UID Compliance - Terminology

Terminology

IUID - Item Unique Identification is the strategic system implemented by the DoD to enhance the traceability of the property.

UID - Unique Identification, the term UID is commonly used for different things and sometimes used in place of IUID, and thus can be a source of confusion. Generally, "The UID" refers to the physical mark on the asset or the UID Label.

UII - The Unique Item Identifier is a set of data for an asset(s) that is globally unique and unambiguous, ensures data integrity and data quality throughout life, and supports multi-faceted business applications and users.

2D Matrix - The square 2D Data Matrix symbol marked on the item contains data compression, redundancy, and additional information to aid in decoding. This information can be translated by a MRI device (per ISO-15343) and concatenated into a human-readable string of 50 characters or less per MIL-STD-130N. (Note that this limit was previously 78 characters in MIL-STD-130M, superseded in December 2007.) The human-readable concatenated UII (Unique Item Identifier) is properly referred to as the IUII or "Individual Unique Item Identifier". The IUII provides a high probability of being globally unique, regardless of context.

IUID Registry - The U.S. Federal Government maintains an IUID Registry data system to store records for all assets marked and delivered to the government or are in the custody of contractors. The registry also stores "Virtual IUID" information for assets that fall under IUID criteria but are unable to be marked (mainly due to asset location constraints) The IUID Registry can be publicly accessed via the web at https://iuid.logisticsinformationservice.dla.mil/ .

Virtual IUID - Asset data is uploaded to the registry as with normal IUID but the asset is not physically marked until a trigger event occurs (such as maintenance, transportation, or inspection). Commonly used when an asset is located overseas or in use and scheduled to return to a central location.