ITDS Issues Recommendations on Using e-Commerce Product Data for Smarter Cargo Management
The International Trade Data System1 Product Information Committee has issued a recommendation report to the Board of Directors entitled "Leveraging E-Commerce Product Data for Smarter Cargo Management."
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HTS Provide Insufficient Info, "Global Dictionaries" Still Maturing
The ITDS committee notes that Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes provide insufficient information about most products entering the U.S. for accurate admissibility assessment.
The report states that there are also challenges in the current "global product dictionaries"2, maintained by Dictionary Maintenance Organizations (DMOs), which allow suppliers to characterize products using a product class code designation and product attribute values.
For example, the capability of the product characterization dictionaries to effectively group products in meaningful ways for industry is still maturing. The report also states that additional attributes that are unique to the admissibility and jurisdiction interests of Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) may need to be added to the dictionaries before the full potential of e-commerce product classification can be realized.
ITDS Committee Recommends PGA Forum, Piloting Certain Product Data, Etc.
In order to address these issues, the ITDS committee recommends that the ITDS Board of Directors (partial list):
PGA forum - Establish a PGA forum with the on-going responsibility for coordinating primary dictionary designations and change requests to DMOs.
Sample product sets - Select one or more sample product sets that can be designated by HTS code range, and work with all the PGAs with jurisdiction over each product set to determine which dictionary should be the primary dictionary and what product information is needed by all PGAs, etc.
Pilot process for incoming GTINs - Pilot a process to capture the Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) of incoming products for one or more sample product sets. Initial pilots could occur inside or outside of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). PGAs should determine what regulatory actions would be needed to collect GTINs.
GTIN data synchronization - Pilot the use of data synchronization or a web service to obtain product information for the GTINs of sample product sets from the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). Initial pilots may be conducted outside of the ACE system by interested PGAs making ad hoc web queries to the GDSN. PGAs should determine whether a sufficient number of products from the sample product sets have been published in the GDSN to be useful in the admissions process.
GDSN product data pilot- Pilot the use of GDSN product data for incoming product GTINs in PGA automated targeting systems to accelerate jurisdiction and admission decisions. Evaluate the feasibility and utility of a GTIN Prohibited Products List and a GTIN High-Risk Products List.
The ITDS committee states that if pilot testing validates the value of using GTIN and related GDSN product information, the PGAs, through ITDS, should work with CBP to build these capabilities into ACE. The PGA forum would then build a communication plan to advise supply chain companies of how PGAs will use GTINs and GDSN product information, particularly the primary dictionary product characterization information, to streamline the cargo admissions process at U.S. borders.
1The ITDS concept is a "single-window" system for electronic filing of import and export documentation. ITDS is not a separate computer system, but a suite of functions to be provided through ACE. Currently, 46 agencies are working together with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement ITDS.
2The ITDS committee discusses three major "global product dictionaries" that have been developed and are currently being used by different business sectors to describe and characterize products moving in national and international trade: the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC); the GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC); and eCl@ss.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 04/15/09 news, 09041599 9, for BP summary of an ITDS overview of the A2.2 portal and other enhancements relevant to PGAs.
See ITT's Online Archives or 01/05/09 news, 09010505, for BP summary of ITDS' FY 2008 report to Congress.)
ITDS report (dated April 2009) available at http://www.itds.gov/linkhandler/itds/tsn/product_info_comm/leveraing.ctt/leveraing.pdf