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Term	Acronym	Definition
1SYNC™		1SYNC was established from the consolidation of Transora and UCCnet in August 2005. 1SYNC operates as a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1 US to help the industry maximize the value of data synchronization. 1SYNC offers a range of data synchronization services that eliminate costly data errors, increase supply chain efficiencies, and promote the advancement of next-generation technologies, such as the Electronic Product Code. 1SYNC is headquartered in Lawrenceville, NJ with offices in the U.S., Brazil, France, Mexico, and the U.K. Visit www.1SYNC.org for more information.
Action Groups		For EPCglobal, Action Groups provide the business and technical perspective to support the standards development process. Industry Action Groups identify business needs, gather business requirements, and develop consensus on best practices. Software and Hardware Action Groups facilitate the development of technical standards, based on business requirements.
active tag		A class of RFID tag that contains a power source, such as a battery, to power the microchip’s circuitry. Active tags transmit a signal to a reader and can be read from 100 feet (approximately 31 meters) or more.
air interface		The radio frequency link between a reader and RFID tags.
antenna		The conductive element that enables a RFID tag or reader to send and receive data.
anti-collision		See simultaneous ID.
Application Family Identifier	AFI	An International Organization for Standardization method for classifying radio frequency identification by application.
Application Level Event	ALE	A first-level business event, recorded in EPC Middleware, that is derived from individual read events.
Application Standards		Rules for producing and applying technical standards to specific business problems. Examples: The framework for implementing the EPCglobal Network in a sector or guidelines for the physical application of tags to products.
Architecture Review Committee	ARC	An EPCglobal standing committee reporting to the EPCglobal Inc President that helps to evaluate and prioritize requirements affecting the overall EPCglobal Network Architecture Framework. This committee may also serve as a technical resource to the EPCglobal Board of Governors.
Auto-ID Center		The Auto-ID Center officially closed on October 31, 2003. Its work in developing Electronic Product Code technologies was transferred to EPCglobal Inc per the EPCglobal Joint Venture contract. See Auto-ID Labs.
Auto-ID Labs		Academic entity headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology originally chartered to research and develop Electronic Product Code technologies and applications along with five other research universities around the world: the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; the University of Adelade in Australia; Keio University in Tokyo, Japan; Fudan University in Shanghai, China; and the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. See www.autoidlabs.org for additional information including updates to the labs and their progress.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture	AIDC	Technology associated with the creation and acquisition of machine-readable data. The primary technologies are barcodes and radio frequency identification.
battery-assisted tag		See active tag.
Business Steering Committee	BSC	An EPCglobal steering committee for all Industry Action Group co-chairs, which identifies and addresses cross-Industry Action Group synergies or conflicts such as priorities, resourcing, or content/deliverables.
Candidate Specification	CS	The result of taking a Last Call Working Draft, putting it out for comment, and then resolving all of the comments. Once deemed a Candidate Specification, the specification is deemed to be “technically stable” enough to support use for prototypes and intellectual property declarations.
certification		The process of conveying a mark or “seal of compliance” from an authority to a vendor’s products and/or services that passes a pre-determined level of conformance to standards. Certification also includes the rules for using and maintaining the mark and how the mark is communicated.
compliance testing		Testing done to judge a hardware or software product’s compliance to a particular standard. This is generally a pass/fail test, which also provides guidance if a product fails to comply.
conformance testing		See compliance testing.
die		The silicon block upon which circuits have been etched.
Discovery Services		A component of the EPCglobal Network consisting of a suite of services that enable users to find data related to a specific Electronic Product Code and to request access to that data. Object Naming Service is one component of Discovery Services.
Discussion Group		An EPCglobal process designed to engage industries not already served within the standards development community. A Discussion Group is the preliminary step to determine the need for an Industry Action Group.
distribution center	DC	A location where products are received and then shipped to a trading partner.
Electronic Product Code™	EPC	An identification scheme for universally identifying physical objects via RFID tags and other means. Standardized Electronic Product Code data consists of among other partitions of data, an EPC Manager Number, an object class identification, a filter value, and a serial number used to uniquely identify the instance of the object.
end-user		A buyer or consumer of products and services from resellers or manufacturers.
end-user case/pallet performance testing		A test to measure a device’s (applied RFID tag’s) performance in a customer’s environment conditions with two levels, static (RFID tags applied to objects) and dynamic (RFID tags applied to moving objects).
EPC Implementation Advisor™		A new implementation tool created by EPCglobal North America and the Electronic Product Code Implementation Program that allows users to connect and begin sharing EPC information with their trading partners in the most efficient manner. This tool is designed to step the user through the four phases of Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification implementation: 1) Getting Started, 2) Financial Planning, 3) Internal Implementation Planning, and 4) Vendor Selection.
EPC Information Services	EPCIS	A component of the EPCglobal Network that enables users to exchange Electronic Product Code-related data in a structured format with trading partners through the Network.
EPC Manager Number		The number registered to the root Object Naming Service by EPCglobal as identification of the location of the information of the tagged objects.
EPC Middleware		A component of the EPCglobal Network that manages real-time access to Electronic Product Code-related data. The EPCglobal community is developing software interface standards for services enabling data exchange between an EPC reader or network of readers and information systems.
EPC reader		A RFID reader that complies with EPCglobal standards.
EPC tag		A RFID tag that complies with EPCglobal standards containing an Electronic Product Code.
EPCglobal Inc™		A joint venture between GS1 and GS1 US. EPCglobal is a neutral, not-for-profit organization entrusted by industry to establish and support the Electronic Product Code and the global adoption of the EPCglobal Network.
EPCglobal Inc™ Board of Governors		The governing body for EPCglobal Inc, made up of representatives from GS1 US, GS1, end-users, and the Auto-ID Labs.
EPCglobal Network®		The EPCglobal Network is a community of trading partners engaged in the capture, sharing and discovery of Electronic Product Code-related data using EPCglobal-certified hardware and software components and standard interfaces.
EPCglobal North America™		A Member Organization of EPCglobal Inc and subsidiary of GS1 US. EPCglobal North America engages Subscribers across all industries, allowing them to get involved in the standards development process and aiding in their implementation and adoption of EPCglobal standards and the EPCglobal Network. EPCglobal North America also provides North America-based Subscribers with tools and services that help them implement Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification technology easier, faster, and at less cost by removing roadblocks and accelerating the return on their radio frequency identification investment.
EPCglobal Reference Architecture		A set of principles, guidelines, and strategies governing the implementation of the EPCglobal Network and related radio frequency identification technologies.
EPCglobal Standards Specification		An EPCglobal standard is a specification or set of guidelines that, after extensive consensus-building, has received the endorsement of EPCglobal Subscribers and the EPCglobal Inc Board of Governors.
Error Correcting Code		Code stored on an RFID tag that enables the reader to determine the value of incomplete or distorted data. This code is necessary to help prevent readers from misinterpreting data and/or incorrectly identifying objects.
factory programming		The process of writing an Electronic Product Code identification number into a chip. This is required for some radio frequency identification read-only tags. See field programming.
field		A zone of radio frequency energy created by a reader and associated antenna(e).
field programming		Programming done outside of the factory, after a RFID tag has shipped. This can be done on RFID tags that use Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, or non-volatile memory. See factory programming.
frequency		The number of repetitions of a complete radio wave within one second. One hertz equals one complete waveform in one second. RFID tags utilize low, high, ultra-high, and microwave frequencies.
Global Standards Management Process	GSMP	The procedures, methods, and practices that develop and maintain GS1 System standards. GS1 manages the Global Standards Management Process.
GS1 US™		GS1 US is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. Under its auspices, GS1 US operates four divisions, 1SYNC, BarCodes and eCom, EPCglobal North America, and RosettaNet. GS1 US manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code for the United Nations Development Programme. GS1 US-based solutions, including business processes, business message standards using Extensible Markup Language, Electronic Data Interchange transaction sets, and the barcode identification standards of the GS1 System are currently used by more than one million member companies worldwide. GS1 US is headquartered in Lawrenceville, NJ USA. For more information about GS1 US, please visit: www.gs1us.org
Hardware Action Group	HAG	An EPCglobal Action Group that develops specifications for element and interface standards for key hardware components of the EPCglobal Network, including readers and tags. There is one Hardware Action Group to define global standards across all industries.
header		Identifies the structure of an Electronic Product Code.
Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Action Group	HLS IAG	An EPCglobal Industry Action Group that provides a forum for the interaction of end-users and solution providers to collaborate on the definition of user requirements and the understanding of solutions to those requirements. This group focuses on the issues and processes identified within the healthcare and life sciences industry.
High-Frequency tags	HF tags	RFID tags that operate at 13.56MHz.
ID System (EPC tags and readers)		The ID System is a component of the EPCglobal Network that consists of EPC tags and readers. EPC tags are radio frequency identification devices that consist of a microchip and an antenna attached to a substrate. The Electronic Product Code is stored on this tag, which is applied to cases, pallets, and/or items. EPC tags communicate their Electronic Product Codes to EPC readers using radio frequency identification. EPC readers communicate with EPC tags via radio waves and deliver information to local business information systems using EPC Middleware.
Industry Action Group	IAG	Within the EPCglobal community, Industry Action Groups are charged with providing end-user business requirements to the EPCglobal Inc standards development process and with driving adoption of the EPCglobal Network. Industry Action Groups are formed as industries increase the adoption of Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification technology and increase their involvement in the standards development process. Retail Supply Chain, Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Transportation and Logistics Services are current Industry Action Groups.
Integrated Circuit	IC	A microelectronic semiconductor device consisting of several interconnected transistors and other components. Integrated Circuits are integrated into most RFID tags.
Interest Group		For EPCglobal, Interest Groups focus on specific deliverables and topics for an industry as input into Joint Requirements Group.
International Organization for Standardization	ISO	Worldwide federation of national standards bodies promoting the development of standardization, whose work results in the publication of international standards.
interoperability		The ability of a system or application to work with other systems or applications without special effort on the part of the user.
interoperability testing		Testing done against industry-accepted standards with varying combinations of hardware or software products to ensure that the product interoperates with other products. Example: Hardware, as in an EPC tag and reader interoperability.
Interrogator		See RFID reader.
Joint Requirements Group	JRG	An EPCglobal Working Group created from participants of Industry Action Groups and Technical Action Groups to produce requirements for specifications.
Last Call Working Draft	LCWD	The first state of a software specification as it moves through the development process on its way to becoming a ratified EPCglobal standard.
Message Transport Binder	MTB	The technology used to implement a software standard. Examples: webMethods, Electronic Data Interchange, and binary.
object class		Term used in an Electronic Product Code structure that extends the EPC Manager Number to identify the category or reference of an object in motion.
Object Naming Service	ONS	An automated networking service that matches the Electronic Product Code to the location of information about the associated tagged object.
operating range		The distance between a reader antenna and tag over which a tag can communicate with a reader.
passive tag		A RFID tag that does not contain a power source. The tag generates a magnetic field when radio waves from a reader reach the antenna. This magnetic field powers the tag and enables it to send back information stored on the chip.
performance testing		See simulated performance testing and tagged unit performance testing.
power level		The amount of radio frequency energy radiated from a RFID reader or an active tag. The higher the power level, the longer the read range. Power levels are regulated by most governments to prevent interference with other devices.
programming		The act of writing or embedding data onto a RFID tag.
protocol		A set of rules to facilitate computer data transmission.
Public Policy Steering Committee	PPSC	A global multi-industry group including retailers, manufacturers, and trade associations that provides outreach, dialog, and counsel to key stakeholders within the EPCglobal community on public policy issues such as privacy and environmental concerns.
radio frequency	RF	Any frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When a radio frequency current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created and can propagate through space. Many wireless technologies are based on radio frequency field propagation.
radio frequency identification	RFID	A data carrier technology that transmits information via signals in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. A radio frequency identification system consists of an antenna and a transceiver, which read the radio frequency and transfer the information to a processing device, and a transponder or tag, which is an Integrated Circuit containing the radio frequency circuitry and information to be transmitted.
read		The process of translating radio waves from a RFID tag into bits of information that can be used by a computer.
read range		The maximum distance at which a reader can send data to or receive data from a RFID tag. Active tags offer a longer range than passive tags because of the battery used to transmit signals to the reader. The read range of a passive tag can be affected by the frequency, antenna design, method of powering, and other factors.
read rate		The rate at which data can be read from a RFID tag; represented in bits or bytes per second.
reader field		The area within which a RFID tag can receive radio waves and can be read.
read-only tags		RFID tags containing data that cannot be changed unless the chip is electronically reprogrammed.
read-write tags		RFID tags with the capability to record and update data multiple times.
Retail Supply Chain Industry Action Group	RSC IAG	An EPCglobal Industry Action Group that provides a forum for the interaction of end-users and solution providers to collaborate on the definition of user requirements for EPCglobal standards and the understanding of solutions to those requirements. This group focuses on the issues and processes identified within the retail industry.
RFID reader		A RFID reader communicates via radio waves with RFID tags and delivers the information in a digital format to a computer system. Also known as an interrogator.
RFID tag		A microchip attached to an antenna that sends data to an RFID reader. The RFID tag contains a unique serial number, and can also contain additional data. RFID tags can be active, passive, or semi-passive tags.
semi-passive tags		A class of RFID tags that contain a power source, such as a battery, to power the microchip’s circuitry. Unlike active tags, semi-passive tags do not use the battery to communicate with the reader. Some semi-passive tags are dormant until activated by a signal from a reader. This conserves battery power and can lengthen the life of the tag.
sensor		A device that produces an electronic signal in response to a physical stimulus. Sensors are more frequently being integrated into RFID tags to allow for the detection of a stimulus at an identifiable location. Example: temperature monitoring of a chilled item.
serial number		A code, numeric or alphanumeric, assigned to an item for its lifetime. Example: Microscope model AC-2 with serial number 1234568 and microscope model AC-2 with serial number 1234569. A unique individual item may be identified with the combined Global Trade Item Number and serial number.
simulated performance testing		Testing that relates to hardware and seeks to build a performance profile for certain types of RFID tags and readers in combination with certain types of materials. For example, a RFID tag vendor might have a simulated performance profile run on an EPCglobal-compliant tag to see how it performs on a variety of materials (such as wood, metal, glass with liquid, corrugated, and waxed corrugated).
simultaneous ID		An attribute of the communications protocol between a RFID reader and RFID tags that allows a reader to gather data from many tags that are all present in the read field at the same time.
smart label		A label containing a RFID tag, which can communicate with a reader and store information such as a unique serial number.
Software Action Group	SAG	An EPCglobal Action Group that defines the software functionality and interface standards for the EPCglobal Network and how these elements interact with distributed enterprise systems. There is one Software Action Group to define global standards across all industries.
solution provider		An individual or company that enables supply chain functions through the provision of products and services. Includes hardware and software companies, consultants, system integrators, and training companies.
standard		A specification for hardware, software, or data that is either widely used and accepted (de facto) or is sanctioned by a standards organization (de jure).
tag		See RFID tag.
tagged unit performance testing		Tests performed on objects in motion (such as items, cases, and pallets) under a set of performance simulated real-world conditions to evaluate “readability” of the RFID tags.
technical standards		Specifications for hardware and software components of a network, such as physical protocols and interfaces.
Technology Steering Committee	TSC	An EPCglobal steering committee comprised of the co-chairs of the Hardware Action Group and the Software Action Group, an Auto-ID Lab representative, and EPCglobal staff to ensure that the technical solutions are consistent with the EPCglobal Network principles, vision, and architecture.
transceiver		See RFID reader.
transponder		A radio transmitter-receiver that is activated by a predetermined signal. RFID tags are sometimes referred to as transponders.
Ultra-High Frequency tags	UHF tags	RFID tags that operate between 866MHz and 930MHz. These tags are able to send and receive data faster and at greater distances than tags using other frequencies.
use case		A detailed description of a single activity in a business process that identifies data inputs and outputs, performance/timing requirements, the handling of error conditions, and interfaces with external applications.
wavelength		A measure of distance between the beginning and end, two corresponding points, or a complete cycle in a wave. For verifiers or scanners, this is the unit, measured in nanometers, for the light energy emitted by the device’s light source. This is one of two conditions affecting the parameter calculations needed to create a formal ISO-15416 symbol grade.
Working Group	WG	In EPCglobal, Working Groups are the primary means by which the Action Groups conduct their business. A Working Group is composed of a subset of Action Group members and convenes to carry out a specific task as chartered by an Action Group.
write range		The distance between a RFID reader and a RFID tag over which data writing operations can be reliably performed.