We play a holistic role in forging the local ICT landscape:

Our Standards and Origin of IoT

One of the concepts or innovations that shape the future of ICT is Internet of Things (IoT). First coined in 1999 by the Auto-ID Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), IoT was a research project that involved integrating the Internet, unique identification with RFID technology, such that it can automatically identify any object along the supply chain by leveraging IoT solutions and IoT platform.

In 2003, the Auto-ID Center released “Electronic Product Code” (EPC) standard based on the research project. EPC was transferred to EPCglobal® formed by GS1 for the development of EPC standards and management to realise IoT adoption, addressing real-world business needs. Thus, the foundation for IoT is built upon the components of EPC technology. 

EPCglobal® developed industry-driven standards for EPC to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), enabling global visibility of items in today’s fast-moving trading environment. The following standards developed are recognized as ISO/IEC standards:

• EPCIS (EPC Information Services) enables trading partners to share information about the physical movement and status of products as they travel throughout the supply chain, providing the visibility needed with what, when, where and why of a product’s movement. EPCIS and its companion standard, the Core Business Vocabulary (CBV), have been published by ISO as ISO/IEC 19987 and 19988, ratifiying the GS1 EPC standards improved traceability and anti-counterfeiting.

• EPC Gen 2 standard defines the physical and logical requirements for an RFID system of interrogators and passive tags, operating in the 860 MHz - 960 MHz UHF range. ISO/IEC incorporated the EPC Gen 2 standard into ISO/IEC 18000-6C in 2005. The standard can be used for item level tagging applications, providing the visibility needed to assure that the right product in the right place, at the right time. 

Global language of business connects physical and digital worlds, laying foundation for IoT

IoT is all about integrating multiple disciplines, e.g. sensors, RFID, networks, cloud, security, information technology, etc. in an interoperable manner.

A critical factor in enabling the IoT will be the agreements on what standards to use for identifying things, for capturing data and for sharing information relevant to the IoT applications.

The foundation layer to IoT is the Connected Devices.  These devices include barcode and RFID readers that act as interfaces between uniquely identified objects and the next layers of the architecture where data are transferred, stored and analysed.

GS1’s “Global Language of Business” connects the physical and digital worlds, laying the foundation for IoT. The unique identification of objects, assets, locations, etc. (things) and automatic data capture, powered by GS1 barcodes and EPC/RFID, enables interoperability and is a key requirement for IoT.  IoT is driving increased connectivity of “things” – which leads to massive data collection. Seamless, trusted sharing of “big data” is enabled by GS1 standards. Data quality is more important than ever and GS1 standards provide the foundation for accurate, sharable, searchable and linkable data.

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Smart Business Innovation Centre (“The Innovation Centre”)

Initially known as the “Hong Kong Internet of Things Centre of Excellence” and more commonly referred as the “IoT Centre”, The Innovation Centre was set up by GS1 Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Science Park in 2013, with the support of the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation as well as industries, technology partners and other related organisations. It was relocated to GS1 Hong Kong’s premises in Wanchai in Nov 2015, and renamed to “Smart Business Innovation Centre (“The Innovation Centre”) in 2019. Click to know more.

Hong Kong Internet of Things Industry Advisory Council (IoT IAC)
In 2013, the Hong Kong Internet of Things Industry Advisory Council was formed by like-minded companies under the auspices of GS1 Hong Kong. Aiming to promote IoT innovations and broaden their adoption, it helps uplift the competitiveness of local enterprises. 

Hong Kong IoT Conference  
One of the largest of its kind in Hong Kong ICT community held annually since 2013, the Hong Kong IoT Conference serves as an efficient platform for industry practitioners to discover how IoT is adopted to meet different market needs and to exchange expertise.