GTF Technical Architecture

This section describes the technical standards and architecture that support implementation of the GTF. It explains how GS1 EPCIS, the Core Business Vocabulary (CBV), GS1 Digital Link, data modeling, and data exchange work together to enable interoperable digital traceability.

Technical Foundations

While the preceding chapters describe the concepts that underpin interoperable traceability, implementing those concepts within digital systems requires three complementary technical capabilities. Organizations must be able to uniquely identify the products, locations, and organizations participating in the supply chain; represent traceability information using a common data model; and exchange that information consistently across organizational boundaries.

These three capabilities—identification, data modeling, and data exchange—form the technical foundation of interoperable digital traceability. The GTF builds upon internationally recognized GS1 standards to support each of these capabilities while enabling organizations to exchange traceability information regardless of the software solutions they use.

Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS)

EPCIS is GS1’s standard for event-based traceability that establishes data interfaces and formats for capturing and sharing physical event data within a supply chain. As an open standard, it provides a common method to record and share what happens to products as they move through the supply chain, answering the questions of what, when, where, why, and who. Understanding this standard in its entirety is beneficial but not required for implementation of the GTF. The following sections of the EPCIS 2.0 Standard are the most relevant within the context of the GTF:

• Section 7 - Data Definitions, defines the abstract models used to capture and transmit traceability data within EPCIS.
• Section 8 - Service Layer, defines how services should accept and process requests for traceability data.
• Section 10 - JSON / JSON-LD bindings, defines how the GTF data definitions should be expressed in JSON and JSON-LD format
• Section 12 - REST Bindings, defines the required endpoints and their functionality for an EPCIS based server.

Core Business Vocabulary (CBV)

The Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) is a companion to EPCIS that ensures consistency in how supply chain events are described. It defines a broad set of data attributes and values used within EPCIS systems that allow organizations to represent traceability data in a standardized manner. Aligning structure (via EPCIS) and language (via CBV) ensures event records are clear, predictable, and interoperable across the entire supply chain. Understanding this standard in its entirety is beneficial but not required for implementation of the GTF. The following sections of the CBV Standard are the most relevant within the context of the GTF.

• Section 6 - URIs, defines how URNs are used for identifiers.
• Section 7 - Standard Vocabularies, defines the standard data types used to create traceability data.
• Section 8 - User Vocabularies, defines how data types created by users must operate, such as when generating a GLN for a new location that was purchased or built.

GS1 Digital Link

Traceability information is distributed across many independent organizations. GS1 Digital Link provides a standardized method for discovering where information about products, locations, or organizations can be obtained.

GS1 Digital Link is a standard that connects GS1 traceability identifiers—such as product or location codes—to useful information, like product details, facility information, company contacts, and even traceability records via web compatible links. It defines how entities and services are looked up, retrieved, and used within EPCIS systems. The following sections of the GS1 Digital Link Standard: URI Syntax, 1.6.0 are the most relevant within the context of the GTF:

• Section 5, Examples of GS1 Digital Link URIs provide guidance on the different types of digital link URIs.
• Section 6, AIDC Issues, supplements the GS1 General Specifications on the use of digital link URIs in data carriers.
• Section 7, Glossary, defines key terms used throughout EPCIS.
• Section 8, Changes, outlines changes to the standard between versions.

From Standards to Implementation

Each of these standards serves a distinct purpose and they work together to support the three fundamental capabilities required for interoperable digital traceability: identification, data modeling, and data exchange. The remainder of this section explores these three pillars of interoperable traceability and the standards that enable them.

Identifiers

Why Identifiers Matter

Interoperability depends upon the ability to uniquely identify the entities referenced throughout a supply chain.

Without standardized identifiers, organizations cannot reliably determine whether they are referring to the same product, location, logistical unit, or trading partner.

The GTF therefore relies upon globally unique identifiers that remain consistent regardless of which organization records or exchanges the data.

GS1 and GDST Identifiers

The GTF supports two interoperable identifier systems: GS1 identifiers and GDST identifiers.

Organizations that license a GS1 Company Prefix are encouraged to use GS1 identifiers, including identifiers such as GTINs, GLNs, PGLNs, and SSCCs. Organizations that do not license a GS1 Company Prefix may instead use GDST identifiers, which provide globally unique identifiers that are fully compatible with EPCIS-based traceability systems.

Both identifier systems are supported throughout the GTF and may be used to identify products, locations, organizations, and other traceable entities. This flexibility enables organizations with differing levels of GS1 adoption to participate in interoperable traceability without requiring a common identifier system, provided identifiers are globally unique and consistently applied.

Identifying Products

Products are identified using standardized product identifiers that distinguish one traceable product instance from another.

Depending on the traceability model being implemented, products may be identified at the:

• batch or lot level,
• serial level, or
• logistical unit level.

The GTF supports GS1 product identifiers and compatible GDST identifiers.

Identifying Locations

Locations provide the physical context in which events occur.

Each event references standardized location identifiers that distinguish facilities, farms, vessels, warehouses, retail locations, or other operational sites.

Using globally unique location identifiers enables systems to interpret events consistently regardless of the terminology used locally.

The GTF supports GS1 location identifiers and compatible GDST identifiers.

Identifying Organizations

Organizations participating in supply chains are identified using standardized party identifiers that uniquely distinguish them from other trading partners.

Within event records, these identifiers may be used to reference the organizations that own or operate locations, own products, or have possession or custody of products as they move through the supply chain.

Standardized organization identifiers enable systems to consistently identify the actors involved in traceability events.

The GTF supports GS1 party identifiers and compatible GDST identifiers.

Identifiers Connect the GTF

Identifiers serve as the common thread that links together event data and master data.

Rather than repeatedly embedding descriptive information within every event, events simply reference standardized identifiers.

These identifiers are then used to retrieve the corresponding descriptive information whenever needed.

Data Modeling

From Business Activities to Digital Events

Supply chain activities occur in the physical world.

The purpose of data modeling is to represent those physical activities in a consistent digital format that can be exchanged between information systems.

Within the GTF, each CTE is represented using one of the standardized EPCIS event types defined by the GS1 EPCIS Standard.

Event Structure

One of the strengths of EPCIS is its ability to preserve relationships between products. The GTF uses three standardized event types to create a complete digital representation of product history.

• Aggregation Events relate products to logistical units.
• Transformation Events preserve input-output genealogy.
• Object Events document changes in product status or movement.

Each event type records a common set of information describing the activity being performed. This information includes:

• the products involved;
• the business activity;
• the time of the event;
• the location where it occurred; and
• other Key Data Elements appropriate for the event.

Although different event types contain different relationships between products, they all follow a consistent structure that enables automated processing across systems.

Data Exchange

Interoperable Communication

Recording standardized events is only one component of interoperable traceability.

Organizations must also be able to discover one another, request information, exchange event data, and retrieve additional information when necessary.

The GTF establishes common communication practices that enable this exchange while allowing organizations to maintain independent information systems.

Preparing for Data Exchange

Before organizations can exchange traceability information, they must first establish a trusted trading partner relationship. This onboarding process enables each organization to recognize its trading partners, locate the appropriate data services, and communicate securely.

At a minimum, trading partners typically exchange a small set of information required to establish connectivity, including organizational identifiers, the base URL of their GS1 Digital Link Resolver, and any credentials required to authenticate future requests. Once this information has been exchanged, each organization can discover and access the other's traceability services using standardized protocols.

Secure Communication

Traceability information often includes commercially sensitive business information and should therefore be exchanged using secure communication protocols.

The GTF establishes a common baseline for secure communication while allowing organizations the flexibility to adopt stronger authentication mechanisms where appropriate. Conforming implementations support API key authentication as a minimum requirement, while trading partners that mutually support more advanced security protocols—such as OAuth 2.0 or mutual Transport Layer Security (mTLS)—may use those mechanisms instead.

By establishing trusted relationships and secure communication before data exchange begins, organizations create the foundation for interoperable, reliable, and secure traceability across independent systems.

Discovering Information

Once a trading partner relationship has been established, organizations can begin discovering traceability resources using GS1 Digital Link. Digital Link enables a requesting system to resolve standardized identifiers and determine where relevant traceability information is maintained without requiring prior knowledge of another organization's internal technology.

This discovery process supports decentralized interoperability while minimizing manual configuration between trading partners.

Exchanging Event Data

Once the appropriate repository has been identified, Event Data is exchanged using the EPCIS Query Interface.

Rather than transmitting complete product histories during every business transaction, organizations exchange only the information required to support the transaction or query being performed.

When additional historical information is required, authorized users may retrieve the relevant events directly from the organizations or repositories that maintain them.

This distributed approach reduces unnecessary duplication of data while preserving access to complete traceability histories when needed.

Resolving Master Data

Event Data references products, locations, organizations, and other entities through standardized identifiers.

When additional information about a product, location, or organization is needed, systems can use GS1 Digital Link to locate the appropriate source of Master Data. The associated identifier is used to retrieve descriptive information such as product definitions, location details, or organization information only when it is needed. Because Master Data is maintained separately from Event Data, updates to descriptive information need only be made once and are automatically available to future users and systems.

Bringing the Architecture Together

The technical architecture of the GTF enables organizations to exchange traceability information without requiring a common software platform or centralized database.

Standardized identifiers uniquely identify products and organizations. EPCIS models supply chain activities as interoperable events. CBV provides a common business language. Digital Link enables systems to discover information across organizational boundaries.

Together, these components establish a distributed, standards-based architecture that supports interoperable digital traceability across diverse supply chains.