Collection of multiple MeCard/QR content profiles (e.g. location, wifi ) into a single QR Code

[Roland-M. Wagner]

Dear QR specialists,
my name is Roland and we are doing a university project in Berlin about a "Public Transport Station" QR/MeCard Content structure and implemented it on basis of this great ZXing Code. Of course, multiple dimensions, e.g. location and time are relevant.

Because modern QR versions can store up to 4k, which is a lot for key facts, we were thinking, that it might be better to group different MeCard Profiles (e.g. location, URL, Wifi, contact,...) into a single package/collection/container and encode it into a single QR code.

But we were not able to find anything about that. I guess, somebody else did that already. Does anybody know:
-how this packages/collection/containter are named?

A bit visualized:

location   }
event       }
wifi          }  into a SINGLE QR code?
contact    }
URL        }

Please not: "multiple QR" mean something different. This is more, if the data volume is larger than single QR codes can represent (similar to 2 single SMS today, which are handled as a single one, although maybe priced twice.

Technically it is not a problem to add a package/collection/container into the ZXing project as my students did. But I think there must be specification out here somewhere.

[Sean Owen]

I don't know of any specification for several different types of data in a QR code. It's not a usual use case. Of course you can write whatever you want into QR code, but it won't be recognized as multiple data payloads.

If you are just trying to encode an event, with location, and URL, and wifi info, you can make a VEVENT and put wi-fi info in the notes. It won't have an effect but the info is there.

[Roland-M. Wagner]

Thanks Sean,
good to hear that from you, because I could not find anything related in the net.

Well, the use case is a compact info format, e.g. for a visitor of our university with
-location, e.g. the coordinates of the building
-event, e.g. a special workshop
-URL, e.g. university website or event website
-Wifi, e.g. guest network or event wifi
-Public transport stations, e.g. Leopoldplatz,  (this a part 1 of our student project, we can share soon as a spec)
-Contact, e.g. event coordinator
Usually this contact information is posted in the classic world as paper flyer/booklet/...

Part 2 of our student project here in Berlin is that a mecard container/package/collection type might be included.
After detecting the keyword collection in the class, the implementation can run the (location/wifi/URL/phone) profile detection in a loop and add multiple functions/buttons to the view.

I think, it is quite simple and useful, because QR codes can store already 4k and therefore could contain more profile infos and functions with a single scan.

If interested, we like to share the idea/implementation/source code with you. The semester ends mid of July, so we will have some specification proposals for that.

Cheers
Roland

[Sean Owen]

I think it would be better to just encode a short URL to a web page containing this info. The only thing it couldn't cover well is wifi config, but maybe that could be a separate QR code.

Of course if you want to make a custom app it can do anything, but the above would work with most or all readers.

[Stefan Krüger]

one +Point for having all infos in the QR:
you don't need web access on your scanning device.