Barcode Administrators

Many standards administration bodies oversee the official standards of use for barcodes in different industries and for different applications. This chapter describes the major standards administrators and their areas of authority.

The following administrators oversee the technical standards for barcode symbologies. These standards regulate how the technology works, not how it is used:

• Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM)

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

The following administrators oversee the application standards for barcode symbologies. These standards regulate how the technology is used, not how it works:

• Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

• European Article Number-Uniform Code Council (EAN-UCC)

• GS1

• Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA)

• International Council for Commonality in Blood Bank Automation (ICCBBA)

• International ISBN Agency

• International ISMN Agency

• ISSN International Centre

• The Vision Council