21/02/14- GS1 have today announced that they will be demonstrating the power of barcode scanning in evolving mobile devices using the widely speculated Google Glass platform.  This will be showcased at the industry’s largest mobile event, Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona next week.

This innovative demonstration, the first of its kind in Europe using Google Glass has been developed in collaboration with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and Icare, the Swiss Research Institute. When a bar code on product packaging is scanned using Google Glass they receive trusted product information such as nutritional content and recipes, which can then be adapted to personalised preferences, provide special offers, consumer reviews and shared with others on social media websites. 

GS1, the supply chain standards organisation, manages the system of product barcodes used by over 1 million companies on billions of products across the world.  GS1 has developed a number of data sharing services to allow brands and retailers to share accurate information about their products in the digital world. These services give app developers and the mobile industry access to the trusted data they require to make innovations such as Google Glass a reality for consumers.

 “Consumer behaviour is always changing and there is a constant need for information on demand, the next generation of bar code scanning is a key driver for consumers to be able to access data and media owners to engage users.  Our demonstration using Google Glass is an innovative way for retailers, manufacturers and mobile solution providers to imagine the future and the way we share information on mobile devices” said Malcolm Bowden, President Global Solutions, GS1. 

“If we can inspire the mobile ecosystem to see the possibilities for implementing the specifications we are developing, then this will be an exciting proposition for consumers.  We would like one day to see these as library components on all Android and IOS devices” continued Malcolm Bowden.

GS1 and the OMA, a leading mobile standards organisation, have been collaborating since 2011 to enable bar code scanning features to be built directly into mobile devices. The two organisations are building a specification based on existing standards that mobile device manufacturers will be able to use later in 2014. This will make it easier for application developers to integrate barcode scanning features and link to trusted product information in their apps. 

“GS1 and OMA standards are critical in enabling this vision of the connected consumer of the future, whose shopping trip and product usage are augmented with trusted information and services” said Gary K. Jones Chairman of the OMA Board. “With our knowledge of the mobile industry we have been able to collaborate with GS1 to develop a specification that will allow innovation for the mCommerce and mobile advertising industry and will ultimately benefit consumers through a new generation of more intuitive applications”.

The Google Glass demonstration can be seen on Wednesday February 26, 2014 at the OMA demo day in the Theatre District, Hall 8.0, Theatre D, from 15.00– 19.00. To register to attend this event, please go to www.mobileworldcongress.com/open-mobile-alliance/.

If you would like to arrange an interview with GS1 at the event then please contact Cameron Green, Cameron.green@gs1.org or for press briefings please contact beth.dyson@proactive-pr.com

Notes to Editors

About GS1

For further information or requests for interviews, please contact Tim Haidar: 020 7092 3584 / Tim.Haidar@gs1uk.org.

GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit global organisation that develops and maintains the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world.  GS1 standards improve efficiency, safety, and visibility of supply chains across multiple sectors.  With local Member Organisations in over 110 countries, GS1 engages with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, governments and technology providers to understand and respond to their business needs through the adoption and implementation of global standards.

GS1 is driven by over a million user companies, which execute more than six billion transactions daily in 150 countries using GS1 standards.  More information at www.gs1.org.

About Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)

OMA is the wireless industry’s focal point for the development of mobile service enabler specifications, which support the creation of interoperable end-to-end mobile services. OMA drives service enabler architectures and open enabler interfaces that are independent of the underlying wireless networks and platforms and that work across devices, service providers, operators, networks, and geographies. More information at www.openmobilealliance.org.

In July 2012, OMA announced its specification for encoding, decoding and resolution of mobile two-dimensional (2D) barcodes.  

Along with a centralised and open registry to assign a virtually limitless number of barcode management servers, the OMA specification allows retailers and advertisers to create sophisticated marketing, advertising and mobile commerce campaigns using cameras on mobile phones.

About Icare
The Icare Research Institute, based in TechnoPôle Sierre, Switzerland since 1991, is specialized in the fields of innovative information technology. For years, it has been involved in the development of state-of-the-art services in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) (barcodes, extended packaging, EPC, RFID, NFC, etc.). The Institute promotes the adoption barcodes and mobile technologies and support their development and deployment according to modern interoperability standards. The Institute has also acquired strong expertise in the field of traceability (supply chain management, compliance) and developed core competencies in computer vision (capture and identify visual artefacts through mobile devices. More information at www.icare.ch.

Press contacts: Elizabeth Rose, erose@omaorg.org
Joe Horwood, joe.horwood@gs1.org, +32 473 33 47 85