Hadley Beeman
@hadleybeeman
Followers
14K
Following
9K
Media
294
Statuses
24K
Architect for #openstandards, the Web and barcodes of all types. Tech policy. Ex-UK gov. Active in GS1, NHS & W3C. @[email protected]
London
Joined October 2008
I’m based in @gs1’s Global Office, the standards body for barcodes. And I’m working with a phenomenal community of working groups, experts, and industry leaders. It’s an honour to be joining them. 10/10
2
0
1
And from there, we can learn how to optimise our pharmacy stock, or our shipping routes, or the flow of people through our hospitals. So that’s what we’re doing. 9/
1
0
0
This is more than how things work now. The future we’re all working on, where AI safely revolutionises our daily lives… that’s only possible when we can identify, in our software and algorithms, each of the things we’re talking about. The products, parcels, prescriptions. 8/
1
0
0
And it is how this stuff gets written into laws and regulations. And it’s not just linear, “zebra-striped” barcodes — it’s also 2D barcodes like QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix, RFID tags and NFC. And globally unique identifiers. 7/
1
0
0
And it includes how the numbers in the code can be turned into a web address, linking the physical world with the virtual. It’s not just healthcare, it’s shopping at the supermarket, it’s buying clothes online, it’s shipping stuff around the world. Supply chains. Logistics. 6/
1
0
0
So that’s my new job. I’m the system architect for the standards around barcodes, which means that everything from how they get encoded (how a number becomes those stripes or QR code pixels) through to what info goes in them so it can go beep at the bedside or cash register. 5/
1
0
2
The phlebotomist takes blood, and attaches barcodes to the vial. (That will beep in the lab.) And I know everything is going to be okay. The people and things in the real world are connected to the electronic records by those barcodes. It gives me a massive sense of relief. 4/
1
0
0
It’s a scary moment, easy to feel powerless. And the stakes feel high. But then the nurse comes to take observations, and scans the wrist band. Beep! Medications are scanned before they’re put in that tiny paper cup. Beep! 3/
1
0
0
…sirens outside — and wondered, “How will we get the right medication? Are we sure those are our test results? How will they know who it is in this bed?” I have. And I have wondered all those things. And thought about the consequences if they go wrong. 2/
1
0
0
I have a new job. To explain it, let me tell you a story. Have you ever been in the hospital, or with a family member in the hospital, when all the chaos is surrounding you — the busy nurses, the other patients talking, the machines going beep-beep-beep, the occasional 1/
1
0
0
.@LloydDavis’s post is a fitting tribute — especially as a blog post. @podnosh was a great believer in blogs. https://t.co/B5YhsqGVHE
perfectpath.co.uk
I was going to write something on Facebook, but Nick was a blogger and so this belongs here. I heard this afternoon that my dear friend Nick Booth died yesterday after a fall at the weekend. ItR…
1
2
5
This is such a shock. @podnosh was one of the most human, funniest (often inappropriately so), and kindest people I know. He often reminds me (reminded? reminded) me that it’s not about the tech, it’s about the people. What a loss. Thank you for many years of everything, Nick.
1
0
4
Thank you to everyone for another wonderful @UKGovCamp. This year felt cautiously hopeful, enthusiastic, & looking for the spaces in which to do good. Fingers crossed that everyone in the community finds those spaces, whether they be teams, policy areas or tech advances. #ukgc25
0
1
9
One of the best parts of Christmas… it’s #duvetKnowItsChristmas A laugh about where we are sleeping tonight, and a few pennies for those who don’t have a bed. Merry merry, all 🎄 (L i n k to follow)
1
1
8