Classifications
What classifications are
Classifications are two GDST extension attributes that assign descriptive type labels to product and location master data: productClassification and locationClassification. They make it possible to filter and query data by what a product is or what kind of place a location is, for example, "all wild-caught seafood" or "all vessels".
Both are GDST extensions under the gdst: namespace (rather than core EPCIS/CBV master data), which is why they are documented here under Modules. Each classification value is written as a small object with a type of GDST and a value:
{ "type": "gdst", "value": "wildcaught" }Product Classification
The product classification (productClassification) labels what a trade item is. It is additive, a single product may carry more than one value, and together they form a composite description. For example, Processed + WildCaught + Seafood describes a "processed wild-caught seafood".
Values
Value | Description |
Processed | The product has undergone processing or transformation (e.g. filleting, canning, freezing). |
Seafood | The product is intended for human consumption as seafood. |
WildCaught | The product originates from wild capture fisheries. |
Farmed | The product originates from aquaculture or farming operations. |
Feed | The product is intended for use as animal feed or feed ingredients (e.g. fishmeal, fish oil). |
Developing | The product is in a developing life stage (e.g. eggs, larvae, fry, juveniles, smolt). |
Mature | The product is in a mature or market-ready life stage. |
Live | The product is live at the point of trade (e.g. live shellfish, live fish for restocking). |
Example
In the master data vocabularyList, each classification is one of the product element's attributes. Because the attribute is additive, multiple values appear as repeated entries:
{
"@context": {
"gs1": "http://gs1.org/voc/",
"cbv": "urn:epcglobal:cbv:mda",
"gdst": "https://traceability-dialogue.org/vocab",
"xsd": "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#",
"@vocab": "http://gs1.org/voc/"
},
"@type": "gs1:Product",
"gtin": "urn:gdst:example.com:product:class:abc123.YFT-LOIN",
"productName": [
{ "@value": "Yellowfin Tuna Loins", "@language": "en" }
],
"cbv:speciesForFisheryStatisticsPurposesCode": [
"YFT"
],
"cbv:tradeItemConditionCode": "FIL",
"gdst:productClassification": [
{ "type": "GDST", "value": "Processed" },
{ "type": "GDST", "value": "WildCaught" },
{ "type": "GDST", "value": "Seafood" }
]
}Location Classification
The location classification (locationClassification) labels the category of a location. Unlike product classification, it is a single value per location, if a facility serves multiple purposes, use its primary operational role.
Values
Value | Description |
Vessel | A watercraft used in fishing, transport, or at-sea processing. Includes fishing, tender, carrier, and reefer vessels. |
Land Facility | A stationary, land-based facility. Includes processing plants, cold storage, hatcheries, farms, distribution centers, and ports. |
Example
{
"@context": {
"gs1": "http://gs1.org/voc/",
"gdst": "https://traceability-dialogue.org/vocab",
"@vocab": "http://gs1.org/voc/"
},
"@type": "gs1:Place",
"globalLocationNumber": "urn:gdst:example.com:location:loc:abc123.vessel-001",
"name": [{ "@value": "F/V Pacific Explorer", "@language": "en" }],
"gdst:locationClassification": [
{ "type": "GDST", "value": "Vessel" }
]
}The same value model ({ "type": "GDST", "value": ... }) is used in both formats; only the surrounding structure and the way the namespace is written differ.
Notes
- Both classification lists are extensible, additional values may be introduced through the GDST governance process.
- The value tables above follow the GDST 2.0 standard's capitalization (e.g.
Seafood). The GDST 2.0 example data uses lowercase for some values (e.g.seafood); use the value defined by the standard.
