Aztec Code

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Aztec Code is a type of 2D barcode invented by Andrew Longacre, Jr. in 1995. The code was published by AIM International in 1997 and although the code is patented, it has been released to the public domain.

Contents 1 Encoding 2 Character set 3 Usage 3.1 Transport 3.2 Governmental 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Encoding

The symbol is built on a square grid with a bulls-eye pattern at its centre for locating the code. Data is encoded in a series of circles around the bulls-eye pattern. Each additional circle completely surrounds the previous circle causing the symbol to grow in size as more data is encoded. A dark module is a binary 1 and a light module is a binary 0. The code is orientation independent.

The smallest Aztec Code symbol is 15x15 modules square, and the largest is 151x151. The smallest Aztec Code symbol encodes 13 numeric or 12 alphabetic characters. The largest Aztec Code symbol encodes 3832 numeric or 3067 alphabetic characters or 1914 bytes of data. No empty zone is required outside the bounds of the symbol.

The level of Reed–Solomon error correction^[1] is configurable, from 5% to 95% of the data region. The recommended level is 23% of symbol capacity plus codewords.

Aztec Code is supposed to be robust according to various printer technologies. It is also well suited for displays of cell phones and other mobile devices.

[edit] Character set

1. All 8-bit values can be encoded. The default interpretation shall be:
   1. for values 0 - 127, ANSI X3.4 (i.e., ASCII) and
   2. for values 128 - 255, ISO 8859-1: Latin Alphabet No. 1.
      This corresponds to ECI 000003.
2. Two non-data characters can be encoded, FNC1 for compatibility with some existing applications and ECI, escape sequence for the standardized encoding of message interpretation information.

[edit] Usage

[edit] Transport

An Aztec code barcode is used by Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia, Nederlandse Spoorwegen and by Swiss Federal Railways for tickets sold online and printed out by customers. An Aztec code barcode is used by Heathrow Express and National Express East Coast delivered to mobile phones and displayed on their screens, and on self print tickets. The barcode is scanned by a handheld scanner by on-train staff to validate the ticket.

The Aztec Code has been selected by the airline industry (IATA's BCBP standard) for the electronic boarding passes. Several airlines send Aztec Codes to passengers' mobile phones for ticketing purposes, relating to online (or paperless) ticketing. Air New Zealand will be using the code domestically for ticketing, but this deployment is still in process.^[2]

[edit] Governmental

Car registration documents in Poland bear an encrypted summary encoded as Aztec Code. Works are underway to enable car insurance companies to automatically fill in the relevant information based on digital photographs of the document as the first step of closing a new insurance contract.

[edit] See also

• Data matrix (computer)
• High Capacity Color Barcode

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• 2D barcodes at AIM Global

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