LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR
SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
A Recommendation Report for the International Trade Data System Board of Directors

April 2009
ITDS Product Information Committee

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTTABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................................................................................. i
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3
SOUND SOLUTIONS THAT ARE STILL MATURING .................................................................................................................... 6
I. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
II. PGA PRODUCT INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................................... 10
TABLE 1 - Product Information of Interest to PGAs for Selected Product Sets ................................................................................. 11
III. RECOMMENDED GLOBAL PRODUCT DICTIONARIES .......................................................................................................... 16
TABLE 2- Relative Strengths of Global Dictionary Product Set Coverage as Rated by Dictionary Representatives ........................ 18
TABLE 3 - Relative Strengths of Global Dictionaries in Characterizing Products of Interest to PGAs ............................................. 20
IV. USE OF A GLOBAL CATALOG TO ACCESS PRODUCT INFORMATION ............................................................................. 24
V. RECOMMENDED DATA FLOWS AND SYSTEM INTERFACES ............................................................................................... 26
VI. FINANCIAL IMPACTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 31
VII. REGULATORY IMPACTS............................................................................................................................................................. 32
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 34
APPENDICES: ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
APPENDIX A – Listing of Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................. 35
APPENDIX B – Product Information Committee Charter .................................................................................................................. 36
APPENDIX C - ITDS Product Information Committee Vocabulary ................................................................................................... 41
APPENDIX D – UNSPSC Capabilities Profile Statement .................................................................................................................. 46
APPENDIX E– GS1 GPC Capabilities Profile Statement ................................................................................................................... 60
APPENDIX F – eCl@ss Capabilities Profile Statement ...................................................................................................................... 74
APPENDIX G – GS1 GDSN Capabilities Profile Statement .............................................................................................................. 82

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTSUMMARY
Government agencies need granular productinformation to make fast, accurate decisions aboutcargo at US borders: Federal government agencies
admitting cargo into the United States need reliable
information about specific products entering US borders. This
information is critical to making accurate decisions about
jurisdiction and the nature of each product to know if
inspection is warranted and if so, what level of inspection each
incoming product should receive. The DHS Customs andBorder Protection (CBP) is interested in making this type of
product information available to Participating Government
Agencies (PGAs) in its Automated Commercial Environment(ACE) Information Technology system.
HTS codes provide insufficient information aboutmost products for accurate admissibility
assessment: Presently, incoming products are identified
principally by a tariff code. These codes are compiled in the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) andreflect, for the most part, broad product differences that affectthe level of duty to be assessed. Although the HTS is notintended to be a product characterization system, it does
typically provide a high level break-out of product types.
However, HTS codes are not designed to consistently delineate
products by their essential characteristics. The key purpose of
the HTS is accurate assessment of duties, not accuratecharacterization of products. Therefore, PGAs that rely on the
HTS to categorize the products that they regulate often areunable to make completely informed decisions about productjurisdiction or risk level. As a result, PGAs may have toPage 1redirect a product to another PGA for review when errors injurisdiction are made, delaying the admissions process. Even
when the appropriate PGAs are given advance notice about an
incoming product, those PGAs often must make assumptions
about a product’s admissibility that may be incorrect, and will
either hold that product for physical inspection or release theproduct without inspection. The availability of authoritative,
granular product characterization to PGAs would expedite theadmissions process by, in some cases, promptly clearing
eligible or low-risk products. It would, at the least, improve
PGA efficiency by focusing available inspection resources on
products that are more likely to be inadmissible.
Electronic commerce data used by businesses canbe leveraged by government to create a “smarter”
cargo admission process: As businesses move towards
an electronic commerce environment, suppliers need to be able
to accurately identify, describe, and characterize their products
electronically to their business partners. Today, three major
systems have been developed and are being used by different
business sectors to describe and characterize products moving
in national and international trade. These are: the United
Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC); theGS1 Global Product Classification (GPC); and eCl@ss. These“global product dictionaries,” maintained by entities known as
Dictionary Maintenance Organizations (DMOs), allow
manufacturers and suppliers to describe and characterize theirproducts using a multi-lingual, standardized, hierarchicalframework (e.g., segment, family, class and brick) such as thatin Figure 1. This framework allows suppliers to characterize
products using a product class code designation and productattribute values. PGAs can use supplier-provided productApril 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
characterization data that conforms to the framework of these
dictionaries to understand the essential characteristics ofincoming products. With this information, PGAs can improve
the accuracy of their jurisdiction
and risk assessment
determinations over those based
solely on HTS code information.
However, challenges remain.
The capability of the productcharacterization dictionaries toeffectively group products inmeaningful ways for industry is
still maturing. And additional
attributes that are unique to theadmissibility and jurisdiction
interests of PGAs may need tobe added to the dictionaries
Figure 1: A typical productbefore the full potential of edictionary frameworkcommerce product classification(Source: GS1)
can be realized by PGAs. PGAs
will need to use the change request process that each of these
dictionary maintenance organizations offers so that thedictionary defines the information most needed by PGAs todetermine jurisdiction and admissibility.
Initially, PGAs can request that importers provide global
product dictionary codes and attribute values for certain
products of interest when entry information is submitted.
Because these codes and values for up to seven or more
attributes must be entered manually for each product in each

Page 2

shipment, this process will not scale readily to cover broad
numbers of commercial products.
A more efficient, longer-term solution would be to takeadvantage of product information published by manufacturers
or suppliers in a global product catalog service. This service,created by the business community to support e-commerce
functionality and known as the GS1 Global Data
Synchronization Network (GDSN), would provide an efficient,trusted source of product information for PGAs. Although
PGAs cannot expect ACE to establish a data sharing
relationship with thousands of suppliers, ACE may be able todownload data from a single source of product information
managed by a non-profit third party.
Of course, a unique product reference number is needed toaccess product information in this global catalog. Because thebusiness community has their own need for precise
identification of products in the supply chain, it has created asystem of globally unique product identification numbers. This
identification number, referred to as the GS1 Global Trade
Item Number (GTIN), would be needed by PGAs as the key toaccess granular product information from the GDSN global
catalog. This information can then be used in CBP and PGA
targeting and risk assessment systems to make better informed
decisions about product jurisdiction and admissibility.
Adopting a GTIN-based product identification systemrepresents the key challenge and the key opportunity for PGAs
and ACE to deliver smarter cargo management.
To address these opportunities and challenges, the International
Trade Data System (ITDS) Product Information Committee

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT(PIC) offers the following recommendations to the ITDS Boardof Directors:

ACTION POINT: Establish a PGA forum with the on-going
responsibility for coordinating primary dictionary designations
and change requests to DMOs.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The ITDS Board or CBP should create a forum or“clearing house” where PGAs could coordinate thedesignation of a primary product dictionary for
product sets of interest and coordinate on-going
PGA change requests with dictionary maintenanceorganizations: Each of the three existing productcharacterization dictionaries has different strengths in different
products sets. The ITDS Board or CBP should help PGAs
establish an authoritative forum that would determine which
global product dictionary would be most useful to the set of
PGAs with common jurisdiction over a given product group.
This PGA forum should coordinate and reconcile PGA
interests and maintain and publicize a listing of which global
dictionary will be used primarily by PGAs for a product set ofinterest. The designation of a “Primary” dictionary indicatesthat PGAs prefer product information that is defined inaccordance with the primary dictionary. However, productinformation defined using other dictionaries, including otherglobal or regional dictionaries may also be used to supplement
or cross-check information in the primary dictionary. In cases
where the descriptive ability of the primary dictionary fails toprovide the full set of attributes sought by all PGAs, the PGAs
should work through the PGA forum to propose change
requests to a DMO to revise the dictionary to more effectively
meet PGA needs.

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ACTION POINT: Select one or more sample product sets thatcan be designated by HTS code range, and work with all the
PGAs with jurisdiction over each product set to determine
which dictionary should be the primary dictionary and what
product information is needed by all PGAs. If any attributes orvalues are absent in the primary dictionary, the forum should
submit and oversee a change request to the DMO requesting
the addition of that product information.
2. Capture the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) of
products in ACE in advance of product arrival:
GTINs, known best to US consumers in the form of the
Universal Product Code (UPC), are used routinely by buyers
and sellers to accurately identify the exact products andquantity of each to be shipped on purchase orders and shipping
notices. This information can be obtained from the importer or
supplier, ideally as an electronic file prior to shipment arrival,
to report the GTIN and the number of cases of each productpresent in the shipment or in each shipping container.
Obtaining the GTIN of incoming products will enable PGAs toaccess granular product characterization information thatindustry has published about these products.
For PGAs to efficiently use the GTIN to identify incoming
products, the ACE system will need to incorporate new data
fields for the GTIN and other related product information fields
in the ACE database. These other data fields would be
populated by the ACE system using the GTIN in a query to a

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
global catalog web service or by a global catalog datasynchronization service.
Note that the GTIN does not replace the use of the HTS in
ACE, but supplements the descriptive value of the HTS by
identifying one specific product among the hundreds or
thousands of products that have that same HTS code. The
GTIN product reference can then be used to access moredetailed information about this one product from the global
catalog, provided information about this product has been
published by the supplier.
ACTION POINT: Pilot a process to capture the GTINs ofincoming products for one or more sample product sets. Initial
pilots could occur inside or outside of ACE. PGAs should
determine what regulatory actions would be needed to collect
GTINs. Assess the most efficient way to capture GTINs in the
future and how the collection of GTINs might be integrated
into existing collection requirements.
3. Establish a pilot process for synchronizing
product information in ACE with the GS1 global
catalog: To support e-commerce, over 17,000 global
suppliers are now publishing detailed information about theirproducts for current and potential customers using the GS1
Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). This catalog
can provide a variety of descriptive information about the
product, such as the product name, brand name, productdescription, and manufacturer as shown in FIGURE 2.
Additionally, the catalog can provide structured productcharacterization information in the form of a productcharacterization class code number and related product
FIGURE 2: Sample product information available
from an industry global catalog

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
attributes. Integrating these product data into the ACE system
and using well-established data synchronization processes tokeep these data current will make granular product information
for millions of products available to PGAs for use injurisdiction and admissibility determinations.

List” that is a table of GTINs for products that have been
documented as high risk by past targeting and inspection
efforts. Incoming GTINs could be immediately validated
against this list to provide advance notice of container holds totransportation agents days in advance of cargo arrival.

ACTION POINT: Pilot the use of data synchronization or a
web service to obtain product information for the GTINs ofsample product sets from the GDSN. Initial pilots may be
conducted outside of the ACE system by interested PGAs
making ad hoc web queries to the GDSN. PGAs should
determine whether a sufficient number of products from thesample product sets have been published in the GDSN to be
useful in the admissions process.

ACTION POINT: Pilot the use of GDSN product data forincoming product GTINs in PGA automated targeting systems
to accelerate jurisdiction and admission decisions. Evaluate
the feasibility and utility of a GTIN Prohibited Products List
and a GTIN High-Risk Products List.

4. Use global catalog product information in PGA
targeting logic to more accurately determine
jurisdiction and risk profile for each product by GTIN:
Automated PGA product targeting logic can be modified toevaluate the hierarchical product characterization class code ofeach GTIN and related product attributes of interest to a PGA.
Product information from the global catalog can be evaluatedby targeting systems for all products that have a GTIN or only
for high-risk products as identified by an HTS code.
Additionally, when a PGA determines categorically that a
product is inadmissible, that product GTIN could be added to a
“GTIN Prohibited Products List.” Importers could then accessthe Prohibited Products List on-line before they load products
into containers or conveyances bound for the US to avoid
processing delays at the border and the possible expense of reexporting or destroying these products at US ports of entry.
Similarly, PGAs could build a “GTIN High-Risk Products

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5. Establish a communication plan with industry to
explain the advantage of using electronic catalog
information to facilitate cargo admission: When PGAs
use product information available from an industry-maintained
global product catalog, determinations regarding jurisdiction
and risk can be made with greater speed and accuracy than for
those products that are not published in the catalog. However,
PGAs do not intend to mandate the publication of productinformation by suppliers or the submission of GTINs byimporters. Rather, suppliers and importers should find the costof voluntarily providing this information to be offset by a more
efficient e-commerce business process and expedited productadmission at international borders. PGAs, through the PGA
forum, will need to communicate to suppliers and importers
how they intend to use global catalog product information and
GTINs so that all suppliers and importers have the same
opportunity to expedite the admissions process for theirproducts. In short, the marketplace will promote the creationof catalog entries by suppliers and submission of GTINs from

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
importers when this information categorically expedites theadmission process at international borders.
ACTION POINT: If pilot testing validates the value of using
GTIN and related GDSN product information, the PGAs,
through ITDS, should work with CBP to build thesecapabilities into ACE. The PGA forum would then build acommunication plan to advise supply chain companies of how
PGAs will use GTINs and GDSN product information,
particularly the primary dictionary product characterization
information, to streamline the cargo admissions process at US
borders.

The business sector has developed these dictionary and catalog
solutions to create basic e-commerce functionality and willcontinue to drive their adoption forward for their own benefit.
Government leverage of these systems for government use inproduct admission and monitoring of incoming and outgoingproducts will only accelerate the speed of adoption, to themutual benefit of all. At the same time, implementation ofthese emerging e-commerce systems by ACE will not
immediately resolve all product admission challenges. But thefunctionality of this solution should grow stronger with eachyear of use and could serve as a model for other national
governments that seek similar advantages in managing highvolumes of international trade over the next decade.

SOUND SOLUTIONS THAT ARE STILL
MATURING
The recommendations above are sound and make efficient useof business-to-business e-commerce solutions to bring a newlevel of granularity and effectiveness to the government
product admissions process. However, the dictionaries and thecatalog services referenced here are still actively growing andmaturing, the oldest only 10 years old. Not all dictionaries
have effective product characterization structures for all
product sets. And although over 3.6 million products havebeen published in the GS1 global catalog and for some productsets more than 70 percent of the available products are likely
already published, this total is probably still less than 20
percent of the entire product “universe.” Descriptions formillions of additional products will need to be published before
characterization is routinely available to ACE and PGAs formost products of regulatory interest.

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I. BACKGROUND
What business problem is being addressed by thiscommittee report?
The International Trade Data System (ITDS) Product
Information Committee (PIC) was established by charter(APPENDIX B) to advise the ITDS Board of Directors on amethod to obtain more precise product characterization anddescription information for imported and exported goods.
A method that will more clearly describe internationallytraded goods will support more efficient and effective
review, release, and statistical analysis of traded products.
The role of PGAs in releasing product varies with theagency. Some, like the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), must determine if a product is legally admissible,
and admission decisions tend to be unconditional once theidentity of a product is known. Some, like the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) need to assess
which products represent the greater risk of pest
importation. Product information would be used by
USDA-APHIS to evaluate which products should betargeted for follow-up physical inspections or require
special chemical treatments. And some PGAs, like the
USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), needto physically inspect the condition of all incoming meatproducts. They will use granular product information tobetter anticipate the level of inspection that incoming
products will require in accordance with risk factors suchas fully cooked (ready-to-eat) versus uncooked product.
Page 7Regardless of their exact role in product admission, many
PGAs with statutory responsibilities for the importation andexportation of products will benefit from having
unambiguous, structured information about the products
being traded. This information can be used to makeautomated decisions about the level of inspection necessary
and to provide an accurate analysis of the various types of
products that enter and depart the United States. Althoughthe Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS)
and other characterization systems currently used bygovernment agencies are organized in accordance with thebasic characteristics of the product, none comprehensively
address the information needs of all PGAs for a broad setof products. In the case of the HTS, it is essentiallydesigned for the assessment of duties. The current systemdoes not provide sufficient detail about productcharacteristics to meet the more finite regulatory
requirements of many Federal agencies, especially thoserelated to public health and safety. In response, someFederal agencies have established stand-alone productcodes for goods under their jurisdiction (e.g., the Food andDrug Administration Product Code), but governmentunique codes have limitations in international trade.
Last year, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
amended the Lacey Act to make it unlawful to importcertain plants and plant products without an importdeclaration. To manage product compliance under theLacey Act, products need to be identified with more
precision than just a tariff category. Therefore, PGAs needboth internationally valid product characterization

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
information and precise product identification to efficiently
manage their responsibilities for cargo admission.
The recommendations of the committee are offered tocreate “smarter” cargo processing capability within the
ACE system. ACE and its precursor systems began
operating long before the advent of the Internet and today’s
electronic commerce capabilities. If an automated system
for monitoring product flow into and out of the US were to
be built today for the first time, government or private
industry would likely design it using existing e-commercecapabilities, including the global product identification
numbers that originated in the early 1970’s. The
recommendations offered by this committee will require afocused implementation effort to integrate e-commerce
data, but these data flows will dramatically upgrade the
PGAs’ ability to provide rich reports on productmovements into and out of the US and most importantly,
accurately determine agency jurisdiction and public healthand safety risk profiles for incoming products. Also
important, these recommendations promote an approachthat can be used internationally by other governments,
creating additional efficiencies for industry and worldcommerce. Successful implementation efforts from thiseffort should be shared and further refined with the World
Customs Organization (WCO) and the United Nations
Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business(UN/CEFACT).

for screening products at US borders today was applied toscreening incoming passengers at US airports. Borderagents would be making decisions about admitting
passengers knowing only that an incoming flight had acertain number of people of each nationality on board, but
without knowing the names of each person. Today Federal
agents that admit cargo at borders often do not know theunique identity of individual products, only the tariff codethat applies to the product. Tariff codes do provide somehigh level product characterization, similar to knowing apassenger’s nationality, but the purpose of tariff codes isthe accurate assessment of duties on imports, and they are
not conducive to systematically analyzing products forinherent risk or admissibility. Fortunately, suppliers today
electronically publish structured product characterizations
about their products because of their value for business-tobusiness e-commerce. And this emerging body of productcharacterization information can be integrated into ACE,
either by the direct submission of product code andattribute information or the submission of the product’s“name” or Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) that can beused as a reference to this published characterization
information. The submission of the GTIN will be the more
efficient submission, since the GTIN is always a 14-digit
number, but the submission of product characterization
code and attribute information involves a variable numberof data fields.

To understand the core value of these proposals and theirpotential impact on product admission, consider thepassenger admissions process. Imagine if the same process

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
What range of product information is included or
excluded?

PGAs are seeking more granular product information to
make informed decisions about the release of incoming
products into the United States. Information related to thisdecision can vary with each product shipment, such as theintended purpose for the import or its arrival date.
Typically this type of transactional information is alreadyavailable in the ACE system and is excluded from thescope of these recommendations. Other information,
however, that is typically static for every product shipment,such as the global product identification number, producttype, product name, and brand name, are not yet in the
ACE system. The recommendations of this committee areintended to provide this static product description andcharacterization information to PGAs in a manner that will
minimize the reporting burden on the supply chain andonce proven, can be readily scaled to an international level
through the WCO and the UN/CEFACT.
The committee quickly identified a number of criticalconcepts that must be commonly understood when
discussing product information. There are three basic typesof product information:
Page 9minimally processed beef without added ingredients);
andProduct Description – information that objectively
describes a specific product (e.g., the length, width, andheight of the shipping case).

Also, there are two services or roles that can be carried out
by a third party involving product information:


A Dictionary – a standard framework for defining a
product set’s distinguishing characteristics; andA Catalog – a repository of product information about
specific products in the supply chain.

In short, a dictionary tells a supplier how to describe theirproduct in a standardized way (what attributes and values
can be used), and a catalog tells a buyer what dictionary
product characterization values the supplier believes mostaccurately describe their product in the market place.
Other terms reviewed by the committee may be valuable ina more detailed, technical discussion of productinformation and are found in APPENDIX C.

Product Identification – information that uniquely
designates a specific product from a single supplier(e.g., Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) or supplierpart number;
Product Characterization – information that denotes
the key features of the product group (e.g., edible,

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT

II. PGA PRODUCT INFORMATIONREQUIREMENTS
What product information is required by PGAs?
Before reviewing any product dictionaries, all PGAs
participating in the committee were asked to define theproduct information of value in managing the principal
product sets of concern to them at US borders. TABLE 1
on the following pages shows the information of value forsample product sets as determined by the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the EPA, the Fish andWildlife Service (FWS), the USDA Agricultural Marketing
Service (USDA-AMS), the USDA-APHIS, and the USDAFSIS.
The specific information of interest to PGAs, of course,
varies with each product set. But all properties either placethat product in or out of the scope of jurisdiction or provide
a critical piece of information in assessing a product’s legal
admissibility status, health risk, or safety risk. For
example, USDA-AMS needs to know the botanical varietyof table grapes to determine whether the grapes are legally
subject to quality inspections under US marketing orderregulations. And USDA-FSIS needs to know whether
imported meat and poultry products are cooked or
uncooked to assess their overall level of health risk to theconsuming public.

product characterizations because product classification
tends to be company specialized and often "sensitive" forhigh-value specialized parts. As one might expect,
automotive products are not well described by any one of
the three global dictionaries. In the case of automotive
products, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) considered the use ofinternational product characterizations but found that theexisting HTS numbers are sufficient at this time for theiradmissibility determinations.
Another factor that becomes evident in the limited
examples provided in TABLE 1 is the overlapping
jurisdictional interests of the PGAs for the various productsets. Because of the diverse missions of PGAs, several
PGAs typically have an interest in any one product set.
And in these cases, PGAs typically have different interests
in product properties to determine final jurisdiction andadmissibility. A map that defines overlapping PGA
jurisdictions, and ultimately the product properties for eachproduct set, would help PGAs collaborate to establish clear
and non-conflicting guidance to importers and suppliers for
all products.

For some product sets such as automotive vehicles andparts, industry has not made extensive use of international

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTTABLE 1 - Product Information of Interest to PGAs for Selected Product SetsClass(es) to Which
Property Applies
ANTIQUES, WORKS OF
ART
ATVs, SNOWMOBILES,AND OTHER OFF-ROAD
VEHICLES

Property Name

Definition

PGA

SPECIESTYPE OF SEATThe species of animal from which the component was derived (e.g,. elephant,
sea turtle)
The style of seat provided for the operator

FWS
CPSC

TYPE OF CONTROLThe style of steering and speed controls provided for the operator

CPSC

NUMBER OF WHEELSThe number of wheels on the product

CPSC

TYPE OF ENGINEThe kind of engine used to power the product

CPSC/EPAAGE GRADE

The target age group that the vehicle is sized for

CPSC

TYPE OF CHEMICALThe class of the chemical

CPSC

AGE GRADE

The target age of the consumer

CPSC

INTENDED USE

The type of use that the product is marketed for

CPSC

CONTAINER TYPE

The kind of container that the product is sold in

CPSC

CERTIFICATION

The third-party certifications that the product has

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the product was derived

SOURCEThe source of the animal (wild or domesticated)DATES

SPECIESThe genus and species of plant that produced the fruit

DYES, COLORING

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the product was derived

EDIBLE PRODUCTS FROMANIMAL ORIGIN

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the product was derived

SOURCESCIENTIFIC NAME

The source of the animal (wild or domesticated)
The genus and species of plant from which the product was derived
The degree to which the product has been further processed (e.g., fresh,
whole, cut-up, frozen, dried, preserved, fully milled)
The portion of the plant used in the product (e.g., whole fruit, vegetative
above-ground portion, underground portion, flower, seed/grain, nut, bean)
The intended use of the product (e.g., for human food, animal feed, further
processing, research, or pharmaceutical)

CPSC
FWS/USDAAPHIS
FWS/USDAAPHISUSDA-AMS
FWS/USDAAPHIS
FWS/USDAAPHISFWS
USDA-APHISCONSUMER CHEMICALSCOSMETICS, OILS,SOAPS, WAXESEDIBLE PRODUCTS FROM
PLANT ORIGIN

PROCESSING LEVELCATEGORY
END USE

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USDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHIS

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTClass(es) to Which
Property Applies

Property Name

MANUFACTURERS TREATMENT/COOKINGPROCESSThe processes applied to the product to prevent pest introduction (e.g.,
fumigated, cold treated, or pre-cleared)
The processes used by the supplier to preserve or transform the products
into the commercially desired form.

PART OF EGG

The portion of the egg contained in the final product.

EDIBLE

Whether the egg is fit for human consumption

SOURCEThe source of the animal (wild or domesticated)

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the product was derived

RESTRICTED

Dirty, stained, and/or cracked shell eggs for breaking and processing

INCUBATOR REJECTS

Eggs that have been fumigated or subjected to incubation

DENATURED STATUS

De-characterized to prevent use as human food

PHYTOSANITARY TREATMENTS

EGG PRODUCTS

Definition

EGGS FOR PROCESSINGSPECIESPGA
USDA-APHISUSDA-FSIS/
USDA-APHISUSDA-FSIS/
USDA-APHISUSDA-FSIS/
USDA-APHIS
FWS/ USDAAPHIS
FWS/ USDAAPHISUSDA-AMS/
USDA-APHISUSDA-AMS/
USDA-APHISUSDA-AMS/
USDA-APHIS
FWS/ USDAAPHISFRESH FRUITSSPECIES STATE OF ORIGINFRUIT SPECIESThe species of fish from which the product was derived
For salomonid fish, type of preparation (eviscerated, uneviserated, etc.) todetermine injurious status
The U.S. state of origin of the species for exports
The genus and species of plant that produced the fruit

FUELS

FUEL CATEGORY

The type of fuel (e.g., kerosene, naptha, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline)

EPA

HAZARDOUS WASTE
HAZELNUTS, WALNUTS,PEANUTSTYPE OF HAZARDOUS WASTE

The category of waste product

EPA

PROCESSING METHOD

Roasted or non-roasted

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the item was derived.

SOURCE

Source of the animal (wild, domesticated)

SPECIESThe species of animal

SOURCE

Source of the animal (e.g, wild, domesticated)FISH

HIDES, SKINS, LEATHERGOODS, FUR GOODS
LIVE ANIMALS

Page 12METHOD OF PREPARATIONFWSFWSUSDA-AMS

USDA-AMS
FWS/ USDAAPHIS
FWS
FWS/ USDAAPHIS
FWS

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTClass(es) to Which
Property Applies
LIVE INSECTS AND
WORMS

Property Name
The species of insect or worm

USDA-APHISSOURCE

USDA-APHISINTENDED USE

Source of the insect or worm (e.g, wild, domesticated)
The species of microorganism that the product was derived from
Whether the product is considered capable of producing infections (e.g.,
infectious or non-infectious)
The purpose for which the product is designed (e.g., human or animal use)

SPECIESThe species of animal that the product was derived from.

INFECTIOUS STATUS

LEVEL OF COOKINGREFRIGERATION STATEBONELESS CLAIM
EDIBLE MEAT AND
POULTRY

PGA

SPECIESSPECIESMICROORGANISMS(Bacterial, Viral, and Fungal)

Definition

NON-THERMAL PRESERVATIONSOURCEFORM
SHAPE
PRIMARY ADDITIVEMECHANICAL PROCESSING

USDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHIS
FWS/ USDAAPHIS/
USDA-FSISThe extent to which heat is used to preserve product quality and maintainwholesomeness.
The extent to which heat is removed to preserve product quality.

USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSIS

The presence or absence of bone in the product.
Treatments other than those involving heat or refrigeration to preserve
product quality and maintain wholesomeness.
The derivation of the product from either a system of animal husbandry orfrom natural populations.
The basic content of the product in terms of whether it is muscle, bone,organ, fat, etc. The form of whole muscle products is also determined in partby the meat cut attribute definition.
The appearance of the product in terms of its outline as viewed from the front,
side, and top.
The primary non-meat ingredient added to the product.
Treatments other than those involving heat to tenderize the product, separate
meat from non-meat, or alter the product size and appearance.
The species from which components are derived (i.e. elephant ivory piano
keys, sea turtle inlay on guitars, mother-of-pearl inlay, leather drum covers)

USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSISFWS
USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSISMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

SPECIESOZONE DEPLETING
SUBSTANCESTYPE OF SUBSTANCE

The chemical family that the product belongs to

EPA

TYPE OF DEVICE

Any instrument or mechanical contrivance (other than a firearm) which isintended for trapping, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest or any otherform of plant or animal life (other than man and other than bacteria, virus, orother microorganism on or in living man or other living animals)

EPA

PESTICIDAL DEVICES

Page 13

FWS

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTClass(es) to Which
Property Applies
PESTICIDES

Property Name
TYPE OF PESTICIDESPECIES OF INGREDIENTPET FOOD INGREDIENTSOF ANIMAL ORIGIN

PHARMACEUTICALSINTENDED USE

EPA
USDA-APHISUSDA-APHISCOUNTRY OF ORIGIN
SPECIES OF INGREDIENT

The species of animal/plant that the product is derived from

USDA-APHISINTENDED USE

The purpose for which the product is designed (e.g., human or animal use)
The process used to prevent the introduction of pests (e.g., time andtemperature and pH chemical treatments)
The genus and species that the product is derived from
Fresh materials (e.g., cut flowers) or dried materials (decorative use or timberindustry material)
For use indoor, outdoor, further manufacturing, research, propagative (forplanting/increase – nursery stock & seeds for sowing, animal bedding,
The processes applied to the product to prevent pest introduction (e.g.,
fumigated, cold treated, or pre-cleared)
Treatment method used to preserve product quality

USDA-APHISMITIGATION TREATMENTSCIENTIFIC NAME
CONDITION
END USEPHYTOSANITARY MEASURESPROCESSED OLIVESPROCESSING METHODPRUNES, RAISINSCOATED WITH FLAVORING
SPECIESSHELLFISH

Any chemical substance or mixture of chemical substances intended forpreventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest; any chemical
substance or mixture of chemical substances intended for use as a plant
regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; and any nitrogen stabilizer The species of animal that the product was derived fromPGA

The purpose for which the product is designed (e.g., human or animal use)
The process used to prevent the introduction of pests (e.g., time andtemperature and pH chemical treatments)
The country that the product is

MITIGATION TREATMENT

PLANT MATERIALS INEDIBLE

Definition

IMMEDIATE USE AFTER IMPORTThe type of coating used to flavor the product
The species of shellfish as defined in 50 CFR Part 14.
The immediate use of the shellfish after import (i.e. human or animal
consumption or grow-out)

USDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-APHISUSDA-AMS
USDA-AMSFWSFWSTABLE EGGS, EGG
PRODUCTS, HATCHING
EGGS, EGGS FOR
PROCESSINGSPECIESThe genus and species of the birds that produced the eggs

REFRIGERATION STATEThe extent to which heat is removed from the atmosphere of the transportand storage unit

USDA-AMS/USDAFSIS/FWS
USDA-AMS/
USDA-FSISTABLE GRAPESVARIETY

The variety of plant that produced the grapes

USDA-AMS

Page 14

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTClass(es) to Which
Property Applies

Property Name

DefinitionPGA

TEXTILES, FABRICS,
WEARING APPARELSPECIESThe species of animal from which the item was derived.

FWS

SOURCEFWSTOXIC SUBSTANCESTYPE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCE

Source of the animal (wild, domesticated)
Chemical substances subject to TSCA

PLAY TYPE

Seven main categories as defined by "Age Determination Guidelines"

CPSC

AGE GRADE

Six Age Grades the product is designed to be used

CPSC

BATTERIES/ELECTRONICS

Whether the product involves the use of batteries or electronicsCPSC

CERTIFICATION

Third-party certifications (If a limited number of these, each could be its own
property)

CPSC

TOYS

EPA

VEGETABLESVEGETABLE SPECIESThe species of animal used in the toy (e.g., brine shrimp, frogs, turtles,
insects)
The genus and species of the plant that produced the vegetable

VEHICLESTYPE OF VEHICLE

The class of the vehicle

EPA

TYPE OF ENGINEThe kind of engine used to power the vehicle

EPA

SPECIESThe species of animal from which the component was derived.

FWS

SPECIESWATCHES,WATCHSTRAPS, CLOCKS

Page 15FWS
USDA-AMS

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT

III. RECOMMENDED GLOBALPRODUCT DICTIONARIES
What recognized international and regional productinformation systems are recommended for use?
The committee found three comprehensive global productinformation systems, referred to as “dictionaries,” in use bycommercial companies: the GS1 Global Product
Classification (GPC), the United Nations Standard Productand Service Code (UNSPSC), and the eCl@ss. Because of
their different origins and features, each of these
dictionaries has different strengths in their ability tocharacterize different product sets. A summary of thesedifferent strengths, as assessed by the dictionary
maintenance organizations (DMOs) themselves, is found in
TABLE 2 below.
Because of these differences in dictionary strength and thediverse range of product sets that need to be assessed by
PGAs, all three dictionaries should be reviewed by PGAs,
but PGAs should work through a PGA forum to designate a
primary dictionary for each product set of interest. This
designation will provide industry with a focus forcharacterizing its products, and also allow PGAs toconcentrate their resources on monitoring and revising one
dictionary instead of two or three. Useful functionality inother dictionaries should be migrated through change
requests to the designated primary dictionary wheneverpossible.

Page 16

Product information systems that operate in specificregions of the globe such as the US Food and Drug
Administration Product Codes do provide a useful view of
product differences for specific product sets. However,
because of the relatively narrow scope of product coverageand the general lack of international recognition and usage,
regional systems are not recommended as part of a longterm solution. Instead, industry and government should
work to identify and migrate useful characterizations fromthese regional systems into the appropriate global
dictionaries through the DMO’s change request process.
How should the PGAs work together to effectively useinternational product information systems?
The ITDS Board should assist PGAs in establishing an
authoritative PGA forum. Initially this forum could besponsored by the ITDS Board, but other sponsors such as
CBP may be needed once the mission of ITDS is complete.
This forum will allow PGAs to coordinate designations of a
primary dictionary for each product set and interact withdictionary maintenance organizations to refine andmaintain a dictionary’s functionality for government use
over time. PGAs should:
1. Communicate to industry and DMOs with a single
voice regarding product characterization initiatives;
2. Coordinate their review of the impact of proposedchange requests under consideration by DMOs;

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
3. Develop a definitive mapping of PGA jurisdiction
by product set, as defined by HTS and ultimately
product characterization codes;
4. Develop for each product set a single collection of
product properties that meets the interests of all PGAs
with product jurisdiction; and5. Ensure the efficient use of PGA resources in thereview and revision of dictionaries by pooling resourcesfrom smaller and larger PGAs whenever possible.
PGAs active in the forum will need to commit to:
1. Working through the PGA forum to coordinate all
primary dictionary designations and any proposedchange requests for DMOs; and2. Assessing the impact of change requests proposedby the industry or by other PGAs in the forum on the
PGA’s mission; and3. Providing resources to the forum as necessary toeffectively support the product information interests of
the PGA.
Although no one dictionary is consistently superior to allothers for all product sets, the GS1 GPC is a useful starting
point for product characterization because of its required
use in the existing GS1 GDSN global catalog (discussed in
Section IV) – suppliers are required to characterize eachpublished product using the GPC. This consistent

Page 17characterization of products using the GPC adds special
value for PGAs. However, for certain product sets, the
UNSPSC and the eCl@ss dictionaries provide essential
information not presently found in the GPC. Productcharacterization codes from the UNSPSC and eCl@ss canbe published in the GDSN along with the GPC, so thestrengths of all three global product dictionaries can bereadily available to PGAs. Automated tools for crossreferencing product codes from one dictionary to anothernow exist to facilitate supplier and PGA code crossmapping from one dictionary to another. But even with anautomated tool, only the product owner can validate andpublish authoritative product characterization codes andvalues in the GDSN for a given product.
As part of the Committee’s interview process withdictionary maintenance and global catalog organizations,each organization was asked to complete a Capabilities
Profile Statement. These statements included a series ofquestions that addressed the organization’s background,product coverage, industry adoption, change request
process, legal restrictions, and other topics of interest to theCommittee. Each organization’s written response to thesequestions is included in this report as APPENDIX D
through APPENDIX G to provide a complete record of theorganization’s capabilities and additional background about
the organization and its services.

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTTABLE 2- Relative Strengths of Global Dictionary Product Set Coverage as Rated by Dictionary
Representatives

HTS SECTION

Page 18

DICTIONARY COVERAGE(“S”=Strong; ”M”=Moderate;“–“ = No Coverage)

PRODUCT SET

GS1 GPC

UNSPSCeCl@ssSection 1

Live Animals; Animal Products

M

M

M

Section 2

Vegetable Products

S

S

M

Section 3

Animal or Vegetable Fats, Oils, and Waxes

S

M

M

Section 4

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Vinegar, And Tobacco

S

M

M

Section 5

Mineral Products

‐‐

M

M

Section 6A

Chemical Products

‐‐

M

S

Section 6B

Pharmaceutical Products

M

M

S

Section 7

Plastic and Rubber Products

‐‐

M

S

Section 8

Leather, Fur, Travel Goods, and Handbag Products

M

M

M

Section 9

Wood, Cork, and Straw Products

M

M

M

Section 10

Wood Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Products

M

M

S

Section 11

Textile Products

S

M

M

Section 12

Footwear, Headgear, and Umbrella Products

S

M

M

Section 13

Stone, Plaster, Cement, Asbestos, Mica Ceramic, and Glass Products

S

M

S

Section 14

Pearl, Precious or Semiprecious Stones, Precious metals, Imitation Jewelry, and Coin

M

M

‐‐

Section 15

Base Metals and Base Metal Products

‐‐

M

S

Section 16

Machinery, Mechanical Appliances, Electrical Equipment, Sound Recorder and Television Products

S

M

S

Section 17

Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Transport Equipment

‐‐

M

M

Section 18

Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring, Checking, Precision, Medical Or Surgical Instruments; Clocks And
Watches; and Musical Instruments

M

S/M

S

Section 19

Arms and Ammunition

M

M

‐‐

Section 20

Furniture, Bedding, and Lamps, Toys, Games, and Sports Products

S

M

‐‐

Section 21

Works of Art, Antiques, and Collector’s Pieces

S

M

‐‐

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT

How well do the different dictionaries provide theinformation of interest to PGAs?
Key product sets of interest to PGAs were reviewed andscored to assess how well the HTS code, UNSPSC, GPC,
and eCl@ss provided the specific product information ofinterest to the PGA. For meat and poultry products, theGPC provided the richest set of information to USDAFSIS. This alignment is due in part to USDA’s
involvement in recent change requests to revise the GPC
meat and poultry product characterization codes to better
meet supplier, retailer, and government needs and shows
the potential of industry product codes to meet government
interests.
The eCl@ss product dictionary appears to offer morecomprehensive coverage of chemical substances than thetwo other global dictionaries, as validated by the EPA. For
the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), theGPC with its strengths in consumer products, provides
useful information of interest to CPSC about toys. And for
USDA-AMS, only the UNSPSC currently provides the
botanical variety that the agency needs to make decisions
about regulatory jurisdiction. Detailed results showing theextent to which existing global dictionaries met the PGA’s
requirements are included in TABLE 3 on the next four
pages.

their present state, the GPC is strongest with consumeroriented products; UNSPSC is strongest with agricultural
products; and eCl@ss is strongest with chemicals andheavy machinery products. When suppliers characterize
their products using these dictionaries and publish that
information in a global catalog, PGAs can use product
GTINs to access this information. PGAs can then use thisricher, detailed product information in their jurisdiction andtargeting algorithms to make more precise, automateddecisions about product admission than what is currently
possible using only the HTS code.
When products are found to be inadmissible, they could be
added to a “GTIN Prohibited Products List.” This list
would provide the GTIN of each product determined to beillegal for importation into the US and the PGA making
that determination. Importers could be alerted at the timethey provide manifest information to Customs whether anyof the product GTINs they have submitted have alreadybeen determined to be illegal for importation. Importers
could refer to an on-line copy of the Prohibited Products
List even before loading products into containers orconveyances bound for the US to ensure that these products
don’t require expensive re-exportation or destruction once
delivered to the US port of entry. Similarly, PGAs could
maintain a “GTIN High-Risk Products List” that can belegally imported but that typically merit close inspection or
special follow-up action by PGAs during the admission
process.

The primary dictionary for each product set will need to be
determined in concert by all PGAs with common
jurisdictional interests, but general indications are that, inPage 19

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTTABLE 3 - Relative Strengths of Global Dictionaries in Characterizing Products of Interest to
PGAs
USDA, FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION SERVICEFOR THE PRODUCT SET EDIBLE MEAT AND POULTRYINFORMATION DESIRED BY PGA:UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

HTSWhat Species?

What State ofRefrigeration?

Is It Boneless?

What Cut of Meat?

What Level of
Cooking?

Is It Domestic or
Wild Stock?

02XX.XX.XX

02■■.XX.■■

02■■.■■.XX

02XX.■■.XX

02XX.■■.■■

Not DefinedNot Defined

Reported for all products?

Y

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

N

N

N

N

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

B

B

I

I

N

N

Species information typically in
Chilled, frozen, or shelf‐stable
02 = chilled, frozen, or shelf stable
positions 2 and 3, but may also be defined with various values inedible meatsin positions 7 and 8.
positions 3 thorugh 6.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

GS1 GPC

General part definitions such as
Bone‐in or boneless inconsistently
shoulder, loin, high‐quality cuts
reported with various values ininconsistently reported in positions
positions 5 and 6.
5 through 8.

5024XXXXXXXXXX■■

State of Refrigeration

Boneless Claim

Meat Cuts

Level of Cooking

SourceReported for all products?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

All hierarchy codes starting with
5024 are edible meat and poultry
products

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

UNSPSCSpecies is consistently reported inpositions 7 and 8 of the hierarchy Defined as Frozen, Chillled, andcode and is part of the Brick
Shelf‐Stable.
definition.

Defined as Yes and No.

Meat cut is defined in highaccuracy for all species that have a
United Nations cut identity
Separate codes for Raw/Uncooked, Separate codes forstandard. For other species, theBlanched, Partially Cooked, andDomesticated/Farm‐Raised or
Meat Form attribute provides an Fully Cooked.
Wild/wild‐Caught
approximate indication of the
products composition.

5011

5011XX■■

Not DefinedNot DefinedNot DefinedNot DefinedNot Defined

Reported for all products?

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

N

N

N

N

N

All hierarchy codes starting with
5011 are edible meat and poultry
products

Species is consistently reported inpositions 7 and 8 of the hierarchycode and is part of the Brickdefinition.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

1606 and 1614

XXXXXX■■

Not DefinedNot DefinedNot DefinedNot DefinedNot Defined

Reported for all products?

eCl@ss

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

Y

N

N

N

N

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

N

N

N

N

N

Remarks:

Page 20Is It Meat?

Species is consistently reported in
All hierarchy codes starting withpositions 7 and 8 of the hierarchy
1606 or 1614 are edible meat andcode and is part of the Brickpoultry products
definition.

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
FOR THE PRODUCT SET CHEMICALSINFORMATION DESIRED BY PGA: Is It a Chemical?
UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

HTS28, 2928xx; 29xx

Reported for all products?

YY

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

Strength of Characterization (Incomplete,
Basic, Strong)

S

S

Chemicals are found mostly in
Chapters 28 & 29 of the HTSUS.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

GS1 GPC

Many chemicals can be mapped to an
HTS code, but the level of mapping isvariable.

Not DefinedNot Defined

Reported for all products?

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

N

N

I

I

Strength of Characterization (Incomplete,
Basic, Strong)

No classes found for organic
chemIcals.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

123521XX

123521■■

Reported for all products?

UNSPSCY

Y

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

YStrength of Characterization (Incomplete,
Basic, Strong)

S

I

Separate classes for chemcial families
Organic derivatives and substituted
only, specific compounds notcompounds.
designated.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

39XXXXXX

3908■■■■ or 3905■■■■

Reported for all products?

eCl@ssY

Y

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

YStrength of Characterization (Incomplete,
Basic, Strong)

S

S

Remarks:

Page 21

What Class?

Chapter 39 includes classes oforganic chemicals.

Specific compounds can be mapped
to a single class by their family andstandard chemical name.

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTCONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
FOR THE PRODUCT SET TOYS
INFORMATION DESIRED BY PGA:UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

HTSWhat Play Type?

What Age Grade?

Are There Any
Third‐Party
Certifications?

95

95■■

Undefined

Undefined

Undefined

Reported for all products?

Y

N

N

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

N

N

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

I

N

N

N

95 = toys, games, and sports
equipment

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

GS1 GPC

9503, 9504, and 9505 specifies toys
as separate from sporting goods
equipment, but does not provide an No reference to age groups
adequate play type capability for
product review

No reference to use of batteries or
No reference to certifications
electronics

8601

8601■■

Consumer Lifestage

PoweredUndefined

Reported for all products?

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

Y

Y

Y

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

B

S

N

8601 = Toys and Games (7101 =sporting equipment)

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

UNSPSC

Each class is defined as Powered or
Detailed breakout of toy classes such
Separate codes for < 3 years, 3‐5 Non‐Powered as applicable;
as board games, dolls, costumes,
years, >5‐10 years, >10‐15 years, > Powered classes include PowerNo reference to certifications
musical tys, outdoor games, ride‐on
Source Attribute with values of
15 years, and All years
toys, etc.
Batteries or Main Electricity

6014XXXX

601499XX

Not DefinedNot DefinedNot Defined

Reported for all products?

Y

Y

N

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

Y

N

N

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

N

N

N

Remarks:6014 = Toys and games

eCl@ssUTILITY AS FOUND IN:

Several Classes

Generally defined as toys, games,
active play equipment, childern's
blocks and building systems, andNo reference to age groups
Dramatic play equipment, withspecific designations for each generalcategory .

No reference to the use ofbatteries or electronics

No reference to certifications

Several Classes

Age and Material
Attributes

Not Defined

Certifications

Reported for all products?

Y

Y

Y

N

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

N

N

Y

N

Y

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

B

I

B

N

Remarks:

Page 22Is It a Toy?

Does It Use
Batteries orElectronics?

Baby Toys (29140109) , parlour
games (243408XX) are defined;
Sporting equipment not found.

Baby Toys (21140109) , parlour
games (243408XX) are defined;
Sporting equipment not found.

Maximum age, Minimum age, and No classes or attributes reference
Material of Toy attributes.
the use of batteries or electronics

B
The attribute Certification isprovided for Parlour Games(243408XX) with 11 values such asBlue Angel, EN71, and CECC Markof Conformity; Not provided forBaby toys

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT

USDA, AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICEFOR THE PRODUCT SET FRESH GRAPESINFORMATION DESIRED BY PGA: Are They Grapes?
UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

HTS

0806.10

Not Defined

Reported for all products?

Y

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

B

N

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

0806.10 = Grapes, fresh

GS1 GPC

Type of Fruit

Not Defined

Reported for all products?

Y

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

BN

50101600 = Fruit,
Unprepared/Unprocessed(Perishable) with Type of Fruit =Grapes. Wine grapes notdistinguished from table grapes.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

503034XX

503144■■

Reported for all products?

UNSPSCY

Y

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

YStrength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)

S

S

503034 = Table grapes, withseparate codes for Wine and Raisin Class codes for 95 different cultivars
Grapes and organic and non‐of grapes.
organic grapes.

Remarks:

UTILITY AS FOUND IN:

16‐04‐03‐10

Not Defined

Reported for all products?

eCl@ssY

N

Determined by inspection of single
attribute?

Y

N

B

N

Strength of Characterization(Incomplete, Basic, Strong)
Remarks:

Page 23

What Variety?

Class code for Grape; no separatee
codes for Table, Wine, or Raisin
No attribute to define cultivars.
grapes.

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT

IV. USE OF A GLOBAL CATALOG TOACCESS PRODUCT INFORMATION
Where can government obtain authoritative productclassification information for existing products?
For efficiency, industry has supported the development of asingle e-commerce global product catalog through the GS1
Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). Thissystem allows sellers and buyers to align their masterproduct data electronically so that e-commerce transactions
can occur using a synchronized set of party and productinformation. The same product information that buyers use
to make decisions about which products to purchase canalso be used by government to resolve jurisdictional andadmission decisions regarding products entering the US.
To get access to this information, government will need tocontract with a GDSN-certified “data pool” service
provider such as 1SYNC or GXS to receive access to the
product information published by 17,000 suppliers forabout 3.6 million products identified by their GTIN. Datapool service providers are the “data sockets” thatcompanies and government plug into in order to publish or
consume data in the GDSN.
Using a GDSN-certified data pool service, government can
subscribe to a variety of descriptive information about eachpublished product, such as the product name, brand name,product description, and manufacturer as shown in
FIGURE 2 on page 4. Additionally, the catalog canprovide structured product characterization information inPage 24the form of a product class number and related productattributes. Integrating this product data into the ACE
system will make published product information for
millions of products available to PGAs for product risk
assessment and admissibility determination.
Although government typically seeks to encourage
competition whenever it can and avoid endorsing any one
solution over others, in the case of available global productcatalog services, the GS1 GDSN is the only catalog of its
kind. No other catalog attempts to provide support for abroad variety of industry segments. Because the GDSN ismaintained by GS1, a non-profit, voluntary consensus
standards body, and because a single global catalog is themost efficient solution for industry, government can use the
GDSN without reservation about competition. In fact, theUS government is already testing the ability of the GDSN
to support supply chain management. Since 2007, theDepartment of Defense (DOD) and Veterans
Administration have been expanding a GDSN datasynchronization pilot with healthcare product suppliers to
improve the acquisition and supply chain management of
medical supplies. And the Army and Air Force Exchange
Service and the DOD Defense Commissary are alreadyusing or planning to use the GDSN for supply chain
efficiencies. However, when selecting a GDSN-certified
data pool service provider, commercial options may beavailable. Therefore, when the government is ready tocontract with a data pool service for access to the GDSN
catalog data, that contract award may need to be conducted
on a competitive basis.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
Once a government agency contracts with a GDSNcertified data pool service for global product catalog
access, potentially hundreds of product data elements
become available. However, only about 25 or fewer data
elements will be of high value to government and will need
to be downloaded. These elements will typically be genericdata relevant for all product sets like product name, brandowner, product characterization code, and other generaldescriptive information. Some of the GDSN data elements
likely to be of interest to PGAs, and ultimately to CBP, arethe functional name, brand name, name of brand owner,trade item description, classification category code,
additional classification agency name, additionalclassification category code, trade item country of origin,and dangerous goods hazardous code.
Because only the product “owner” can enter data values forthe product into the catalog, all published data isauthoritative, that is, established by a known party that has
the best knowledge of the product. Furthermore, productowners have an inherent incentive to keep this informationas accurate as possible. This product information is usedby all existing and potential buyers. If products do notconform to published catalog information, buyers willquickly complain to the product owner about misleading
catalog information and could seek price adjustments or to
return the entire product shipment. Therefore, productowners have an on-going financial incentive to keep
published product information as accurate as possible.

and the GDSN registry is shown in FIGURE 3.
Government and the ACE service would appear to the
GDSN as another retailer, subscribing to productinformation of interest from its GDSN-certified data poolservice.

FIGURE 3: Data flow in the Global Data Synchronization
Network. ACE would function as another Retailer that
consumes product information published by Suppliers.

An overview of the information as it flows from suppliers
to retailers through the GDSN-certified data pool services

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V. RECOMMENDED DATA FLOWS AND
SYSTEM INTERFACES
How will the functionality of the product dictionaries andthe global catalog fit together to support the cargo
admissions process conducted by the PGAs?
An overview of the operational sequence envisioned for
integrating global product information into the cargo
admissions process is shown below:

STEP 1: Supplier uses global product dictionaries to associate
a product characterization code to the GTIN of their product.
While the GTIN identifies the product, the code indicates thenature of the product.
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STEP 2: Supplier publishes GTIN, product characterization
code, and other descriptive information to a global catalog.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTSTEP 3: Importer provides CBP with product GTIN as part ofother advance manifest information.

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STEP 4: ACE uses the GTIN to look up authoritative productinformation such as the product characterization code in the
global catalog.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTSTEP 5: Admission decisions are made by PGAs using
product characterization code and other descriptive productinformation in the ACE system.

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STEP 6: If GTIN or product information is not available, HTS
and other traditional criteria are used to determine productadmissibility.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
How will product information from the global catalog beelectronically accessed or transferred to ACE for PGA
use?
PGAs can access product information from the global
catalog in two ways. The first way is through datasynchronization. To use this method of access, new data
fields would be added to ACE for the product informationin the global catalog of interest to PGAs. Those fields
would then be updated automatically through machine-tomachine data transfer process known as global datasynchronization. PGAs would identify the set of data fields
in the GDSN that provides the most useful information to
PGAs in making jurisdiction and admission decisions. A
table in ACE would hold these data values and eachproduct GTIN would represent one row in the table. PGAs
would “subscribe” to products of interest by their GPC,UNSPSC, or eCl@ss product code. The GDSN-certified
data pool would then use the synchronization process tosend current product-owner-provided data to ACE for those
products. As new products are added or information about
the products is updated in the global catalog, the productinformation is updated automatically in the ACE data
fields. The data in this ACE table could then be used in
automated targeting logic by each PGA whenever incoming
products are identified by GTIN.

use a workstation with Internet access to securely access a
GDSN-certified data pool web service and enter the GTINof interest to the agent. The web service would return tothe agent’s screen a variety of information about the
product such as its international product characterization
code, the country or countries of possible origin, name of
the manufacturer, dangerous goods code, and HTS importcode as determined by the supplier of the product. The
information returned by the web service could becustomized to specific needs of the PGAs and could even
include images of the actual product.
A summary of the data flow using the data synchronization
process is shown in FIGURE 4 below. The figure shows
how product GTINs and global catalog information would
be used by PGAs and the trade to proactively manage
product admission into the United States.

The second way that PGAs could obtain productinformation from the global catalog is by using a web
service. This service would support ad hoc queries from a
PGA agent that seeks additional information about an
incoming product identified by GTIN. The agent would

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Resources

ACE

PGA

GS1

TRADE

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTFIGURE 4: Data flow across the ACE and global catalog using GTIN-based e-commerce product information

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VI. FINANCIAL IMPACTS
What one-time and recurring costs are expected forgovernment to access product information in the global
catalog?
There is no cost to government or industry to use GTINs
and international product characterization codes. The
framework that specifies their syntax and use is available
through public domain industry standards to industry andgovernment. (Suppliers do pay a cost-recovery fee starting
around $150 to GS1 to register their company in order toissue GTINs.) However, there is a fee to use theinformation system that serves as the global catalog.
Because a global catalog is an “on-line” information systemthat requires equipment and software to function, the costof establishing and maintaining this system needs to be
recovered from those who use it.
Typical global catalog users to date are commercial
companies such as suppliers, distributors, and retailers thatmove product through the supply chain. Those companies
that publish product information into the catalog and thosethat receive product information from the catalog pay anannual fee to support the catalog based on the company’s
annual trading revenue.
Because PGAs do not buy or sell products and have notpreviously been a consumer of global catalog information,
data pools will need to establish a reasonable rate forgovernment that allows the data pool to recover the cost of
supporting PGA access. Government use of global
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catalogs enhances the value that the global catalog provides
to commercial suppliers and retailers, in that products
published in the catalog become eligible for expedited
admission across international borders. Therefore, data
pools and the GS1 GDSN service have a special incentive
in accommodating the PGA’s access to the global catalog.
A reliable estimate for the cost of PGA access can only be
determined after pilots and further technical review of PGA
requirements. However, if government accessrequirements are no different than those of the largest datarecipient companies, the annual cost of access would likely
be the standard GS1 engagement fee for the US
Government of $40,000 annually.
Data pools also provide a basic level of integration support
service and tool kits to assist companies in establishing thedata synchronization process. Contractor services are alsoavailable at additional cost to provide more complete
support for companies establishing data synchronization for
the first time. However, large companies with IT staffs
commonly handle the synchronization process without
third-party assistance.
Other costs involved in receiving, storing, and using global
catalog product data within the ACE and the AutomatedTargeting System (ATS) will need to be borne by thegovernment. These costs would be those necessary forestablishing the data tables to store the product information,
for modifying the targeting logic to use available productinformation, and for creating new reports that provide
PGAs with jurisdiction and risk profiles as well as listing of
inadmissible and high risk GTINs.

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VII. REGULATORY IMPACTS
What regulatory actions are necessary for government
agencies to obtain access to the Global Trade Item
Numbers of incoming product shipments?
Government must know the GTINs of the incoming
products to accurately assess risks and determine productjurisdiction. The GTINs of incoming commercial products
are known to the buyer and seller, and are commonly
available in electronic messages or on hard-copy
documents that specify the case quantity of each GTIN ineach shipment or container. Using GTIN information, theACE system or a PGA agent could “look up” descriptive
product information provided by the supplier in the global
catalog and pass information to PGAs and CBP to be usedin automated targeting logic or to cross-check shipment
information such as the HTS code or the hazardous goods
rating.
Individual PGAs could promulgate rulemaking actions that,for designated product sets, require importers to report theGTINs for product sets where a PGA has the legal authority
to do so. However, segregating the GTINs for theseproduct sets from all other product GTINs would be moredifficult for importers than simply forwarding all GTINs ina shipment or container to the PGA. This type of exception
processing – providing GTINs for some products but notothers – will add additional cost and complexity to theentry process and is not recommended.

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As an alternative to PGAs individually promulgating rules
to obtain GTINs, CBP may have sufficient authority torequire the submission of all product GTINs for each
shipment or container in advance of arrival to better
manage general product risk. Providing all the GTINs in a
shipment or container to PGAs and CBP is simpler and lessburdensome for importers than segregating out a subset ofGTINs by product type. And there is lower risk for PGAs
and CBP when they have knowledge of all GTINs in a
shipment or container rather than just those that theimporter believes are subject to PGA legal authorities.
Ultimately, any legal requirement for importers to submit
product characterization or GTIN information will need tobe reviewed by legal counsel on a case by case basis. But
knowing the GTINs of products in each container will
provide special benefit to CBP, PGAs, and to shippers as
well, by allowing CBP and PGAs to target only thosecontainers with high risk product and allowing othercontainers to be promptly cleared.
Finally, because of this last point, importers may choose tovoluntarily submit GTIN information for incoming
shipments or containers. If PGAs can use GTIN
information to minimize the number of holds on productcontainers and reduce the cost and time required to moveproducts through ports of entry, the submission of GTINs
will generate its own reward. If importers see a consistenteconomic return when they submit GTIN information, they
will continue to do so without the need for regulatory
action by PGAs or CBP.

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What regulatory actions are necessary for ACE to obtain
access to the descriptive and characteristic productinformation in the Global Catalog?
With the government’s application for access to a GDSNcertified data pool service, the government will identify thedata attributes of interest for potential download to ACE.
Before any data is passed for the first time, the data poolservice will advise all suppliers of the data attributes to beaccessed by the US government and the government’s
intentions to use this information to expedite the movementof cargo across US borders. Other than applying as a
subscription recipient and defining the exact attributes to beaccessed, the government does not need to take any special
legal action to acquire the product information.
To suppliers that seek the efficient processing andmovement of products in the supply chain, thegovernment’s interest in accurate, authoritative productinformation is much like that of any other business partnerin the supply chain. Government is acting like any othersavvy business partner that seeks current, authoritative
product information to support its decision making.
Reputable suppliers will see nothing to fear, and only muchto be gained by having governments use the best available
product information to make accurate decisions about theirproducts moving in international commerce. Althoughsuppliers can always decline to authorize a government
subscription request, doing so will deny them theopportunity to share in the benefits of an e-commerceleveraged cargo admission process.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The ITDS Product Information Committee Chair wishes toacknowledge and thank the following people for theknowledge they shared and the key contributions they madeto the development of the recommendations contained inthis report.
John Blachere, CPSC
Max Castillo, FDA
Roy Chaudet, EPA
Susan Dyzel, CBP
Robert Ehinger, CBP Contractor
Sheila Einsweiler, FWS
Candace Funk, USDA-APHISDavid Giamporcaro, EPA
Roger Glasshoff, USDA-AMS
Ted Haas, UNSPSC
Jim Joholske, CPSC
Karen Kelly, AAEI
Mike Kelly, USDA-FSIS
Teresa Martinez, USDA-APHIS
Gerald Radack, Concurrent Technologies Corp.
Michiko Shaw, USDA - AMS
Mary Stanley, USDA-FSIS

APPENDICES:APPENDIX A – Listing of Acronyms
APPENDIX B – Product Information Committee Charter
APPENDIX C - ITDS Product Information Committee
Vocabulary
APPENDIX D – UNSPSC Capabilities Profile Statement
APPENDIX E– GS1 GPC Capabilities Profile Statement
APPENDIX F – eCl@ss Capabilities Profile Statement
APPENDIX G – GS1 GDSN Capabilities Profile Statement

Douglas Bailey, PIC Chair

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX A – Listing of Acronyms
AAFES
ACE
ATS
CBP
CPSC
DECA
DHS
DMO
DOD
EPA
FWS
HTS
GDSN
GPC
GTIN
ISO
ITDS
PGA
PIC
SKU
UN/CEFACTUNSPSCUPC
USDA
USDA-AMS
USDA-APHISUSDA-FSIS
WCO

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Army and Air Force Exchange Service
Automated Commercial Environment
Automated Targeting System
Customs and Border Protection
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Defense Commissary
Department of Homeland Security
Dictionary Maintenance Organization
Department of Defense
Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
Global Data Synchronization Network
Global Product Classification
Global Trade Item Number
International Standards Organization
International Trade Data System
Participating Government Agency
Product Information Committee
Stock Keeping Unit
United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business
United Nations Standard Products and Services Code
Universal Product CodeUnited States Department of Agriculture
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA Food Safety Inspection Service
World Customs Organization

April 2009

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX B – Product Information Committee Charter
CHARTER FOR THE ITDS PRODUCT INFORMATION COMMITTEE
July 2008
1.

OBJECTIVESThe International Trade Data System (ITDS) Product Information Committee (PIC) is established to advise the ITDS Board of
Directors on a method to obtain more precise product classification and description information for imported and exported
goods. A method that will more clearly describe internationally traded goods will support more efficient and effective review,
release, and statistical analysis for traded products. It will also facilitate the development of electronic processing systems thatwill share information among government agencies.

2.

BACKGROUND AND SCOPE
To facilitate international trade, Federal agencies of the United States government that have statutory responsibilities for theimportation and exportation of products need unambiguous, structured information about products being traded. This
information is needed to make automated decisions about the level of inspection necessary and to provide a basis for accurate
analysis of the various types of products that enter and depart the United States. Although the Harmonized Tariff Schedule(HTS) and other classification systems currently used by government agencies are organized in accordance with the basic
characteristics of the product, none comprehensively address the information needs of all agencies. In the case of the HTS, it
is essentially a system designed to ensure the accurate assessment of duties, taxes and fees. The current classification systemdoes not provide sufficient detail about product characteristics to meet the more finite regulatory requirements of Federal
agencies, especially those related to public health and safety.

3.

GUIDING PRINCIPLESIn all its actions and decisions, the committee shall strive to accomplish the following results:
1. Assist Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) in obtaining the necessary level of product information that willallow for the efficient and effective accomplishment of each PGA mission; andPage 36

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2. Ensure that all recommended solutions, policies, and procedures are customer-focused and appropriately balanced tomeet Federal government and commercial supply chain functional requirements and capabilities.
4.

ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERSHIP
The voting members of the PIC will be comprised of one member selected by each Participating Government Agency (PGA).
The PIC Chair may invite other interested parties to participate in PIC meetings to assist the members in the effective
accomplishment of the committee’s objectives.

5.

OFFICERSThe PIC Chair shall be appointed by the ITDS Board of Directors and shall preside over all committee meetings as a nonvoting member, except in those cases where a tie-breaking vote is needed. The PIC shall elect a Vice-Chair from the ranks ofthe voting members to assist the Chair in the performance of his or her duties. Election is by simple majority vote for a term of
12 months. Elected Vice-Chairs may serve consecutive terms.

6.

RESPONSIBILITIES
6.1

Responsibilities of PIC Members and Member Alternates
PIC members and/or member alternates have responsibility to:• Adequately prepare for, attend, and actively participate in all scheduled meetings.
• Be committed to performing tasks assigned by the PIC in a timely and professional manner.
• Vote as members, or as a member alternates when the member cannot be present, on all issues raised for a voteby the Chair.
• Possessing or providing for the requisite technical expertise necessary to assist the PIC in the review andassessment of systems and the development of implementation alternatives.

6.2

Responsibilities of the PIC Chair
The Chair shall preside over all PIC meetings and ensure that:

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
•
•
•
•
•
•

6.3

All PIC meeting dates, agendas, and locations (including call-in numbers) are communicated with adequate leadtime, typically one business week or more in advance;
Meeting minutes are documented, circulated for comment, approved, and retained;
Meeting facilities (room, conference phone, flip charts, projectors, etc.) are reserved;
All members and advisors have a fair opportunity to raise and discuss issues of importance to the Committee;
The perspectives of all members and advisors are considered in forging a consensus as to alternatives andrecommendations; andPIC findings and recommendations are appropriately documented and communicated to the ITDS Board of
Directors.

Responsibilities of the PIC Vice-Chair
The elected Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in the performance of the above duties. The Vice-Chair shall perform theresponsibilities of the Chair at PIC meetings when the Chairperson is not present

7.

MEETINGSThe PIC will hold regular meetings as necessary to consider and advance the accomplishment of the committee’s objectives.
PIC members and/or member designates are expected to attend each meeting either in person or via teleconference. The Chair
may invite additional parties with subject matter expertise to attend particular meetings.
7.1

Frequency
The PIC will establish a time on a designated week and day of the month for regular monthly meetings. Other
meetings may be called for as agreed by the membership or as determined by the Chair. In the event of other meetingscalled for by the Chair, every effort shall be made to provide as much advance notice as possible to all members.

7.2

Agendas for PIC Meetings
Agenda items from members shall be sent to the Chair at least one week prior to a scheduled meeting. At PIC
meetings, the Chair, in consultation with the PIC members and advisors, will further identify and prioritize items ofbusiness for the committee. The PIC will give priority to any business identified by the ITDS Board of Directors.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAs recommendations and reports of the PIC are finalized, they will be scheduled for presentation and discussion at
upcoming ITDS Board of Director meetings.
7.3

Minutes
The Chair will delegate responsibility for recording and retaining minutes of each meeting. The minutes will beelectronically distributed as promptly as possible after each meeting.

7.4

Voting
The PIC will work to build complete consensus on all findings and recommendations. In the absence of consensus, asimple majority of the voting members present at the meeting must concur in order for a recommendation to be
finalized by the PIC and presented to the ITDS Board.

8.

DELIVERABLES
The committee’s primary deliverables for the ITDS Board shall be its written recommendations on how to best provide
structured product classification and description information for use by PGA’s. The recommendations will include thebusiness requirements to be addressed, the concept of operations and data flows for proposed solutions, and a description theroles and responsibilities of government, the industry, and the custodians of the product information systems. Consideration
shall be given to the compatibility of proposed solutions with existing or planned international product information solutions
such as those sponsored or likely to be supported by the World Customs Organization or the United Nations. Other
deliverables related to the design, implementation, and use of structured product information may be assigned to the committee
at any time by the ITDS Board of Directors.

9.

MODIFICATIONS TO THE CHARTER
This PIC charter may be revised or amended should a clear and compelling reason for doing so arise. Modifications to the PIC
charter may be proposed by the Chair or any PIC voting member by submitting the proposed modification to the Chair at least
two weeks prior to the next PIC meeting for addition to the agenda for discussion at that meeting. Approval of themodification requires a favorable vote from at least three-fourths of the voting members present at that meeting where onethird or more of all voting members are present.

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10.

EFFECTIVE DATEThis PIC charter is effective immediately upon approval of the ITDS Board of Directors.

11.

TERMINATIONThe PIC operates under the authority of the ITDS Board of Directors. At such time that the PIC accomplishes its objectives
and recommends to the Board that its business is complete, or should the operation of the PIC in the opinion of the Board nolonger be effective in the accomplishment of the committee’s objectives, the Board shall dissolve the PIC by vote at a regularlyscheduled ITDS Board meeting.

Approved by the ITDS Board on July 17, 2008

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX C - ITDS Product Information Committee Vocabulary
The committee established a standard vocabulary list to ensure that all members consistently understood the meaning of terminology
used. Although this report avoids the use of technical jargon, the committee’s list of key terminology is included here should a more
technical discussion of the report’s content be necessary. The source of all terminology definitions are the International Standards
Organization (ISO) standards, primarily ISO/TS 22745, ISO 29002, and ISO 8000.
BASIC TERMINOLOGY
characteristic
distinguishing feature
ISO 9000:2005]
concept
unit of thought constituted by a unique set of necessary characteristics
data
re-interpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing[ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993]
data element
unit of data for which the definition, identification, representation, and permissible values are specified by means of a set of
attributes.
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.8]
objectanything perceivable or conceivablenecessary characteristic
characteristic that is always true of each object in the extension of a given concept

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTDICTIONARY TERMINOLOGY
concept contributor
organization that is the source for one or more terms, definitions or images associated with a concept
concept dictionary
collection of concept dictionary entries that allows lookup by concept identifier[ISO 29002-5]
concept dictionary entry
description of a concept containing, at a minimum, an unambiguous identifier, a term, and a definition
NOTE The description could consist of just a term and definition, but it could also contain other information elements.

[ISO 29002-5]
concept documentation change request (CDCR)
request to make a change to the terminology associated with a concept
NOTE Such a change could include adding a term, definition or image, marking a term, definition or image as deleted, or merging two concepts.

dictionary maintenance organization (DMO)
organization responsible for maintaining and distributing an open technical dictionary
new concept request (NCR)
request to add a concept to an open technical dictionary
open technical dictionary (dictionary/OTD)
concept dictionary that conforms to ISO/TS 22745-1
product characterization attributea property value pair that designates a value for a single characteristic
For example, Level of Cooking = Partially cooked[Common PIC Committee term]

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENT
product characterization code
a numeric code, typically 8 digits in length, that designates a basic group of products that share a set of similar characteristics
For example, 16060101 = Beef, minimally processed[Common PIC Committee term]
property value pairinstance of a specific value together with an identifier for a concept dictionary entry that defines a property
NOTE Adapted from ISO 8000-110.

CATALOG TERMINOLOGY
identification guide (IG)data specification that is in the syntax specified in ISO/TS 22745-30 and that uses concept identifiers from an open technicaldictionary
NOTE 1 An identification guide is typically maintained by an organization that receives data, e.g., a buyer or group of buyers.
NOTE 2 An identification guide is sometimes referred to as a "template of properties and rules".

international code designator (ICD)
The data element used to uniquely identify an organization identification scheme.
[ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.8]
master data
data held by an organization that describes the entities that are both independent and fundamental for that organization, andthat it needs to reference in order to perform its transactions
NOTE 1 Master data typically includes records that describe customers, products, employees, materials, suppliers, services, shareholders, facilities,
equipment, and rules and regulations.
NOTE 2 The determination of what is considered master data depends on the viewpoint of the organization.
NOTE 3 The term "entity" is used in the general sense, not as used in information modeling.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTEXAMPLE A credit card transaction is related to two entities that are represented by master data. The first is the issuing bank’s credit card account that
is identified by the credit card number, where the master data contains information required by the issuing bank about that specific account. The second
is the accepting bank’s merchant account that is identified by the merchant number, where the master data contains information required by theaccepting bank about that specific merchant.

[ISO 8000-102, 3.1.7]
global trade item number(GTIN)
A 14-digit product identification number established and managed by GS1 and composed of the company prefix, followed by
the item reference number of the product, followed by a Mod-10 checkdigit, that uniquely identifies a product in theinternational marketplace. Although a variety of barcode formats are approved for marking products and shipping containers,
the most common one seen in the United States is the Universal Product Code, or UPC-A, as shown below:[Common PIC Committee term]
stockkeeping unit (SKU)
an alphanumeric designation unique to an inventory control system that identifies an inventory item
NOTE Terminology databases that are linked to inventory control systems and manufacturing logistical systems include SKUs and part numbers, which
act as designations within the system representing the object in question. Hence they function much like terms and even take on the character of terms incommon discourse and text creation.
EXAMPLE For the catalog entry: "PLAID FLANNEL PANTS #5193 Sizes 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12", "#5193-6" represents a SKU for the item: Style number#5193, size 6.

[ISO 12620:1999, A.2.1.17.1]
part number
unique alphanumeric designation assigned to an object in a manufacturing system
NOTE Terminology databases that are linked to inventory control systems and manufacturing logistical systems include SKUs and part numbers, whichfunction as designations within the system representing the object in question. Hence they function much like terms and even take on the character ofterms in common discourse and text creation.

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTEXAMPLE Sample part numbers from a automotive power train manufacturing system, where each segment of the number represents a different
classification level within the system:
clutch cover 1 110 036 00 adriven disk flange 3 125 125 04 b
driven disk retainer plate 3 124 119 01 a
driven disk cover plate 3 122 234 00 c
diaphragm spring 4 220 100 00 g

[ISO 12620:1999, A.2.1.17.2]

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LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX D – UNSPSC Capabilities Profile Statement
The document that follows was provided by UNSPSC representatives to respond to committee questions regarding their capabilities as
a dictionary maintenance organization. It is included in this report as submitted to the committee to provide a complete record of theorganization’s capabilities and to provide additional background about the organization and its services.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION COMMITTEEDICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILENAME OF DICTIONARY: United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC)NAME OF DMO: GS1 US (1009 Lenox Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648)
GS1 US manages UNSPSC on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)CONTACT PERSON(S): Stephen R Arens
sarens@gs1us.org 609.620.4511
Customer Service: info@unspsc.org
www.unspsc.org
I. SCOPE OF PRODUCT COVERAGE:
How long has the dictionary been in use?
10 years
What industry sectors use this dictionary as their first choice for defining essential product characteristics?
Healthcare; Energy; Maintenance Repair and Operations; Information Technology;
Telecommunications; Mining; Building + Construction; Power Generation, Electronic
Components; Electrical; Medical Equipment, Office Supplies; Management and Business
Services.
Automotive Aftermarket preparing wide scale enhancements and use of UNSPSC.
Selected governments i.e. Republic of South Korea, Scotland, Australia, HM Revenue andCustoms, Honduras, Denmark, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, and others
The primary uses are by the procurement / purchasing and the catalog management
departments of companies, organizations and governments
Describe the strength of the dictionary in characterizing products using the separate page titled “Coverageby Product Set.” Enter “S” for Strong, “M” for Moderate, and two dashes (--) for incomplete or nocoverage. (See page 13)

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
II. DEPTH OF PRODUCT CHARACTERIZATION:
What hierarchy is used to organize and locate product classes?
UNSPSC has a four level hierarchy:
Segment
FamilyClass
Commodity
The UNSPSC classification process embodies a “bottom-up” approach, e.g., Class, Family andSegment structure is based on accurate Commodity identification which best reflects
marketplace realities.
(There is an optional fifth level called Business Function Identifiers (BFI) which the user canapply to items to identify the item or service’s role in the organization i.e. retail, wholesaler,leased, maintenance or repair, etc.)
Can each product class be represented by a short numeric product code?
Each codeset item is represented by a unique 8 digit code.
Does the dictionary support the use of attribute or property value pairs to further describe productclasses?
No
Is there a limit on the number of product classes in a hierarchy?
Segments: No limit (The 55 have been in place since the codeset’s start)
Families – 99 per Segment
Classes – 99 per Family
Commodities – 99 per Class(Under UNSPSC’s 55 Segments the content limit is 53,366,445 items. If needed, current
Segments could be sub-divided and new Segments proposed for addition which would increase
the overall capacity.)
The number of attributes supported?
NA
The number of values supported for a single attribute?
NAIII. LEVEL OF DICTIONARY ADOPTION:
For what use does the industry typically use the dictionary – spend analysis, category management,
product sourcing, etc.?
UNSPSC is used for procurement, spend analysis, asset management, catalog organization,
website organization.
What languages/tongues does the dictionary support?

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
English, French, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, Hungarian, Japanese,
Korean, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch.
What indications of active industry adoption and use are there?
UNSPSC Members are located in 45 countries. Recent download statistics indicate the codesethas been downloaded by users in over 175 countries.
UNSPSC records over 25,000 download instances of the codeset each year.
UNSPSC is contacted by industry and trade groups seeking to collaborate with UNSPSC toenhance / expand codeset content to meet their industry’s / members’ needs as they
implement the codeset. UNSPSC provides support where needed and works with the groups to
support their needs.

What level of use is seen for each region of the world?
The following information is from a UNSPSC survey of users (April, 2007).
North America – 49%
Europe – 30%
Asia / Australia / NZ – 10%
India / Africa – 3%South America – 6%Middle East – 2%
(A list of UNSPSC Members by Country is attached.)
Provide examples of how the dictionary is being used in international trade and what companies are usingit.
Most UNSPSC Members and Users use the codeset to support their procurement process andproduct information management needs; examples of UNSPSC Members are:TextronD&B

Sprint Corporation

Hong Kong Trade
Development

Monarch Paxar

Schlumberger

Agere Systems

Sub Zero / Wolf

Cleveland Clinic

American Express

Johnson & Johnson

Hagemayer Australia

Dell

BHP Billiton

GHX Europe

Hoffman-LaRoche

Office Depot

Ray o Vac

Centerpoint Energy

Canadian Coast
Guard

3M Sourcing

EgyptianInternational Trade

Caterpillar

Northrup Grumann

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Masco

A.P.Moller

Carlson Companies

Barrick Gold

Dow Chemical

Sun Microsystems

Consol Energy

PfizerRoche Diagnostics

Trinidad Drilling

Petro-Canada

Government of India

State of Delaware

General Motors

Novo Nordisk

Milliken & Co.

Hertz

Microsoft

Hagermayer UK

Ingersoll Rand

Government of
ScotlandWyndham worldwide

United States SteelGeorgia Pacific

IBM

Florida Crystals

MasterCard

HM Revenue &Customs

Wolseley

Government ofPanamaRepublic of Korea

Government ofAustralia

Government ofDenmark

Government of
CanadaGovernment of
Paraguay

Government of
Honduras

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
IV. LEVEL OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT:
How many supporting and/or voting members does the DMO have?
Across the 55 UNSPSC Segments there are 4265 Members representing 709 UNSPSC Member
organizations including commercial firms, academic institutions, local and national
governments, trade associations and standards organizations. 1049 Members have registered
to vote in selected Segments.
Typically what companies and industry sectors are the DMO’s leaders and subject matter experts drawn
from?
Healthcare
EnergyElectrical
Government
Classification / Taxonomists
Consulting Organizations
Standards Organizations
Software / application providers
What improvements or expansions are planned?
The Automotive Aftermarket industry under the leadership of the Automotive Aftermarket
Industry Association (AAIA) is planning major enhancements for various Segments utilized by
the industry. The complete scope of the changes is TBD.
Under consideration is a new “Financial Instruments” Segment to address the growing needsof the financial, securities, leasing and banking industries.
Our intentions and strategy are to continue creating industry and government consensus on
the “is” model level while collaborating with world class “is and has” models who are trying todevelop to UNSPSC’s level. UNSPSC is also researching and collaborating in the development oftechnological solutions that will reduce the cost and improve efficiency
The re-launch of UNSPSC’s Steering Committee. Initial recruitment is underway and the hope isto have the new committee in place in Q1 2009. (The previous committee experienced a waveof retirements and career changes; since then the codeset has been overseen by an Advisorygroup consisting of Members, Taxonomists, and experts. Also UNSPSC utilizes web based
survey and polling to monitor the needs of its Members and User communities.)

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
What is the business plan to sustain the organization’s goals?
UNSPSC’s objective is to operate on a cost recovery basis; the UNSPSC team reviews theMembership fees and other revenue sources to ensure adequate resources and funding andmakes adjust to support its needs.
UNSPSC does have access to GS1 US’ resources for management, marketing, technology,
Customer Service and financial services support which enables it to offer the codeset andsupporting services at a minimal cost.
Expand support of other GS1 organizations to extend UNSPSC’s global reach and use; while
selected GS1 organizations i.e. GS1 France, GS1 Korea, GS1 Japan, GS1 Norway and others
provide work with industries or companies in their country; UNSPSC plans to expand GS1
Member Organization support.
GS1 US is in the process of extending its UNSPSC management agreement with the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for another 5 years. (We do not see an issue with therenewal.)Page 6 of 13

ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
V. CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS:
Describe the Change Request (CR) Process?
UNSPSC Change Requests can be entered only by UNSPSC Members. Change Requests can be
Additions, Moves, Edits or Deletes. The UNSPSC Member describes the proposed Change, forexample, an addition of a Commodity to the codeset, provides a definition and a supporting
business case or statement for the change.
All Change Requests are reviewed prior to the voting period to ensure basic requirements are
met and then placed into the voting queue. Twice a year, Members vote on the Change
Requests (They can vote Approve, Approve with Reservations, or Not Approved.); votes aretabulated on a simple majority basis.
The “Approved” Change Requests are reviewed by UNSPSC’s consult ting Taxonomist to ensure
adherence to UNSPSC’s Guidelines and as a final quality assurance check; the items then areplaced into the codeset and assigned a UNSPSC number.
There is also a process for “Segment Reviews” which usually involve many members of anindustry (sometimes led by a trade association) when entire Segments are reviewed andupdated to reflect changes in the industry and its products and services requirements. UNSPSC
management needs to approve these Segment Reviews and may provide additional resources
to coordinate them. (There are no Segment Reviews underway now.)
All Change Requests are entered, reviewed and voted on through an on-line system.
How many CRs were submitted and processed in the past 12 months?

Version 10.1201
Version 11.0501

Submitted
5,400
14,316

Approved and Passed QA
4,307
13,658

Released
April, 2008
September, 2008

Total
19,716
17,965 (91%)
The normal Change Request period is usually 500-800 Change Requests; these two periods
were unusually high due to enhancements to Segment 50 (Food and Beverages and Tobacco
Products)
How many times in a year do you update the dictionary?
Twice a year (Additional minor releases can be accommodated.)
What are the eligibility requirements to submit a CR?
UNSPSC Members can submit CRs
May government entities submit CRs?
Yes; UNSPSC has many government Members. Examples are DHS, the states of Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Mexico, California, Louisiana, Indiana, etc. Other
government Members include Australia, HM Revenue and Customs Service, the Republic ofKorea, Nicaragua, Honduras, and others.
What are the eligibility requirements to vote on CRs?
When completing the UNSPSC Membership application, the Member indicates the Segments
they wish to vote in (There may be a limit to the number of Segments they are eligible forbased on their Membership category.) Government Memberships are eligible to vote on many
more Segments than Corporate Members due to the wide range of products and services they
provide.
How many vote on a typical CR?
It varies; in some categories it maybe 10 to 40 Members; in others fewer.
What is the average time to: Revise the definition for a commodity or attribute value;
Three months from the close of the voting period.
Add a new commodity attribute (if applicable); and Add a new commodity?
Three months from the close of the voting period.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
VI. LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON USE:
Is all dictionary content in the public domain?
Yes
What agreements must an organization sign to use the dictionary?
None required; but some prefer license agreement when integrating into software application.
(UNSPSC works with these organizations to provide an acceptable document at no charge.)
What limitations exist on the use of the content?
Cannot be resold “as is.” If additional information is added then it can be included in a product.
Is the DMO a not-for-profit organization?
Yes
Does the DMO meet the definition of a voluntary consensus standards body as defined by OMB Circular A119? A voluntary consensus standards body is defined by the following attributes: (i) Openness. (ii)
Balance of interest. (iii) Due process. (vi) An appeals process. (v) Consensus, which is defined as generalagreement, but not necessarily unanimity, and includes a process for attempting to resolve objections byinterested parties, as long as all comments have been fairly considered, each objector is advised of thedisposition of his or her objection(s) and the reasons why, and the consensus body members are given an
opportunity to change their votes after reviewing the comments.
Yes
VII. BARRIERS TO INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION:
What barriers might limit mid- or small-size companies from using the dictionary content?
None we are aware of.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
VIII. ELECTRONIC ACCESS:
What electronic methods exist for accessing dictionary content (e.g., transfer of data files, web service
real-time inquiries, etc.)?
Users can research UNSPSC codes for free on the UNSPSC website; all they need to do is enter
the text term and if there is a match the website will display the appropriate UNSPSC code
number.
Also, if the User has a UNSPSC code number and needs the description they can enter the code
number on the website and the system will return the appropriate description.
PDF versions of ALL versions and translations of the codeset are available at no charge on the
UNSPSC website.
Excel versions of the codeset (without the Audit files) are available to non-Members for anominal fee (Currently $50.00); an automated order and download application is available on
the UNSPSC website.
UNSPSC Members can access the Members Area of the website which contains Excel versions of
the codeset with the Audit file for easy migration from one version to another.

What data format can the dictionary content be provided in (e.g., XML, Excel spreadsheet, delimited file)?
Excel
How frequently could data files be obtained?
As needed; there are no limits or restrictions on Member or User access.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
What security controls are used to safeguard data integrity and to protect against unauthorized electronic
access?

The Members Area is ID and Password protected.
-

The site runs on a server which is secured behind a checkpoint firewall
The firewall controls access to the server and only allows regular http and secure httpconnections to the site/server
The database server resides on a different physical machine on a separate secure
network.
The connections between the database server and UNSPSC web server is also controlled
and secured
The site have a VeriSign data encryption security certificate for sensitive informationthat is transferred over the internet (e.g. Credit Card numbers etc)
The server which the site runs on has all current security patches
The site is also PCI (Payment Card industry) compliant.

What ISO standards for formatting and transferring data (e.g., ISO 8000 and 22745) do you currently
comply with or plan to comply with?
ISO 8000 does not affect us as it would require that users map and represent the data in our
ontology correctly to get certified. ISO 22745 will work alongside our code set as the productclasses are more granular (in most cases) than commodities and can be mapped and used as
an extension of our code set that includes attributes

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
IX. COST OF RECURRING ACCESS AND DATA TRANSFER:
What fees are charged to industry members to use the dictionary content? Please describe these fully andespecially in terms of:-Start up or “initializing” fees;
UNSPSC Members are charged an annual fee based on Membership Level / Category. This
Membership enables Members to propose and vote on Change Requests, access codesets with
the Audit Files to assess Changes from one version to another, participate in Information
Sharing Groups (new), receive the Members’ newsletter and have preferred access forquestions and inquiries.
Corporate Global: $6,000
Corporate Plus: $4,200
Corporate: $2,200
Corporate Individual: $300
Educational Institution: $500
Government:-State / National: $1650-Local: $1100
Trade / Standards Organizations: $ 0 (Non voting)
Educational Research: $45 (Non voting)-Connectivity, system interface, or testing fees;
None-Fees that are assessed by file size or have volume boundaries;
None-Fees assessed by number of requests or access frequency;
None-Any other fee or charge categories and their basis of operation.
None-Monthly overhead or minimum usage fees; andNone
X. DATA QUALITY:
What web site support tools, training, or other assistance is available to industry users who wish to define
their products using the dictionary?
A free on-demand webinar and supporting charts are available to interested parties.
UNSPSC Members receive the UNSPSC Guidelines for their use and reference.
The UNSPSC website contains a number of business / use cases and research papers describing
use of the codeset.
The UNSPSC website lists a number of firms / organizations around the world which provide
codeset support, services software.
UNSPSC has been piloting a “U.S.State Government Information Sharing Group” in 2008; thepurpose is to provide a forum where state governments can share information, advice,experiences, and plans. It has also served as a CR development resource to identify Segmentsof the codeset which need enhancement to meet the needs of local governments.
In selected situations UNSPSC will provide complimentary consulting support to assist key new
Members in implementing the codeset. (This is done at the discretion of management.)
How can industry users be certain they are properly applying dictionary terms when defining theirproducts?
There are a number of service providers which do support the application and use of thecodeset; they could perform quality checks for users or trade / industry groups could provide
this as a service to their members.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILESUMMARY:
What are the strengths of this dictionary?
Global industry acceptance and use. Inclusion as an option in leading ERP systems i.e. SAP,
Ariba, i2 and Oracle and in specialized software applications designed for spend analysis, thehealthcare industry, procurement, etc.
Flexibility and interest in supporting the development of new applications and use of thecodeset.
Affiliation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
A global network of users willing to share information with new / interested users.
10 years of acceptance and growth.
User Business Cases and research papers posted on the website for public access and use.
Periodic surveys of its Member and User communities to understand their industries,
applications, direction, and Segments of interest. These web based surveys provide insights
into the Member and Users which help guide future plans and development.
A global service provider community offering support and services for users of the codeset.
Trust in UNSPSC and GS1 US.
What are the weaknesses?
Some translations are lagging behind current versions but these are being addressed.
Some users need attributes but this is being addressed through collaboration with othercodesets and resources.
General Remarks or Comments:
UNSPSC is supported by GS1 US Customer Service staff, marketing resources, financial andtechnology staffs. Also, global support is provided by selected GS1 organizations which workwith local Members and Governments to promote the use of UNSPSC.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
COVERAGE BY PRODUCT SET(See Section I)
COVERAGE(“S”=Strong;”M”=Moderate;“–“ = No Coverage)HTS
SECTIONPRODUCT SET

Section 1

Live Animals; Animal ProductsM

Section 2

Vegetable Products

S

Section 3

Animal or Vegetable Fats, Oils, and Waxes

M

Section 4

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits,
Vinegar, And Tobacco

M

Section 5

Mineral ProductsM

Section 6

Chemical or Pharmaceutical ProductsM

Section 7

Plastic and Rubber ProductsM

Section 8

Leather, Fur, Travel Goods, and Handbag
Products

M

Section 9

Wood, Cork, and Straw ProductsM

Section 10

Wood Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard ProductsM

Section 11

Textile ProductsM

Section 12

Footwear, Headgear, and Umbrella ProductsM

Section 13

Stone, Plaster, Cement, Asbestos, Mica
Ceramic, and Glass ProductsM

Section 14

Pearl, Precious or Semiprecious Stones,
Precious metals, Imitation Jewelry, and Coin

M

Section 15

Base Metals and Base Metal ProductsM

Section 16

Machinery, Mechanical Appliances, Electrical
Equipment, Sound Recorder and Television
Products

M

Section 17

Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Transport
Equipment

M

Section 18

Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic,
Measuring, Checking, Precision, Medical Or
Surgical Instruments; Clocks And Watches;and Musical Instruments

S/M

Section 19

Arms and Ammunition

M

Section 20

Furniture, Bedding, and Lamps, Toys, Games,
and Sports ProductsM

Section 21

Works of Art, Antiques, and Collector’s Pieces

M

Page 13 of 13

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX E– GS1 GPC Capabilities Profile Statement
The document that follows was provided by GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC) representatives to respond to committee
questions regarding their capabilities as a dictionary maintenance organization. It is included in this report as submitted to thecommittee to provide a complete record of the organization’s capabilities and to provide additional background about the organizationand its services.

Page 60

April 2009

PRODUCT INFORMATION COMMITTEEDICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILENAME OF DICTIONARY: GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC)
NAME OF DMO: GS1
CONTACT PERSON(S): Art Smith, GS1 Canada
I. SCOPE OF PRODUCT COVERAGE:
How long has the dictionary been in use?
The GPC system of standard classification codes, business rules and attributes went live
for intial use by the Food & Beverage sector in 2003.
What industry sectors use this dictionary as their first choice for defining essential
product characteristics?
GPC was Sponsored and Developed by Global Retail Sector as one of the four building
blocks to the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) – Global Data Dictionary for
Product & Location (GDD), Global Product Classification (GPC), Global Registry (GR) andBusiness Relationship Data Exchange.










Food, Beverage, Tobacco
Home Care, Health Care – Retail Pharmacy (including over the counter part of(Health Care), Pet Care, Pet Food, Baby Care, Beauty Personal Care and Hygiene
Clothing, Footwear, Personal Accessories
General Merchandise (Furniture & Furnishing, Kitchen Merchandise, MusicalInstruments, Toys & Games, Stationery, Audio & Visual, Communication,
Computing, Printed & Reference Materials, Sports & Well being, Arts & Crafts,
Outdoor & Camping)
Hardlines / DIY (Lawn & Garden Supplies; Building Materials, Hardware; Tools &Equipment Hand; Safety & Storage; Electrical Supplies; Plumbing;Heat,Ventilation,Air Conditioning)
Automotive Aftermarket
Home Appliances

Describe the strength of the dictionary in characterizing products using the separate
page titled “Coverage by Product Set.” Enter “S” for Strong, “M” for Moderate, and two
dashes (--) for incomplete or no coverage.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
II. DEPTH OF PRODUCT CHARACTERIZATION:
What hierarchy is used to organize and locate product classes?
The Key Structural Component of the GPC is the Lowest Level called the Brick. The
business rules and definitions of the GPC Brick have been designed to enable users toassign every product bought and sold to a unique GPC Brick.
In the world of buying and selling products, each buying organization and sellingorganization typically has its own proprietary Merchandise Hierarchy and schema forbuying, merchandising, and selling products. The Brick designation (and its
corresponding attributes) was designed to allow each organization to map the Brick into
their respective internal proprietary Schema.
Having said that, the primary purpose of GPC is not a Hierarchy. In order to group the
Bricks in standardized framework, GS1 users have defined the need for a 4-level
hierarchy to identify all products from their segment (industry vertical) down to thecategory (brick) level. These levels include: Segment, Family, Class, Brick.
At the Brick level, additional attributes can be defined to provide further grouping
capability. For example, in the still wine category, wines can be further grouped bycolour.
Where necessary, standard values can be defined for individual attributes. Again, in thewine example, standard values for colour can be defined (red, white, rose).

The detailed product description characteristics are further defined with standardized
attributes (GDD) in the specific product master data record.

Page 2 of 13

ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILECan each product class be represented by a short numeric product code?
Yes, all bricks are represented by an 8 digit code.
Does the dictionary support the use of attribute or property value pairs to further
describe product classes?
Yes. At the Brick level, the dictionary also supports the standard definition of productattributes and their (standard) associated values.
Is there a limit on the number of product classes in a hierarchy? The number of
attributes supported? The number of values supported for a single attribute?
There is no limit on the number of product classes (bricks) or attributes or values thatcan be represented in the hierarchy. At this point in time, GS1 users have identified theneed for a maximum of 7 attributes for a given brick code.
III. LEVEL OF DICTIONARY ADOPTION:
For what use does the industry typically use the dictionary – spend analysis, category
management, product sourcing, etc.?
The GS1 GPC is the common language of business that enables business around theworld to map their internal product codes to a standard hierarchy. The primary use casefor GPC was designed for Global Master Data Synchronization (GDSN). GDSN in turnwas seen as the foundation for Global Supply Chain E-Commerce. The GPC standard
hierarchy supports the following supply chain functions:
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

GS1 Global Data Synchronization (GDSN)
New product introductiono used by buyers and sellers to classify new products
o used in conjunction with other GS1 identication keys (i.e. Global Trade
Identification Number to identify products, Global Location Number to
identify business entities and their locations)
Product sourcing
Category management
Product Development
Procurement (Auctioning, Ordering, Demnand Forecasting)Market Research
Global cross-referencing
Global product characterization

What languages/tongues does the dictionary support?
English, French, Serbian, Japanese, and Hungarian (Spanish, German, and Russian are
coming up)

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
What indications of active industry adoption and use are there? What level of use isseen for each region of the world?
Use of GPC codes is a mandatory data attribute for products being registered to the GS1
Global Product Registry. Currently, over 3 million products have been added to this
Registry. The Registry is used by businesses throughout the world.
Provide examples of how the dictionary is being used in international trade and whatcompanies are using it.
The foundational use of the dictionary is in support of the global exchange of productinformation, using (GS1) standard industry protocols. This business process is called
Global Data Synchronization. It is used by the majority of multinational companies inConsumer Packaged Goods (CPG), retail, grocery, hardlines and general merchandise
across five continents – currently over 15,000 companies – to mange the introduction of
new items. All products must be characterized by a GPC code.
The product data needed to support Global Data Synchronization is being used bymanufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
IV. LEVEL OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT:
How many supporting and/or voting members does the DMO have?
More broadly, GS1 is a member organization with a global membership in excess of 1
million user companies. GS1 serves users in 150 countries through a network of 108
local Member Organizations.
GS1 administers a Global Standards Maintenance Process (GSMP) across a broad rangeof standards . GS1 prides itself as a user-driven process.
• GS1 Identification Keys, (for example used to support 5 Billion Barcode
Transcations per day around the world across 22 sectors)• GS1 ECOM / EDI Transaction Standards ( working with X12 , Edifact)• GS1 GDSN Standards (GDD, GR, GPC) for Global Data synchronization• Electronic Product Code (EPC), Radio Frequency Tags, EPCglobal Network
Standards to Support Global Real Time Tracking and Traceability
GPC is a part of the GSMP with discipline on standards maintenance procedures andvoting processes. In the specific GPC Steering Committee that has a governance role,
there are 15 voting members, and 50+ supporting members. There is also dedicatedtechnical team that assesses each change request with recommendations.
Typically what companies and industry sectors are the DMO’s leaders and subject matter
experts drawn from?
Subject matter expertise is drawn from user companies in those sectors which are
implementing the GPC standard and dictionary, such as CPG, retail, grocery, hardlines,
and general merchandise by companies such as: Ahold, Best Buy, Carrefour, Wal-Mart,
Target, J&J, P&G, Unilever, L’Oreal. Implementors may be from mature sectors such as
food & beverage, or they may be from sectors preparing for implementation, such as
Healthcare.
Currently 36 industry sectors have or are contributing to the GPC standard.
What improvements or expansions are planned?
Ongoing maintenance and expansion of GPC codes will continue in step with the needsof new and existing industry verticals. This includes the on-going mapping / alignment
with the UNSPSC product classification system.
Presently the needs of the global medical-surgical industry are under review as apotential candidate for GPC. The Global Heathcare User Group (made up of 24 of the top
25 global suppliers) are evaluating 25 of the Global Classifications used around the world
to determine a direction for the industry. No decision has been made on GPC
engagement.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
V. CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS:
Describe the Change Request (CR) Process?
See Appendx 1
How many CRs were submitted and processed in the past 12 months?
1200+
How many times in a year do you update the dictionary?
Change Requests are processes ongoing. Formal publication of the GPC Standards
occurs twice annually.
What are the eligibility requirements to submit a CR? May government entities submit
CRs?
Any user may submit a CR. Companies are asked to get sponsorship from a GS1
member organization in their respective country. Government entities that are GS1
members may submit a CR.
What are the eligibility requirements to vote on CRs? How many vote on a typical CR?
There are 15 voting member votes (See Appendix 1)
There are two types of Change requests with different procedures attached – Simple
Requests (language, minor definition enhancements, clarifications, Attribute value
additions) and Complex Change request which must go through full evaluation process.
What is the average time to: Revise the definition for a commodity or attribute value;
Add a new commodity attribute (if applicable); and Add a new commodity?
Complex Change request on average- 30 days

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
VI. LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON USE:
Is all dictionary content in the public domain?
Yes. GS1 standards are open to all users.
What agreements must an organization sign to use the dictionary?
None. GS1 standards are open to all users.
What limitations exist on the use of the content?
None. GS1 standards are open to all users.
Is the DMO a not-for-profit organization?
Yes.
Does the DMO meet the definition of a voluntary consensus standards body as definedby OMB Circular A-119? A voluntary consensus standards body is defined by the following attributes: (i) Openness. (ii) Balance ofinterest. (iii) Due process. (vi) An appeals process. (v) Consensus, which is defined as general agreement, but not necessarily unanimity, and includes
a process for attempting to resolve objections by interested parties, as long as all comments have been fairly considered, each objector is advised ofthe disposition of his or her objection(s) and the reasons why, and the consensus body members are given an opportunity to change their votes after
reviewing the comments.

Yes.
VII. BARRIERS TO INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION:
What barriers might limit mid- or small-size companies from using the dictionary
content?
None. Access is open to all users, anywhere in the world. Local GS1 Member
Organizations are in place to assist local users with implementation.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
VIII. ELECTRONIC ACCESS:
What electronic methods exist for accessing dictionary content (e.g., transfer of data
files, web service real-time inquiries, etc.)?
A web browser service can be accessed from the GS1 global website. The browser
provides User support in 5 languages and enables companies to search the entire
product hierarchy.
A download facility enables Users to copy product hierarchy information into their local
computers.
What data format can the dictionary content be provided in (e.g., XML, Excel
spreadsheet, delimited file)?
The download facility supports XML, Excel, and Word formats
How frequently could data files be obtained?
On demand, any time; no restrictions.
What security controls are used to safeguard data integrity and to protect against
unauthorized electronic access?
Update access is restricted to authorized GS1 staff. There is centralized governancewith regards to rules compliance, electronic access on a public domain, etc. Visitors to
the GS1 website are limited to read-only and download functions.
What ISO standards for formatting and transferring data (e.g, ISO 8000 and 22745) do
you currently comply with or plan to comply with?
No current plans, but could be considered.
IX. COST OF RECURRING ACCESS AND DATA TRANSFER:
What fees are charged to industry members to use the dictionary content? Please
describe these fully and especially in terms of:-Start up or “initializing” fees;-Connectivity, system interface, or testing fees;-Fees that are assessed by file size or have volume boundaries;-Fees assessed by number of requests or access frequency;-Monthly overhead or minimum usage fees; and-Any other fee or charge categories and their basis of operation.
GS1 standards are open and royalty-free to Users around the globe.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
X. DATA QUALITY:
What web site support tools, training, or other assistance is available to industry users
who wish to define their products using the dictionary?
Changes to the dictionary can only be affected through the GS1 Global Standards
Management Process. See Appendix 1.
There are also other resources available such as:
Get started: http://www.gs1.org/productssolutions/gdsn/gpc
Resource library: http://www.gs1.org/productssolutions/gdsn/gpc/library.html
How can industry users be certain they are properly applying dictionary terms whendefining their products?
GS1 GPC ruleset provides unique placement for product categorization; GS1 GDDprovides product property description.
SUMMARY:
What are the strengths of this dictionary?
• GS1 standards are open and available to Users globally• The combined product categorization and nomenclature system• All GS1 standards are developed through the direct involvement of users; a highly
disciplined and robust open-governance process ensures data integrity• The GPC standard is aligned with UNSPSC• The dictionary is currently capable of supporting 36 industry verticals• The dictionary is used in conjunction with GS1 global identification keys (Global
Trade Item Number and Global Location Number)• Global reach through a network of 108 GS1 Member Organisations• Have leading position within identification standards / solutions market• Credibility especially within retail sector, support from major businesses• Positioned to provide the ‘bridge’ between trading partners
What are the weaknesses?
• The biggest weakness is that this standard is tied to the rollout success of GDSN.
The full value of GPC will only occur when each product listed for sale is assigned
to a GPC Brick. There are currently 40 global data catalogues (data pools)
certified in the GDSN Network.
• Built up geographically and organically rather than strategically.
• GPC positioned as a technical solution to map products.
General Remarks or Comments:
GS1 GPC and GS1 GDD together represent a global categorization system and productdescription dictionary.

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
COVERAGE BY PRODUCT SET(See Section I)HTS
SECTIONPRODUCT SET

COVERAGE(“S”=Strong;”M”=Moderate;“–“ = No Coverage)

Section 1

Live Animals; Animal ProductsM

Section 2

Vegetable Products

S

Section 3

Animal or Vegetable Fats, Oils, and Waxes

S

Section 4

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Vinegar,
And Tobacco

S

Section 5

Mineral Products‐‐

Section 6

Chemical or Pharmaceutical Products

Section 7

Plastic and Rubber Products‐‐

Section 8

Leather, Fur, Travel Goods, and Handbag ProductsM

Section 9

Wood, Cork, and Straw ProductsM

Section 10

Wood Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard ProductsM

Section 11

Textile Products

S

Section 12

Footwear, Headgear, and Umbrella Products

S

Section 13

Stone, Plaster, Cement, Asbestos, Mica Ceramic, andGlass Products

S

Section 14

Pearl, Precious or Semiprecious Stones, Precious
metals, Imitation Jewelry, and Coin

M

Section 15

Base Metals and Base Metal Products‐‐

Section 16

Machinery, Mechanical Appliances, Electrical
Equipment, Sound Recorder and Television Products

S

Section 17

Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Transport Equipment‐‐

Section 18

Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring,
Checking, Precision, Medical Or Surgical
Instruments; Clocks And Watches; and MusicalInstruments

M

Section 19

Arms and Ammunition

M

Section 20

Furniture, Bedding, and Lamps, Toys, Games, andSports Products

S

Section 21

Works of Art, Antiques, and Collector’s Pieces

S

Page 10 of 13

M(pharmacy)

ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Appendix 1
GPC Change Request Process
Changes to the GPC standards are managed by means of a disciplined and open process.
This process is managed by GS1 and is used to manage the full suite of GS1 supply
chain standards. This change management process is called the GS1 Global Standards
Management Process (GSMP).
Change Requests are considered by subject experts from member companies andconsequently represent the needs of Users from all around the global.
All change requests are recorded through a central GS1 website where they are
analyzed and routed for detailed consideration. Changes to the GPC dictionary may bedeemed simple or complex. A GPC Leadership Committee must approve all changes.
A simple change is one where a value is added to the dictionary to accommodate userneeds but has no impact on its structure (ontology). GS1 generates a final version of
the proposed resolution that is rules compliant and the GPC Leadership Committee
considered it for sign-off. That final version is implemented in the GPC database andpublished at the following due publication (typically quarterly).

A complex change is one where there is a fundamental change to the schema toaccommodate user needs but has major impact on its structure (ontology). If the GPC
Change Request (CR) is classified as a complex change then there are 2 process flows:

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Complex Major Change (Non-Rules Compliant or Rules Compliant); andComplex New Segment.
Complex Major Change (Non-Rules Compliant or Rules Compliant)• Non-Rules Compliant major change requires GPC Leadership Committee sign-off
typically involves complex and comprehensive modifications within the schemadue to the level of severity the change it requires.
•

Rules Compliant refers to all changes that fit the existing rules and principles ofthe schema, therefore change is legitimate and its implementation can bejustified by its compliance to the schema rules

In both cases the following steps are followed:• Proposal for Business Plan approval• Service implementation• CR resolution incorporation into next publication release
Complex Major Change - New Segment
In GPC the new segments are developed in Work Groups and signed off and e-balloted
by the GPC Leadership Committee. Key stages:• Develop and review Straw man• Share Hierarchy Visual Map followed by comments integration from thepublic review• Add Attributes & Values to the Bricks followed by comments integrationfrom the public review• Add definitions• Service Implementation• GPC Leadership Committee eBallot• Publication (quarterly)

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE

Page 13 of 13

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX F – eCl@ss Capabilities Profile Statement
The document that follows was provided by eCl@ss representatives to respond to committee questions regarding their capabilities as adictionary maintenance organization. It is included in this report as submitted to the committee to provide a complete record of theorganization’s capabilities and to provide additional background about the organization and its services.

Page 74

April 2009

PRODUCT INFORMATION COMMITTEEDICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILENAME OF DICTIONARY: eCl@ss
NAME OF DMO: eCl@ss e.V.
CONTACT PERSON(S): Thomas Einsporn, eCl@ss Head Office, Cologne, Germany
I. SCOPE OF PRODUCT COVERAGE:
How long has the dictionary been in use? since 1998
What industry sectors use this dictionary as their first choice for defining essential
product characteristics? all industries ( see pages 7 and 8)
Describe the strength of the dictionary in characterizing products using the separate
page titled “Coverage by Product Set.” Enter “S” for Strong, “M” for Moderate, and two
dashes (--) for incomplete or no coverage. see below
II. DEPTH OF PRODUCT CHARACTERIZATION:
What hierarchy is used to organize and locate product classes? a 4-level hierarchy
Can each product class be represented by a short numeric product code? Yes
Does the dictionary support the use of attribute or property value pairs to further
describe product classes? Yes
Is there a limit on the number of product classes in a hierarchy? The number of
attributes supported? The number of values supported for a single attribute? 99
subclasses to each class, otherwise no limits
III. LEVEL OF DICTIONARY ADOPTION:
For what use does the industry typically use the dictionary – spend analysis, category
management, product sourcing, etc.? all eBusiness processes incl. catalogue, PDM,Enterprise Resource Planning, etc.
What languages/tongues does the dictionary support? English, German, French,
Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Simple and Traditional), Turkish, Portuguese, Dutch,
Czech, Russian, Korean, Thai, Japanese
What indications of active industry adoption and use are there? What level of use is seen

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
for each region of the world? eCl@ss is already used in numerous countries.
Downloads have been registered from over 75 countries worldwide. E.g. USA,
Canada, France, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands,
Italy, Spain, Sweden, India, China and many more.
Provide examples of how the dictionary is being used in international trade and whatcompanies are using it. In the international catalogue and product specifications
exchange.
IV. LEVEL OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT:
How many supporting and/or voting members does the DMO have? 68 members
Typically what companies and industry sectors are the DMO’s leaders and subject matter
experts drawn from? International concerns such as afim, Evonik Industries,
RWE, cognis, Siemens, hubwoo, Deutsche Bahn, IHS, Schneider Electric, Audi,
Total, BASF, DSM, SAP, Wacker, eon
What improvements or expansions are planned? Development in further segments,
internationalisation and standardisation of all eCl@ss contents
What is the business plan to sustain the organization’s goals?
V. CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS:
Describe the Change Request (CR) Process? Any registered user can submit CRs on
a web interface platform
How many CRs were submitted and processed in the past 12 months? about 10,000
How many times in a year do you update the dictionary? twice a year
What are the eligibility requirements to submit a CR? May government entities submit
CRs? Anybody can submit CRs
What are the eligibility requirements to vote on CRs? How many vote on a typical CR?
You need to be member of an expert group. Voting depends on how manymembers the expert group consists of, usually 5-10 persons.
What is the average time to: Revise the definition for a commodity or attribute value;
Add a new commodity attribute (if applicable); and Add a new commodity? 6 months
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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
VI. LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON USE:
Is all dictionary content in the public domain? yes
What agreements must an organization sign to use the dictionary? the eCl@ss
agreements, see webpage
What limitations exist on the use of the content? NoneIs the DMO a not-for-profit organization? Yes
Does the DMO meet the definition of a voluntary consensus standards body as definedby OMB Circular A-119? A voluntary consensus standards body is defined by the following attributes: (i) Openness. (ii) Balance ofinterest. (iii) Due process. (vi) An appeals process. (v) Consensus, which is defined as general agreement, but not necessarily unanimity, and includes
a process for attempting to resolve objections by interested parties, as long as all comments have been fairly considered, each objector is advised ofthe disposition of his or her objection(s) and the reasons why, and the consensus body members are given an opportunity to change their votes after
reviewing the comments.

Yes
VII. BARRIERS TO INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION:
What barriers might limit mid- or small-size companies from using the dictionary
content?
Missing information about eBusiness and tools for the implementation of
eCl@ss, missing of the general decision for electronic business operations
VIII. ELECTRONIC ACCESS:
What electronic methods exist for accessing dictionary content (e.g., transfer of data
files, web service real-time inquiries, etc.)? 24h access via online web search, adownload portal to achieve the standard
What data format can the dictionary content be provided in (e.g., XML, Excel
spreadsheet, delimited file)? .csv-files, XML is planned for the future
How frequently could data files be obtained? downloadable 24 hrs a day
What security controls are used to safeguard data integrity and to protect against
unauthorized electronic access? Change management rules in the online platform,
quality checks in the head office and expert groups
What ISO standards for formatting and transferring data (e.g, ISO 8000 and 22745) do
you currently comply with or plan to comply with?
ISO 13584, IEC 61360, ISO 8000

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
IX. COST OF RECURRING ACCESS AND DATA TRANSFER:
What fees are charged to industry members to use the dictionary content? Please
describe these fully and especially in terms of:-Start up or “initializing” fees; do not exist-Connectivity, system interface, or testing fees; do not exist-Fees that are assessed by file size or have volume boundaries; do not exist-Fees assessed by number of requests or access frequency; do not exist-Monthly overhead or minimum usage fees; and do not exist-Any other fee or charge categories and their basis of operation.
Company fees for downloading the standard, depending on company size
X. DATA QUALITY:
What web site support tools, training, or other assistance is available to industry users
who wish to define their products using the dictionary? eCl@ss initiative consulting
and eCl@ss cooperation partners in the industry who act as consultants
How can industry users be certain they are properly applying dictionary terms whendefining their products?

Page 4 of 7

ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILESUMMARY:
What are the strengths of this dictionary?
► Standard data model based on ISO 13584 / IEC 61360, which ensures
the automatic update of data, 14 language versions► Free development by everyone who is interested via the eCl@ss
ServicePortal► Consideration of national and international standards – for classes,
properties and values –► World-wide availability of the standard for all participants in themarket► Consequent representation of the market by neutral description of
products and services► Transparent release management and stability of standard► Suitable for an integral management of process data from thedevelopment to rhe disposal of a product,► Possibility of collaboration for all interested parties who want to andcan contribute► Fast distribution in the economy
What are the weaknesses?
None, because the ISO compliant data model fulfils all requirements

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ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILE
COVERAGE BY PRODUCT SET(See Section I)HTS
SECTIONPRODUCT SET

COVERAGE(“S”=Strong;”M”=Moderate;“–“ = No Coverage)

Section 1

Live Animals; Animal ProductsM

Section 2

Vegetable ProductsM

Section 3

Animal or Vegetable Fats, Oils, and Waxes

M

Section 4

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Vinegar,
And Tobacco

M

Section 5

Mineral ProductsM

Section 6

Chemical or Pharmaceutical Products

S

Section 7

Plastic and Rubber Products

S

Section 8

Leather, Fur, Travel Goods, and Handbag ProductsM

Section 9

Wood, Cork, and Straw ProductsM

Section 10

Wood Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Products

S

Section 11

Textile ProductsM

Section 12

Footwear, Headgear, and Umbrella ProductsM

Section 13

Stone, Plaster, Cement, Asbestos, Mica Ceramic, andGlass Products

S

Section 14

Pearl, Precious or Semiprecious Stones, Precious
metals, Imitation Jewelry, and Coin‐‐

Section 15

Base Metals and Base Metal Products

S

Section 16

Machinery, Mechanical Appliances, Electrical
Equipment, Sound Recorder and Television Products

S

Section 17

Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Transport Equipment

M

Section 18

Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring,
Checking, Precision, Medical Or Surgical
Instruments; Clocks And Watches; and MusicalInstruments

S

Section 19

Arms and Ammunition‐‐

Section
20A

Furniture, Bedding, and Lamps‐‐

Section 20B Toys, Games, and Sports Products‐‐

Section 21‐‐

Works of Art, Antiques, and Collector’s Pieces

Page 6 of 7

ITDS PIC DICTIONARY CAPABILITIES PROFILEECL@SS PRODUCT SEGMENTS(See Section I)
Segment

Contents

16

Food , beverages, tobacco17

Machine, device (for special applications)18

Equipment f. mining, metallurgical plant, rolling milla. foundry

19

Information, communication and media technology

20

Packing material

21

Manufacturing facilities, workshop equipment, tool

22

Construction technology

23

Machine element, fixing, mounting

24

Office products, facilities and technics, papeterie

25

Service

26

Energy, extraction product, secondary raw materials
and residues

27Electric engineering, automation, process control
engineering

28

Automotive technology

29

Home economics, Home technology

30

Auxiliary supply, additive, cleaning agent

31

Polymers

32

Laboratory material, Labatory technology

33

Installation (complete)

34

Medicine, medical technology, life science35

Semifinished products, materials

36

Machine, apparatus

37

Industrial piping

38

Inorganic chemicals

39

Organic chemicals

40

Occupational safety, accident prevention

41

Marketing

Page 7 of 7

LEVERAGING E-COMMERCE PRODUCT DATA FOR SMARTER CARGO MANAGEMENTAPPENDIX G – GS1 GDSN Capabilities Profile Statement
The document that follows was provided by GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) representatives to respond tocommittee questions regarding their capabilities as a global catalog. It is included in this report as submitted to the committee toprovide a complete record of the organization’s capabilities and to provide additional background about the organization and its
services.

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April 2009

PRODUCT INFORMATION COMMITTEECATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILENAME OF CATALOG: GLOBAL DATA SYNCHRONIZATION NETWORKNAME OF SPONSOR: GS1
CONTACT PERSON(S): Robert Noe, GS1 US
I. SCOPE OF PRODUCT COVERAGE:
How long has the catalog been in use?
The GS1 Catalog has been in use since 1999, when it was launched under thename of UCCnet. Some of the significant milestones since then include the2004 technology transformation that added network support for multiple
worldwide competing Data Pools (now known as the Global Data
Synchronization network); the merger with the Transora Data Pool andsubsequent name change to 1SYNC in 2005; and the addition of our 5000th
customer, in 2008. It has and continues to be a not-for-profit subsidiary of
GS1 US (formerly the Uniform Code Council (UCC)) which was founded in 1973.
This catalog, now known as the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) is
based on the GS1 system of supply chain standards. GS1, formerly the
Uniform Code Council and EANCOM, has been in existence for over 30 years
helping companies increase supply chain efficiency through the use ofstandards for bar codes, RFID, product description, and business transaction
communication. GS1’s most widely used standard is the bar code found on
retail products, which is electronically scanned to support billions oftransactions daily around the world.
The Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) was created as an industry
endorsed initiative to overcome product data inaccuracies and increase
efficiencies among trading partners and their supply chains. GDSN is a networkof certified data pools that enable product information to be captured andexchanged in a secure environment conforming to global standards. The
standards body that governs the GDSN is GS1.
The GDSN enables the registration and publication of product information (e.g.,
descriptions, weight, dimensions, etc). Suppliers send this data to their chosendata pool. The data pool (e.g., 1SYNC) then checks the data for compliance toGS1 (EAN.UCC) standards and validates it with demand side partners via the

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
GS1 Global Registry, ensuring that all trading partners are using identical,
updated standards-compliant data.
Essentially, the GDSN facilitates the synchronization of Item data between
supply-side and demand-side trading partners. Implementing GDSN standardsbased electronic synchronization services forms a non-proprietary basis forcollaborative capabilities among trading partners.

What industry sectors use this catalog as their first choice to publish productinformation?
• General Retail and Consumer Products• Food and Beverage• Tobacco• Pet Care and Pet Food
• Baby Care
• Beauty Personal Care and Hygiene• Clothing• Footwear• Personal Accessories• General Merchandise (Furniture & Furnishing, Kitchen Merchandise,• Musical Instruments• Toys & Games• Stationery• Audio & Visual• Communication,• Computing

2

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Printed & Reference Materials
Books and Periodicals
Alcohol, Wine and Spirits
Sports & Well being
Arts & Crafts,
Outdoor & Camping
Hardlines / DIY (Lawn & Garden Supplies; Building Materials, Hardware;Tools & Equipment Hand; Safety & Storage; Electrical Supplies;
Plumbing; Heat,Ventilation,Air Conditioning)
Health Care – Retail Pharmacy (including over the counter part of HealthCare), Medical Surgical (in pre-production trial now in anticipation oflegislated FDA regulation requiring standardized product identification)
Automotive Aftermarket
Home Appliances

Describe the strength of the catalog in providing product classification
information for different supply chains using the separate page titled “Coverageby Product Set.” Please enter “S” for Strong, “M” for Moderate, “L” for Limited,
and two dashes (--) for incomplete or no coverage.
SUPPORT FOR PRODUCT CHARACTERIZATION:
What global product characterizations (GS1 GPC, eCl@ss, UNSPSC) aresupported in the catalog?
The 1SYNC catalog currently supports the following product characterizations:
GPC, UDEX, UNSPSC, ICC (Interim Class Codes), AMECE, CBL, CCG, EANFIN,
IFDA (International Food Distributors Association), IFLS5, X4, EUDS (European
Union Dairy Subsidy), GS1PL. The catalog has the capability to support
additional product characterizations, as well as synchronize the rightcharacterization based on the data recipient.
Does the catalog support the use of attribute or property value pairs for thosedictionaries that use them (e.g., GPC and eCl@ss)?
The Key Structural Component of GPC at the lowest level is the Brick. The
business rules and definitions of the GPC Brick have been designed to enable
users to assign every product bought and sold to a unique GPC Brick.
In the world of buying and selling products, each buying organization andselling organization typically has its own proprietary Merchandise Hierarchy andschema for buying, merchandising, and selling products. The Brick designation(and its corresponding attributes) was designed to allow each organization to
map the Brick into their respective internal proprietary Schema. In order togroup the Bricks in standardized framework, GS1 users have defined the needfor a 4-level hierarchy to identify all products from their segment (industry
3

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
vertical) down to the category (brick) level. These levels include: Segment,
Family, Class, Brick.

At the Brick level, additional attributes can be defined to provide further
grouping capability and more detailed product description characteristics can befurther defined with standardized attributes from the Global Data
Dictionary(GDD) in the specific product master data record.
LEVEL OF CATALOG ADOPTION:
What languages does the catalog support?
The languages the 1SYNC catalog supports include: English, Spanish, Dutch,
French, German, and Portuguese. As the need arises, it has the capability tosupport additional languages, including special characters.
What indications of active industry adoption and use are there? What level ofuse is seen for each region of the world?
There is significant use of the GDSN by industry sectors in various areas of theworld. Some of that use is well documented in some of the upcoming areas.
Different sectors offer unique challenges for data synchronization. 1SYNC’s
cutting-edge technology, depth of services, standards advocacy, and customer
support, work together to meet the specialized needs of suppliers and retailers.
Our expertise as the leading provider of data synchronization solutions for
trading communities allows us to create scalable and easy-to-use options forcompanies of all sizes.
Consumer Package Goods (CPG) was the first sector to enable datasynchronization and, therefore, has the most implemented retailers andsuppliers. Grocers of all sizes are now synchronizing data with their suppliers.
Some of those already synchronizing data are: Army and Air Force Exchange
Service (AAFES), Carrefour, DOD, Metro, Fareway, McLane, Safeway,
Walgreen, Best Buy, AHOLD, Schnucks Market, SUPERVALU, Target, Wakefern,

4

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Wal-Mart, and Wegmans. Defense Commisary (DECA) is preparing to use
GDSN.
The Alcohol Beverage Industry (ABI) is well on its way to standardizing
electronic commerce through data synchronization. The ABI Electronic
Commerce Council (ABI EC) believes data synchronization will be the launch
pad for all future global industry initiatives.
1SYNC has been actively synchronizing data in the Hardlines industry for many
years. From facilitating the creation and standardization of the necessary data
attributes for the Hardlines industry, to working on standardizing retailer
specific selling and marketing attributes in the Hardlines sector. 1SYNC clearlyplays an important role in the advancement of the hardlines industry throughwork with leading retailers (Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware), andmanufacturers (Black and Decker, GE, Georgia Pacific, etc).
Leaders in the $300 billion school and office products industry have realizedthat data synchronization can improve their speed to market and increase
supply chain efficiency. Several major players in this industry have been
instrumental in developing the standards for the office vertical. 1SYNC has
worked with office supply retailers like Office Depot and suppliers like Sauder,
3M, BIC and others to develop a process by which these trading partners can
exchange item information within the Global Data Synchronization Network.
There has never been more of an immediate need for proven datasynchronization in healthcare than there is today. Hospitals today report thatup to 20% of their supply chain costs are due to overhead associated withclearing up confusion caused by non-standardized product data across theiroperation. The same product can have different product numbers, different
names, and different spellings for the manufacturer making it difficult to orderproducts and apply the correct discounts from their Group Purchasing
Organization (GPO) contracts. Even ordering quantities can be confusing wherean item ordered as an "each" could be a dozen items or a box full of items.
Provide examples of how the catalog is being used in international trade andwhat companies are using it.
GDSN is being used around the world by end users and their suppliers. Today
there are almost 3.2 million Global Trade Item Number (GTINS) registered with
17 Certified Data Pools across the globe, and that number continues to grow.

5

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE

Today there are 159 global retailers and 17,579 global suppliers actively
engaged in sending and receiving item specific data across the GDSN.

6ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILELEVEL OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT FOR THE CATALOG:
How many supporting members does the catalog sponsor organization have?
GS1 is a fully integrated global organization, with 108 Member Organizations
serving over one million companies doing business across 150 countries. GS1
US [formerly the Uniform Code Council (UCC)] is the Member Organization of
GS1 that serves users in the United States of America. As such, it is thenational implementation organization of the GS1 System in the United States.
GS1 US currently serves over 260,000 U.S. member companies.
The GS1 System is the most widely used supply chain standards system in theworld. Utilized in over thirty sectors and industries including healthcare, fast
moving consumer goods (FMCG), transport, defense, and many others,
http://www.gs1.org/productssolutions/barcodes/overview/the GS1 System has
provided benefits to companies and consumers around the world for over thirty
years.
The principles of GS1 Identification Number allocation ensure non-significant,secure and globally unique numbers that can be used by all trading partners,
independent of industry sector or location. In order to do that, GS1 Member
Organizations assign GS1 Company Prefix to each user company in their region.
The GS1 Company Prefix provides the foundation for generating all of the GS1
Identification Numbers. GS1 Member Organizations also support users with7

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
rules, guidelines, best practices, etc. for assigning individual numbers pursuant
to the GS1 allocation rules and standards.
Each GS1 user assigns/generates their own Identification Numbers based on
their GS1 Company Prefix and the GS1 standards and allocation rules. Users
can generate identification numbers manually, or use number generator
software. (Numerous vendors both in and outside the USA provide software
for generating GS1 Identification Numbers for end users pursuant to GS1standards and allocation rules.)Typically what companies and industry sectors are the catalog’s leaders andsubject matter experts drawn from?
Subject matter expertise is drawn from user companies in those sectors which
are implementing the GDSN, such as CPG, retail, grocery, hardlines, andgeneral merchandise by companies such as: Ahold, Best Buy, Carrefour, WalMart, Target, J&J, P&G, Unilever, L’Oreal. Implementors may be from sectors
such as food & beverage, or they may be from sectors preparing for
implementation, such as Healthcare.
What improvements or expansions are planned?
There are currently expansion plans underway in several key businesssegments, the foremost of which is healthcare, then also in Foodservice, Wineand Spirits, Maintenance Repair and Operations, Mechanical Supply. Digital
Asset Management has completed its proof of concept and is beginning
implementation.
What is the business plan to sustain the organization’s goals?
Meet the needs of our members and continue to move commerce forward. GS1
is developing support for selling and marketing attributes that will support B2C
more effectively
CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS:
Describe the Change Request (CR) Process?
The standards development process of the GSMP begins with a request for a
new solution or a request to change an existing standard. The process consistsof six steps followed from Change Request Submission to Publication of theStandard through GSMP:
1. Statement of Business Need
2. Requirements Gathering & Analysis
3. Business Solution Design (BSD)
4. Technical Solution Design (TSD)
5. Pilot

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
6. Posting
Organizationally, the GSMP has Oversight Bodies, BCS Groups, Business
Requirements Groups (BRGs), Work Groups (WG), and a Technology Centre.
Oversight Bodies are involved in governance of the GSMP and consist of thefollowing committees:• GS1 Management Board: responsible for determining the global strategy
for GS1, and• ratifying changes to new or existing GS1 System standards).
• GS1 Board Committee for Standards (BCS): provides strategic guidance
to GSMP; assesses progress of Initiatives and ratifies Process Group Work
Orders (WO), and PCN recommendations.
• Data Accuracy – Develops and maintains GDSN Package Measurement
Rules & Tolerance related Change Requests
BRG related Work Groups are teams of participants formed for the purpose ofworking on Complex Change Requests or GSMP Initiatives included in the GS1Business Plan and specified in a Business Case Document (BCD) and detailed ina Project Description Document (PDD). The relationship with the BRG is specificto the standards areas being developed. BRGs facilitate work groups by
populating them with members who then liaise between these working bodies.
The Technology Centre is the umbrella group of the technology experts
responsible for coordination across the different development activities and iscomposed of the following groups:• eCom Technology Group (eTG)• BarCodes & Identification Technology Group (BTG)• Technical Development Teams (TDT)• Modelling & GDD• eComWhat are the eligibility requirements to vote on CRs?
(From Section 3.3.3 of the GSMP Manual )Voting privileges within all GSMP groups are reserved to members that are
employed by a member company in good standing of a GS1 Member
Organization (MO), GS1 Global Office, or a GS1 Member Organization. GDSN
Inc. certified Data Pools are eligible to vote within the GDSN BRG and its WorkGroups. Solution providers are not eligible to vote within any GSMP group.
How many CRs were submitted and processed in the past 12 months?
Over 200
What are the eligibility requirements to submit a CR? May government entities
submit CRs?
Anyone including governments can submit a CR

9ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
What are the eligibility requirements to vote on CRs?
Membership & Voting
The Global Standards Management Process is open and transparent. Users canbecome involved in the GSMP as a member (with voting rights) or as aparticipant (without voting rights). Anyone can submit a request to modify anexisting standard or to create a new one and then may take an active role inthe development of a solution, or act as an observer as the GMSP does thework. There are six primary design objectives for BRG/WG membership andvoting inside GSMP:
1. Facilitate BRG/Work Group decision making process
2. Adequately represent Specific Supply Chain Expertise (Retailer,
Supplier, etc.)
3. Ensure adequate implementation commitment to approve a standard
4. Ensure continuity to protect legacy implementations built on existing
standards
5. Provide transparency and simplicity in voting
6. Ensure minimum participation thresholds are met
3.3.1. Membership Rules■ Anyone can participate in a BRG/WG by filling out an online membership
application form through the GS1 Community Room and selecting the specific
BRG/Work Group desired. BRG/WG members must have process expertise
specific to the scope of work.
■ There will be a 30-day enrolment period to apply to be a BRG/WG member as
specified on the GSMP Call-to-Action.
The number of BRG/WG members is unlimited and there are no regional
composition requirements.
■ Membership applications are submitted via the GS1 Community Roomwebsite. The application must include support from the company that employs
them and one GS1 Member Organization (MO). Upon receipt by the BRG/WG
Process Manager, membership changes will be noted in the minutes of the next
BRG/WG session (call or meeting) and maintained in the GS1 Community Room
Roster.
How many vote on a typical CR?
Voting numbers can vary dramatically from one CR to another. However, there
is a minimum requirement (from Section 3.3.3 of the GSMP Manual): A
minimum of twelve parties committed to support the development andimplementation of a standard is required for an eBallot to be legitimate. Of thetwelve, a minimum threshold of two parties from either side of the trading
partner relationship along with two MOs is necessary. In the case of GDSN
standards, a GDSN Certified Data Pool is considered as an MO.
LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON USE:

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
What agreements must an organization sign to use the catalog?
An organization must sign a membership agreement to have access to the
GDSN. Membership agreements run yearly and fees are based off of a rate
card that matrixes an organization total traded product revenue value with aprice/fee.
What limitations exist on the use of the content?
GDSN is a permission based network, trading partners jointly agree to thetransmittal and usage of the data as applicable to their relationship.
Is the catalog sponsor organization a not-for-profit corporation?
GS1 US™ is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the adoption andimplementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. Under its
auspices, GS1 US operates three wholly owned subsidiaries, 1SYNC™,
EPCglobal US™, and RosettaNet. GS1 US also manages the United Nations
Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC®) for the United Nations
Development Program. EPCglobal Inc™ is a joint venture of the GS1 US andGS1. GS1 US-based solutions, including business processes, XML standards,
EDI transaction sets, and the bar code identification standards of the GS1
System are currently used by more than one million member companies
worldwide.
BARRIERS TO INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION:
What barriers might limit mid- or small-size companies from using the catalog
to publish their product descriptions?
There are no barriers restricting companies use by size. Data entry tools areavailable, and have been developed by 1SYNC to allow companies of any size topublish their product data. Today product information can be manually loaded
through the 1SYNC product Data Driver, can be loaded through a flat fileconversion, or can be loaded machine to machine for more sophisticated users.
There are a large number of small to mid-size companies around the worldusing the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
ELECTRONIC ACCESS:
What electronic methods exist for accessing catalog content (e.g., transfer ofdata files, web service real-time inquiries, etc.)?
A web browser service can be accessed from the GS1 global website. The
browser provides User support in 5 languages and enables companies to search
the entire product hierarchy. A download facility enables Users to copy producthierarchy information into their local computers via XML file transfer, or a flat

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
file download. Trade Item Application Program Interface (API) will be available
in 2009.
Could a synchronization process or web services be used to maintain current
product characterization information for all products with a Global Trade Item
Number?
Yes, all of our customers are using a synchronization process to receive newitems, as well as changes to existing items.
What data format can the catalog content be provided in (e.g., XML, Excel
spreadsheet, delimited file)?
The download facility supports XML, Excel, and flat file formats.
If there is no real-time query support, how frequently could updates on
products be obtained?
On Demand - Real time query support is provided through the user interface.
What services do you provide to supply chain companies to support the
integration of published catalog information into their information systems?
Data synchronization success requires experienced support for both suppliers
and retailers. 1SYNC has a variety of services based on our implementations of
thousands of items for thousands of suppliers and retailers. These services
include:Customer Support
1SYNC provides 24-hour customer support for our community.
Education and Training
Our education and training program includes overviews of industry concepts,
best practices, and hands-on training utilizing our solutions.
Implementation Support
1SYNC utilizes a methodology for supplier enablement developed throughimplementing more items, in more geographies, than any other Data Pool.
Supplier Enablement
The Supplier Enablement program supports supplier adoption through a
combination marketing, education, and training program for companies of all
sizes.
Standards Expertise
1SYNC has full-time experts devoted to understanding, guiding, and advocating
customers in the creation and implementation of GSMP standards.
What security controls are used to safeguard data integrity and to protect
against unauthorized electronic access?
There are 3 levels of security for the 1SYNC applications. An outer layer of
security manages whether the user will be passed to web server security, and12

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
from there it gets routed to application server security. 1SYNC also takes partin 3rd party security audits.
What ISO standards (e.g., ISO 22745) for data formatting and data exchange
do you currently comply with or plan to comply with?
GS1 plays an active role in a number of ISO groups with ISO/IEC/JTC1/SC31
being the most important. ISO/IEC JTC1/SC31 is focused on Automatic
Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). The secretariat for ISO/IEC JTC1/SC31
is provided by GS1 US (through the American National Standard Institute) andmany GS1 Member Organizations take part in this process at all levels
COST OF RECURRING ACCESS AND DATA TRANSFER:
What fees are charged to industry members to enter, update, or retrieve
product information from the catalog? Please describe these fully andespecially in terms of:-Start up or “initializing” fees;-Connectivity, system interface, or testing fees;-Fees that are assessed by file size or have volume boundaries;-Fees assessed by number of requests or access frequency;-Monthly overhead or minimum usage fees; and-Any other fee or charge categories and their basis of operation.
As a neutral, Not For Profit organization committed to enhancing thecollaborative processes through which companies trade, and dedicated to
improving and streamlining the supply chain, participating companies become
members and are subject to membership fees that are based on thatcompany’s annual overall traded revenue.
Annual Sales(In Millions of U.S.$)1SYNC Fees

<= 1

$

>1 to 5

$ 1,175>5 to 10

$ 1,675>10 to 15$ 2,150>15 to 20$ 2,575>20 to 25$ 3,250>25 to 50$ 4,375>50 to 75$ 7,250>75 to 100$ 10,125>100 to 500
Note: Dated 12/30/2008 and subject to change

600$ 13,875

13

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILEDATA QUALITY:
What web site support tools, training, or other assistance is available to catalog
users?
• Training – Customized training on industry standards for productidentification, product measurement, additional product attributedefinition and bar-code printing. Training is available both in-person andover the internet.
• Data Quality Starter Kit Workshop – Two day on-site training andconsulting workshop covering data error root cause analysis, master data
management processes, industry product data standards, building abusiness case for product data quality and the industry data quality
framework.
• Documentation – Documents which are available on the web site include:
Package Measurement Standards, Package Measurement Standards
Implementation Guide, Item Identification Standards (GTIN Allocation
Rules), Item Identification “Rules of Thumb”, Product Attribute Dictionary,Industry Data Quality Framework (data quality management system),
Supplier Data Quality Case Studies• UConnect Conference / Supply Chain 101 – Largest annual conference
dedicated to advancing the field of product data information exchange.
Supply Chain 101 is a full day of basic instruction for suppliers andretailers
Other Assistance• Product data audit services – Our trained professionals capture accurate
product information including product dimensions, weight and label
information. Accurate data is provided to the user electronically.
• Supplier Certification – Suppliers’ product data is audited and validated
against physical product samples (to be launched 1H 2009).
• Integration to third-party data cleansing services – Suppliers can publish
data to cleansing services such as GXS Product Data Quality services(formerly known as UDEX).
• Technology: data quality is assured through multiple technology features
in 1SYNC and GDSN, including automated data validations, broadcast andsynchronization capability to instantly communicate error corrections tomultiple recipients, and control of product data by brand owners throughthe use of a tool called Brand Identity.
How can industry users be certain they are properly applying catalog data
product information values when describing their products?

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Suppliers receive validation errors automatically during data loading andmaintenance on an ongoing basis. Additionally suppliers and/or retailers canrequest periodic data audits to ensure they are providing accurate data. In
2009 supplier certification will be available help suppliers ensure they areproviding accurate data as well as ensure data recipients that the data is ofhigh quality.
SUMMARY: Over the past several years the GDSN has effectively facilitatedthe continuous exchange of standardized product information between trading
partners across the globe. Developed based on the universally accepted GS1
System of standards the GDSN has demonstrated that it is both scalable andflexible and works successfully across geographical borders and industry
sectors. The GDSN provides a faster and more cost-effective flow of
information. The operational benefits include: an efficient and sustainablesupply chain that contributes to maximizing product availability with theelectronic flow of information.
What are the strengths of this catalog?
The strengths of this catalog are centered on the high level of global usage andthe fact that it is based on the most widely accepted and used system of supply
chain standards in the world. Other strengths include:• The combined product categorization and nomenclature system• All GS1 standards are developed through the direct involvement of users;
a highly disciplined and robust open-governance process ensures data
integrity• The GPC standard is aligned with UNSPSC• The dictionary is currently capable of supporting 36 industry verticals• The dictionary is used in conjunction with GS1 global identification keys
(Global Trade Item Number and Global Location Number)• Global reach through a network of 108 GS1 Member Organizations• Have leading position within identification standards / solutions market• Credibility especially within retail sector, support from major businesses• Positioned to provide the ‘bridge’ between trading partners
What are the weaknesses?
As a standards organization based on collaborative efforts put forth by and forthe members, there can be instances where new activity efforts can become
time consuming while the members work to reach consensus and achieve thebest possible outcome for all involved companies. It is felt, however, that thisinvestment in time up front results in a standard that is more likely to be
adopted than would be otherwise.

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Current coverage in bulk materials and industrial machinery is limited today,
but can be accomplished in the same way coverage for many other industries
has been added.
General Remarks or Comments:
GS1 administers a Global Standards Maintenance Process (GSMP) across a
broad range of standards. GS1 prides itself as a user-driven processorganization supporting:• GS1 Identification Keys, (for example used to support 5 Billion Barcode
Transcations per day around the world across 22 sectors)• GS1 ECOM / EDI Transaction Standards ( working with X12 , Edifact)• GS1 GDSN Standards (GDD, GR, GPC) for Global Data synchronization• Electronic Product Code (EPC), Radio Frequency Tags, EPCglobal Network• Standards to Support Global Real Time Tracking and Traceability

The Global Language of Business
OVERALL BENEFITS:
Improving efficiency & visibility in supply and demand chains

Global standards forautomatic identification
RAPID AND ACCURATE
ITEM, ASSET OR
LOCATION IDENTIFICATION

Global standards forelectronic businessMessaging

Global Standards fordata Synchronisation

Global Standards for
RFID-based
Identification

RAPID, EFFICIENT &ACCURATE BUSINESSDATA EXCHANGE

STANDARDISED, RELIABLE
DATA FOR EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

MORE ACCURATE, IMMEDIATEAND COST EFFICIENTVISIBLITY OF INFORMATION

GS1, GPC, and GDD together represent a global categorization system andproduct description dictionary of information that can be shared by trading
partners through the GDSN. Additionally, 1SYNC GDSN supports several otherwidely used catalogs as described earlier, and can support additional descriptive
information as required.

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
In order to optimize information across the supply chain, all levels of packaging
from individual unit to case should be marked, regardless of whether it is soldcommercially. Experience has shown that identifying and marking all levels of
packaging provides a much greater level of information, especially useful forrecalls and tracking. To that end, the GS1 System provides Identification
Numbers for logistics units (i.e., pallets; containers; etc.), packaging levels(i.e., boxes; cases; etc.), and individual items (i.e., unit of dose).
1SYNC’s Data Pool solutions provide advanced functionality and the ability fortrading partners to synchronize product and company data globally. The 1SYNC
Data Pool is Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN)-certified and adheresto the GS1 system standards.
With increased requests from retailers to synchronize higher value information— suppliers need a Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN)-compliant
Source Data Pool that meets all of their needs. Only 1SYNC has advanced
solutions enabling the synchronization of higher value information —maximizing the Return on Investment (ROI) for suppliers. 1SYNC’s Source Data
Pool solution has four modules:
Item Management
1SYNC’s Item Management module is a GS1 standards-compliant global master
repository for item information that is current with the Global Standards
Management Process (GSMP) global data synchronization standards andcertification requirements.
Price & Promotion Management
Price & Promotion Management is the master repository for price and promotion
data and also includes authorization and party (Global Location Number/GLN)
relationship-specific functionality.
1SYNC Brand Identity
The 1SYNC Brand Identity solution enables the protection, validation, andongoing monitoring of brand owner-specific attributes throughout a company’s
data synchronization network.
New Item Introduction Management
This module is integrated with our Item Management module, so most of theattributes are auto-populated — improving data accuracy and speeding items to
the store shelf
Retail Specific Solution
This module enables 1SYNC customers to store and synchronize attributes thatare specific to an end user.

17

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILEThe GS1 System supports six global Identification Numbers.
Each GS1
Identification Number supports a distinct type of supply chain item (i.e., trade
item, service, location, logistic unit, returnable container, etc.) and provides alink between the item and information pertaining to it.

GS1 Identification
NumberType of Supply Chain
Information

Title

GTIN

Global Trade Item Number

trade items (products and services)

GLN

Global Location Number

locations & trading partners

SSCC

Serial Shipping Container Codelogistics units

GIAI

Global Individual Asset Identifier

individual assets

GRAI

Global Returnable Asset Identifier

returnable assets

GSRN

Global Service Relation Number

service relationships

GS1: Product Identification through the
Supply Chain
End User

Supplier
2 212345 678907

2 212345 678907
2 212345 678907

Mfg

Item

GTIN

Case

2 212345 678907

Pallets

GTIN

TrucksDistributor

TrucksTrucksPallets

SSCC

Case

GTIN

Item Provider

User

GTIN

GS1 System Data Carriers
Bar codes or EPC

Item data, Data Sync, ship notice, invoice, recall
request for quotation, planning schedule, PO

Electronic Commerce Information Flow

ATTACHMENTS
GSMP –

18

ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILETRADING PARTNER COMPANY LIST –HTSSECTIONPRODUCT SET

COVERAGE(“S”=Strong;”M”=Moderate;“L” = Limited“–“ = No Coverage)

Section 1

Live Animals; Animal Products‐

Section 2

Vegetable Products

S

Section 3

Animal or Vegetable Fats, Oils, and Waxes

S

Section 4

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Vinegar,
And Tobacco

S

Section 5

Mineral Products‐

Section 6

Chemical or Pharmaceutical ProductsM

Section 7

Plastic and Rubber ProductsM

Section 8

Leather, Fur, Travel Goods, and Handbag Products

S

Section 9

Wood, Cork, and Straw ProductsM

Section 10

Wood Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard ProductsM

Section 11

Textile Products

S

Section 12

Footwear, Headgear, and Umbrella Products

S

Section 13

Stone, Plaster, Cement, Asbestos, Mica Ceramic, andGlass ProductsM

Section 14

Pearl, Precious or Semiprecious Stones, Precious
metals, Imitation Jewelry, and Coin

M

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ITDS PIC CATALOG CAPABILITIES PROFILE
Section 15

Base Metals and Base Metal Products‐

Section 16

Machinery, Mechanical Appliances, Electrical
Equipment, Sound Recorder and Television Products

S

Section 17

Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Transport Equipment

S

Section 18

Optical, Photographic, Cinematographic, Measuring,
Checking, Precision, Medical Or Surgical
Instruments; Clocks And Watches; and MusicalInstruments

M

Section 19

Arms and Ammunition

M

Section 20

Furniture, Bedding, Lamps, Toys, Games, and Sports
Products

S

Section 21

Works of Art, Antiques, and Collector’s PiecesM20