Interoperability

Interoperability is the ability of software systems to exchange and interpret data without the need for human intervention. It is a critical component of scalability. No single traceability solution will meet the needs of everyone, and without a basic set of rules to enable data exchange, solutions will not be able to create efficiencies great enough to achieve system-wide traceability.

Consider a typical beef supply chain: ranchers may need mobile-friendly systems for field data processing collection, facilities require integration with existing ERP systems, distributors need compatibility with logistics platforms, and retailers want integration with customer-facing applications. Without system-wide interoperability, these different requirements would necessitate either forcing everyone onto a single system (often impractical) or creating expensive custom integrations for every connection.

Interoperability Reduces Costs

Eliminating the need for custom integration between different software platforms.
Reducing administrative burden of input errors and manually inputting data.
Enabling creation of scalable tools and resources
Fosters innovation by allowing specialized solutions to connect with broader ecosystems

Achieving Interoperability

When deploying digital traceability systems, there are three main approaches to enabling data exchange across supply chains: adopting a single system for all actors, building custom integrations between preferred systems, or implementing data standards that allow different tools to interoperate. While each approach has benefits and trade-offs, the use of data standards offers the most scalable, cost-effective, and future-proof path to widespread interoperability.

Criteria	Single System	Custom Integration	Data Standards
Simplified Data Exchange	✅		✅
Consistent user experience	✅		✅
Flexible		✅	✅
Scalable			✅
Lower long-term costs			✅
Encourages innovation		✅	✅
Simple integrations	✅		✅
System Wide Interoperability			✅

Data Standards and Frameworks

Interoperability requires shared foundations that allow different systems to “speak the same language.” These foundations include data standards, which define how information is structured and exchanged, and traceability frameworks, which provide the methodology for applying those standards consistently across supply chains. These tools make it possible for supply chain stakeholders to seamlessly exchange and interpret data across different systems, organizations, and regions.

Data standards act as the building blocks of traceability while a framework provides the blueprint for assembling those blocks into a system that works end-to-end.

Frameworks

A traceability framework is an instructional guideline for how to use and apply data standards in order to achieve interoperable traceability across complex supply chains. Importantly, a framework is not a certification standard or regulatory requirement. Unlike a compliance or certification standard, a framework does not prescribe metrics to be met or audited.

Instead, a framework provides a practical methodology that outlines:

what data to collect
when and where to collect it
how it should be formatted and shared.

By capturing and sharing data in standardized ways, frameworks ensure that information exchanged among framework users is consistent, interoperable, and meaningful across systems.

Interoperability