---
title: What Is EPCIS? GS1 Event Data Explained
description: EPCIS is the GS1 standard for recording supply-chain events: what happened, to what, where, when, and why. How the event model and 2.0 JSON-LD work.
canonical: https://stanzaapi.com/guides/epcis-explained
---

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# What Is EPCIS? GS1 Supply-Chain Event Data Explained

EPCIS is the GS1 standard for capturing and sharing supply-chain events. Each event records what happened, to which items, where, when, and in what business step.

Updated 2026-10-01 · 5 min read

## What EPCIS is

EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is the GS1 standard for recording supply-chain events. It answers five questions for every event: what, when, where, why, and how.

It underpins track-and-trace regimes, including FDA DSCSA serialization in the United States.

## The event types

An EPCIS document is a list of events. The four core types are ObjectEvent, AggregationEvent, TransformationEvent, and TransactionEvent.

- ObjectEvent — items were observed, for example received or shipped.
- AggregationEvent — items were packed into or unpacked from a container.
- TransformationEvent — inputs became outputs in a process.
- TransactionEvent — items were associated with a business transaction.

## The core fields

Every event carries an event time, a recorded time, a location, a business step, a disposition, and the identifiers it concerns — typically SGTIN EPCs.

## EPCIS 2.0 and JSON-LD

EPCIS 2.0 adds a JSON-LD representation alongside XML. That makes the data easier for web systems to consume, and it inherits JSON-LD’s behaviour of resolving a remote context — which a secure parser must not do blindly.

## Try it on real data

[FDA DSCSA & EU FMD Prescription Drug Serialization API → — Instant <5ms US FDA DSCSA 4-element & EU FMD 2D DataMatrix barcode parser, Modulo-10 check digit validator, and GS1 VRS engine — Open the tool](/tools/pharma-dscsa/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

What does EPCIS stand for?

Electronic Product Code Information Services — the GS1 standard for supply-chain event data.

What are the EPCIS event types?

ObjectEvent, AggregationEvent, TransformationEvent, and TransactionEvent.

What is EPCIS 2.0?

The version of EPCIS that adds a JSON-LD representation alongside XML, for web and AI systems.

## Primary sources

- [GS1 — EPCIS 2.0 standard](https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis)
- [GS1 — EPCIS and CBV implementation guideline](https://www.gs1.org/standards/epcis)