TTN Traceability Framework: A Deep Dive

Introduction

The TTN feature framework helps users understand what traceability tools can do and compare them in a structured way. Each framework category groups related tool features that can be used as filter criteria on the TTN website. The summaries below explain the purpose of each category in plain language, so users can better judge which tool capabilities are relevant for their sourcing, compliance, reporting or supply-chain transparency needs. 

Finding the right tool: tool scope 

For public users, this category answers a basic question: “Is this tool built for the type of traceability challenge I have?” It should be read as a high-level orientation layer rather than a guarantee that every detailed requirement for a regulation, certification scheme or commodity is fully covered. 

The Tool Scope category describes the broad purpose and coverage of a traceability tool. It helps users understand whether a tool is mainly designed for first-mile data collection, downstream compliance management, geospatial analysis or a combination of these functions. It also shows which use cases the tool claims to support, such as EUDR, timber regulations, voluntary commitments, certifications, commodities or specialised sourcing contexts. On TTN, this category helps users narrow the tool landscape before looking at more detailed technical features. 

Data governance and Interoperability 

The Data Governance and Interoperability category explains how a tool manages, protects, stores and exchanges data. It covers topics such as data governance policies, data protection and privacy standards, hosting models, storage locations, import and export formats, APIs, vocabularies, ontologies and traceability standards. These features are important because traceability tools often handle commercially sensitive information, personal data, geolocation data and evidence shared across several organisations. 

For TTN filters, this category helps users identify tools that fit their data-management expectations. For example, users may want tools that support specific file formats, provide API integration, follow recognised information-security approaches, or align with common traceability standards. Strong interoperability can make it easier to connect a tool with existing systems, share data with partners and avoid duplicate data entry. 

How Is Supply Chain Information Collected?

The Data Collection category focuses on how information and evidence are gathered from supply-chain actors. It includes user access, user roles, authentication methods, mobile and web data collection, offline functionality, geolocation capture, upload of evidence, integration with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), integrated user support, data-entry customisation, progress tracking and communication channels. These features determine how practical a tool is for collecting complete and reliable information from suppliers, producers, cooperatives, and further data originators. 

For TTN users, this category is especially useful when assessing whether a tool can work in real supply-chain settings, including first-mile contexts where connectivity, language, device access and user guidance may matter. It also shows whether the tool supports structured templates for regulatory, commodity, country or voluntary-framework requirements. 

Traceability 

The Traceability category describes how a tool links materials, products, actors, transactions and locations across a supply chain. It covers external traceability between independent organisations and internal traceability within a company, facility or processing site. Key topics include origin granularity, traceable resource units, supply-chain mapping, forward or backward tracing, transaction verification, registries for production plots and harvest events, volume ledgers, prevention of double counting, conversion factors, marking technologies and chain-of-custody models. 

This category is central to the TTN framework because it explains how a tool represents the actual movement and transformation of material. It can help distinguish simple supplier-information tools from systems that support more detailed tracking of origin, batches, transactions, processing steps and chain-of-custody claims. 

Data Analysis, Risk Assessment and Reporting 

The Data Analysis, Risk Assessment and Reporting category explains how a tool uses collected data and evidence to support decision-making. It includes features for checking documents and evidence, assessing country, supplier, commodity, product and supply-chain risks, applying risk-assessment methods, analysing geospatial data, checking land cover or land-use change, supporting risk mitigation, integrating forensic testing or field verification, and generating reports for common use cases. 

For TTN users, this category helps show whether a tool only collects information or also helps interpret it. This can be important for users who need support with due diligence, deforestation-risk assessment, evidence review, mitigation follow-up, or reporting outputs such as EUDR due diligence statements or other sustainability and compliance reports. 

Financial Services and Incentives

The Financial Features category covers tool functions related to payments, digital wallets and financial transparency. It also includes whether data originators, such as producers or other supply-chain actors, can be compensated for providing and sharing data. Although this is a smaller category in the current framework, it highlights an important question: who benefits from traceability data, and how can tools support fair participation in digital supply chains? 

For TTN filters, these features help users identify tools that go beyond data collection and compliance support by integrating financial functions or benefit-sharing mechanisms. This may be relevant for supply chains where transparency, payments, incentives or compensation for data provision are part of the traceability strategy.