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Short answer: A GDSN data pool is a GS1-certified service that holds a company’s product data and exchanges it with trading partners’ data pools through the GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN), so a buyer such as a hospital can receive the same master product data the seller maintains. This page is general information about a data standard, not legal, regulatory or medical advice.
What a GDSN data pool is
GS1 describes the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GS1 GDSN) as “the world’s largest product data network”. Companies take part by subscribing to a certified GS1 GDSN data pool, which lets them set up product content once and synchronise it with all trading partners at the same time (GS1 GDSN service page, checked 2026-10-31).
GS1’s support article defines a data pool as “a solution built to comply with GS1 standards”, and a certified data pool as one “tested to have interoperability within GDSN”. Trading partners must use a certified data pool to work with items in the GS1 Global Registry (GS1 support, checked 2026-10-31). GS1 publishes a list of certified data pools on its site, and the list changes, so check it directly rather than relying on a count.
The same ideas appear under several names: “GS1 GDSN”, “GDSN healthcare” and “product data synchronization in healthcare” all refer to this network applied to medical products and the organisations that buy them.
How does a hospital receive product data from a distributor via GDSN?
GS1’s healthcare use-case document describes the exchange for tendering and sourcing as a sequence of steps between a seller (the data source) and a buyer (the data recipient), each working through its own data pool (GS1, “GDSN Healthcare Use Cases”, Release 3 Version 1, July 2014, checked 2026-10-31). The document speaks of sellers, buyers and manufacturers as the source of the data; it does not say that every distributor republishes product data, so treat “seller” below as whichever trading partner is the data source.
- The seller loads its product data into its own (source) data pool.
- A small subset of that data is registered in the GS1 Global Registry.
- The buyer, through its own (recipient) data pool, sends a subscription request to the Global Registry.
- The seller sends or authorises the data through the source data pool.
- The source data pool publishes the requested information to the buyer’s data pool.
- The recipient data pool passes it on to the data recipient, the hospital’s system.
- The buyer sends a confirmation to the seller, again via each company’s data pool.
Two points are easy to miss. First, the Global Registry holds only a small subset of the data, so it works as a directory that tells data pools where to look, not as the store of the full product record. Second, the supplier remains in control: in the same document the data source decides how and to whom its data is provided.
What both sides need first
The 2014 use-case document states a precondition: trading partners must already have allocated GTINs to their products and GLNs to identify each other. The table below turns that precondition and the GS1 support guidance into a checklist.
| Requirement | Why GS1 says it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A GTIN for each product | Identifies the item whose data is synchronised; allocated before exchange begins | GS1 GDSN Healthcare Use Cases (2014) |
| A GLN for each party | Identifies the trading partners to one another; see GLN meaning | GS1 GDSN Healthcare Use Cases (2014) |
| A certified data pool | Required to work with items in the GS1 Global Registry; certification means tested interoperability within GDSN | GS1 support article |
| A decision about who receives the data | The supplier decides with whom to share its product data | GS1 Netherlands, Roadmap for medical device suppliers |
Where it matters in healthcare
The GS1 healthcare document covers these use cases among others (its contents also list contracting, procurement, order and invoice reconciliation, and logistics for distribution channel). It is a 2014 release, so it describes what GS1 set out then, not current regulation.
| GS1 use case | What the document covers |
|---|---|
| Tendering / sourcing | Seller-to-buyer exchange of product data through data pools and the Global Registry (steps above) |
| Reimbursement codes and GTINs | Listed as a use case in the document’s contents |
| Regulated product formulations and target markets | Listed as a use case in the document’s contents |
| Logistics | Listed as a use case in the document’s contents |
| Unique Device Identifier (UDI) | Data flows from the manufacturer’s internal database to its data pool and then to a UDI database; a regulator can receive it under a third-party-data policy (needs a signed Trading Partner Service Agreement) or subscribe as a normal data recipient. The document marked this use case “Regulation Pending” in 2014. |
| Medicine dispensing and safety | Listed as a use case in the document’s contents |
For the UDI side in the United States, see UDI labeling and GUDID submission; that page covers the regulatory workflow, which is separate from the GS1 description above. The barcode that carries these identifiers on a package is covered in GS1-128 barcode.
What a supplier sends: a worked example from GS1 Netherlands
GS1 Netherlands runs GS1 Data Source, a certified data pool connected to GDSN. Its roadmap for medical device suppliers (checked 2026-10-31) says suppliers upload their product information and healthcare organisations download it. Example data it names includes the product name, cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation data, and information required for legislation. Suppliers can submit through their own application or an implementation partner using machine-to-machine exchange (XML or API; GS1 NL recommends the API) or through the GS1 web interface, which is manual. GS1 NL suggests starting with a few products to test and notes that the recipient confirms arrival. It also warns that “outdated and incorrect data can be disastrous”, and points to its Data Care programme for data quality.
This is one national organisation’s description of its own service. Other certified pools set their own onboarding.
Common misunderstandings
- A data pool is not the Global Registry. The pool holds a company’s product data; the registry holds a small subset used to route subscriptions.
- It is not a catalogue you browse. GS1 describes subscribing to a trading partner’s data and synchronising it, not searching a public product store.
- Any data pool is not enough. GS1 says a certified data pool is needed to work with items in the Global Registry.
- It does not replace identifiers. GTINs and GLNs have to exist first.
- It is not the same as regulatory submission. The UDI use case describes data reaching a UDI database via a data pool; it does not set what any regulator requires today.
If your question is who supplies versus who makes a product, see medical supply wholesaler vs distributor vs manufacturer.
FAQ
What is GDSN?
The GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network, which GS1 calls the world’s largest product data network. Companies subscribe to a certified data pool to share master product information with trading partners automatically (GS1, checked 2026-10-31).
How does a hospital receive product data from a distributor via GDSN?
Through its own data pool. The hospital’s data pool subscribes via the Global Registry; the seller’s source data pool then publishes the requested data to the recipient pool, which delivers it to the hospital, and the hospital confirms receipt. Both parties need GTINs and GLNs first.
What is the difference between a data pool and a certified data pool?
A data pool is a solution built to comply with GS1 standards. A certified one has been tested for interoperability within GDSN, which GS1 says is required to work with items in the Global Registry.
Sources
All checked 2026-10-31.
- GS1, “What is a Data Pool and where can I find a list of GDSN Certified Data Pools?”: https://support.gs1.org/support/solutions/articles/43000734213-what-is-a-data-pool-and-where-can-i-find-a-list-of-gdsn-certified-data-pools-
- GS1, GDSN service page: https://www.gs1.org/services/gdsn
- GS1, certified data pools list: https://www.gs1.org/services/gdsn/certified-data-pools-list
- GS1, “GDSN Healthcare Use Cases”, Release 3 Version 1, July 2014: https://www.gs1.org/docs/gdsn/GDSN_Healthcare_Use_Cases.pdf
- GS1 Netherlands, “Roadmap for medical device suppliers”: https://www.gs1.nl/en/knowledge-base/gs1-data-source/healthcare/get-started/roadmap-for-medical-device-suppliers/
