23/7  Mobile Barcodes: OMA and GS1 opt both for QR Codes and Datamatrix

Category: QR Code, Data Matrix...    By editor at 16:43
Both OMA, the Open Mobile Alliance and GS1, responsible for the 1D Barcode Number assignment worldwide, have picked up interest in Mobile Barcodes. Both organizations have now approved QR Codes and Datamatrix as the two defacto 2D barcode standards.
Great!

Both organizations also try to define an interoperability standard especially in the field of Shortcodes aka indirect mode (number to be translated into an URL on a Server). GS1 points to the already existing EAN barcode numbers which are well established whereas OMA presents a different way of doing it (see mainly page 20).


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GS1

Datamatrix and QR Codes as GS1 approved 2D Barcodes, June 12-13 in New York.
Mobile Commerce Whitepaper by GS1
GS1 Japan on QR Codes.

OMA

Mobile Codes, MC (V1_0)(June 2008)

OMA (October 2007)

Work to be undertaken:
The work will include recommendations of: choice of 2D barcode symbology(ies); the data stored in the barcodes; and terminal behaviours in response to reading barcodes, including behaviours with respect to some existing (1D and 2D) barcodes. The aim is to re-use as much of existing standards as possible. This way we can get a recommendation published as soon as possible, to avoid further fragmentation of the market. Prime candidates for re-use include the industrial standards for barcode symbologies QR and Datamatrix, and the NFC Forum NDEF data structure. The normative specifications to be developed shall ensure backward compatibility with relevant 2D barcode systems, so that mobile devices that are compliant to the specifications to be developed shall be able to recognize and process such existing 2D barcode print-outs or images.

The list of relevant specifications includes:
Quick Response, ISO/IEC 18004:2000
Datamatrix ISO/IEC 16022:2000
NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) Technical Specification
NFC Smart Poster Record Type Definition (RTD) Technical Specification
NFC URI RTD Technical Specification
NTT DoCoMo Bar Code Functions