Initially created to integrate three previously separate databases (Allied, North American Purchaser and Product Directories), the AG Industry Identification System (AGIIS) went into production in August of 2003. Since then, AgGateway was created (November 2005), and we've grown from five to eight councils and from the original ten founding members to more than 140 members today. AGIIS has changed as well as we implemented enhancements to better meet the needs of subscribers, eConnectivity implementation efforts and various industry segments.
Due to the challenges and increasing complexity facing agriculture, and the addition of new Ag industry segments such as Ag Retail, Ornamental Horticulture and Precision AG and others considering participation, we need to continue to improve AGIIS to meet both current subscriber needs and those yet to come, We want to make sure that AGIIS continues to offer value today and into the future, providing subscribers with the unique identifiers and other elements needed to implement eBusiness across the Agricultural Industry.
With that in mind, the Directory Oversight Committee (DOC) initiated four Task Forces in 2011, three of which completed their tasks - the AGIIS Duplicates, AGIIS Entity Rules, and AGIIS Products Task Forces. The Dun & Bradstreet Transition Task Force work is ongoing and expected to be complete by Q1 2012. This group is focused on developing a transition plan to move away from the use of Dun & Bradstreet as a source for numbers and entity verification.
A new task force will be starting in Q1 2012, the AGIIS Future Vision (aka AGIIS 2.0). This group will focus on assessing the current and future needs of members versus current AGIIS capabilities/functionality and recommending a path forward to ensure AGIIS provides subscribers value today and in the future. They will take the perspective of “If we were creating AGIIS today, what would it look like.”
If you interested in participating in the AGIIS Future Vision Task Force as either a core group member or as a member of their respective Input/Feedback groups, please contact Wendy Smith at wendy.smith@aggateway.org.