Standardizing barcode contents?

[srowen]

http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/BarcodeContents

A couple things recently compelled me to realize that the *contents*
of barcodes also need some standardization, and that it's lacking. I
put together the above wiki to begin collecting information on how to
format certain types of information within a barcode.

[cbrunnkvist]

On 8 Maj, 01:23, srowen <sro...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/BarcodeContents

I think there might be that there's a lack of established jargon here:
what term should we use to quickly refer to the data formats that are
understood by the code reader? (what you call *contents*)

"Barcode contents" doesn't really ring the bell for me personally.
There aren't even any bars in most data matrix codes / 2D-symbologies.

[srowen]

Sure, what term do you suggest?

"Barcode" is indeed a bit misleading. It does seem like "2D barcodes"
is commonly used to refer to these formats anyhow, which are maybe
more properly called "matrix codes".

[dzurn]

I deal a lot with barcodes and 2D codes in my job at a medical device
manufacturer. The DataMatrix and QR codes are usually referred to as
"2D codes" but the phrase "2D barcodes" is much more understandable
even if a little inaccurate. I call them 2D codes.

As for the contents, there's a lot. Are you looking at what a hobbyist
might encounter, or a tourist, or a scientist, or what? The Japanese
QR codes seem to have more content standards, like for a URL, text,
business card, email, etc. For Medical devices, they use the GS1-128
format (formerly UCC/EAN-128). DoD has its own method.

Darryl

[srowen]

Thanks, yes I think "2D barcodes" is the most commonly understood
term.

I suppose I am most interested in what people might put into a 2D
barcode for consumer applications. Since the popular formats, QR Code
and Data Matrix, encode general text, there is some open question
about how to format information within them. Also, it seems like a
time where many people, both individual developers and organizations,
will begin wanting to put structured information in these codes.

I'm afraid of standards problems here: if encoders and readers aren't
agreeing on how to encode, say, contact information, then your QR
Codes might be readable to my reader, but, my reader may not
understand it should specially handle the contents. This would be a
shame and hurt the usefulness of these 2D barcodes.

We'd done some work to write in support for information formatted in
many ways, but I realized this information should be available to
people encoding QR Codes. I didn't know of a good resource collecting
this information so started one.

For now I am not as concerned about GS1-128 or 1D formats; there the
contents are clear, a string of digits, and there the interpretation
of the string is either a product code or something entirely domain-
specific anyway.