But they are all possible with GS1 Digital Link as well as:

■ linking to hazardous materials (hazmat) information;

■ triggering reordering processes;
■ matching to a shelf label;
■ etc.

Rather than any one use case, it is this “one barcode, many functions” that makes GS1
Digital Link so powerful. And it’s fully extensible and future-looking in that you can add
more functionality at any time.

5.2.1 How GS1 Digital Link can help today

Rather than centralizing data in one place, GS1 Digital Link works by redirecting requests
to wherever the needed data is. This might be on the company intranet or elsewhere.
That allows companies to set up and use discrete APIs and to link to them from a full
variety of devices.

Different companies will have different priorities and so this can only be an example.

Dal Giardino receives product recall information from a variety of sources including its
own internal quality assurance processes, government information, and consumers and
retailers who report problems with specific batches of their products. It exposes this data
through a simple API that returns true if the batch is recalled or false if not.

At a retailer’s back of store, a staff member is about to restock the shop floor shelf with a
Dal Giardino product. Before opening the case, they scan the barcode that contains the
GTIN and batch/lot number of the product. The generic scanning app uses this
information to send the request to the Web. The request is forwarded to Dal Giardino’s
recall API which returns false and so the retailer can unpack the case and add the
contents to the shelf.

Later, a problem is reported to Dal Giardino and from that point on, the API will indicate
that the batch has been recalled. This information is made available instantly so that if a
customer tries to buy the recalled product before it’s been removed from the shelf, the
POS equipment can make the same call to the same API and get the up to date
information, thus preventing the sale of a recalled item.

You will need:

■ high capacity barcodes such as GS1 DataMatrix or a QR code carrying a GS1 Digital
Link URI;

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■ a generic scanning app;

■ a resolver service.

Why do this now?

As we noted at the beginning of this use case, many problems can be solved by using
more granular identification without using Digital Link. However, if we take the Dal
Giardino recall status API as the first use case, it’s easy then to add in, say, the FIFO use
case, the hazmat use case and more. Putting that first use case into operation makes the
subsequent uses progressively easier.

5.3 Solution provider options

It is not possible, nor is it desirable, to give definitive advice to solution providers about
how to implement GS1 Digital Link. However, we can highlight some of the functions and
requirements that a brand owner, retailer, transport company or hospital manager may
be glad to outsource.

One of the assumptions that underlies GS1 Digital Link is that every product has a
dedicated web page. Not all manufacturers/brand owners have this but if a consumer
scans a GTIN then they’ll be expecting information about that specific item, not a page
with multiple items of which that happens to be one.

The highest value product description pages will be both human and machine readable,
the latter achieved using a combination of terms from schema.org and the GS1 Web
Vocabulary. That immediately creates a mini knowledge graph with the product identifier
that’s printed on the pack as the way in.

Resolvers are relatively straightforward pieces of software. They comprise a web server
and a database of links. The difficulty is in curating the links to related resources. Once
done, though, the system is designed to make it easy for app developers to offer end
users those links as a menu of options.

5.4 Product catalogs

Many organizations, including GS1 MOs, operate product catalogs, traceability solutions,
etc. By using the GS1 Digital Link syntax in the URLs for these services, or at least
establishing URLs that redirect to them, service operators are putting in place a
standardized interface that can be extended in future in whatever direction the operator
so chooses. This can usually be done with minimal effort, providing an easy way to do
something straight away that will give a degree of futureproofing for existing services.

6 FAQs

6.1 Do I have to use QR codes to use GS1 Digital Link?

No. The GS1 Digital Link standard is completely agnostic about data carriers. 1D
barcodes, DataMatrix, NFC, RFID, image watermarking and more are all equally usable
with GS1 Digital Link.

6.2 How can a 1D barcode or DataMatrix be used with Digital Link?

The GS1 standard specifies precisely how any valid set of GS1 element strings can be
converted into a GS1 Digital Link and vice versa, that is, how the element strings can be
extracted from a GS1 Digital Link. A set of GS1 element strings and a GS1 Digital Link
are completely interchangeable.

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(01)09506000134352(17)141100(10)PX8L(21)1BAAAA2BB3

The traditional AI syntax and GS1

Digital Link syntax are completely
interchangeable

https://id.gs1.org/gtin/09506000134352/lot/PX8L/ser/1BAAAA2BB3?exp=141100

When converting from a GS1 Digital Link to a set of GS1 element strings, there is no
need to make an online lookup, all the information is provided in the GS1 Digital Link
syntax.

6.3 Does everyone have to use id.gs1.org?

No. The GS1 Digital Link standard allows anyone to operate a resolver anywhere. The
domain name doesn’t matter, it’s the structure of the rest of the GS1 Digital Link URI
that carries the GS1 identifiers. It is assumed that product manufacturers and retailers
will use their own domain names. It is a good idea to use short domain names as this will
lead to shorter URLs.

7 Glossary
The glossary lists the terms and definitions that are applied in this document. Please
refer to the www.gs1.org/glossary for the online version.

Term Definitions

AI Application Identifier – the property such as GTIN, GLN, expiry date etc. All GS1
AIs are numeric (e.g., 01 for GTIN)

Data carrier A barcode, RFID tag, digital watermark etc. Any artefact that can be read either
optically or via radio frequency interaction to extract an identifier.

DL An abbreviation for Digital Link

GS1 Digital Link The name of the GS1 standard

GS1 Digital Link URI A URI/URL that conforms to the structure (syntax) defined in the GS1 Digital
Link standard.

Link type A machine-readable label for a link. For example, a product information page
would have the link type ‘pip’ (there’s significant extra information about this in
the GS1 Digital Link standard).

Resolver A web server that processes GS1 Digital Link URIs in accordance with the
standard and normal HTTP operations.

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© 2020 GS1 US All rights reserved.

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