GlobalPlatform
Encyclopedia
GlobalPlatform is an independent, not-for-profit organization concerned with a standardized infrastructure for development, deployment and management of smart card
s. It was founded in 1999 to take responsibility for Visa Inc.'s Open Platform specification.
In early 2010 it had 63 members.
Execution of GlobalPlatform initiatives is carried out by three technical committees: the Card Committee, Device Committee and Systems Committee. Following the roadmaps crafted by the Board of Directors, these three groups formulate business requirements and define guidelines for different components of multiple industry implementation and deployment.
Members of GlobalPlatform may submit work proposals for Committee consideration. Work proposals include new standards or specifications, amendments to existing standards or specifications, or requests for technical documentation. Full and Participating Members have the ability to review these proposals and provide input on their direction through participation in Committees.
The specifications are freely available at the GlobalPlatform web site.
The GlobalPlatform Board of Directors consists of up to 11 Directors from organizations that have joined as Full Members. The Board sets the strategic vision, oversees the management of GlobalPlatform, develops the agenda for member meetings and controls the budget. The Board also has final approval of all changes to the specifications and any documentation published by GlobalPlatform.
The Card, Device and Systems Committees define business, compliance and functional requirements for the development of GlobalPlatform’s Technical Specifications. These committees formulate strategic business models and define guidelines for multiple industry implementations.
The Advisory Council meets at least twice a year as a forum to provide all GlobalPlatform members with the opportunity to engage directly with the Board of Directors, committee chairs, and GlobalPlatform's Technical and Executive Directors. Members are encouraged to share insight and expertise regarding industry trends that can feed into the development of the organization’s specifications.
GlobalPlatform also operates a Government Task Force and a Mobile Task Force. The purpose of these strategic groups is to focus on the direct link between GlobalPlatform Specifications and specific industry and application requirements as prioritized by the organization’s membership.
The structures and operations of the interactivity and security of these components are defined under the GlobalPlatform specifications delivering a complete set of smart card specifications for an end-to-end smart card infrastructure.
The GlobalPlatform Card Security Requirements Specification provides guidance for selecting card configurations most appropriate to the security policies set up by the Card Issuer and Application Providers. Card vendors are also provided with guidance to implement security functions in a consistent manner. This specification also provides guidelines to manage business risks, provide security policy alternatives to mitigate those risks, and links those policies to the corresponding card configurations to select.
Most of the secure elements used in the NFC or Near Field Communication
context rely on GlobalPlatform card specification.
(OMTP)
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
s. It was founded in 1999 to take responsibility for Visa Inc.'s Open Platform specification.
In early 2010 it had 63 members.
Execution of GlobalPlatform initiatives is carried out by three technical committees: the Card Committee, Device Committee and Systems Committee. Following the roadmaps crafted by the Board of Directors, these three groups formulate business requirements and define guidelines for different components of multiple industry implementation and deployment.
Members of GlobalPlatform may submit work proposals for Committee consideration. Work proposals include new standards or specifications, amendments to existing standards or specifications, or requests for technical documentation. Full and Participating Members have the ability to review these proposals and provide input on their direction through participation in Committees.
The specifications are freely available at the GlobalPlatform web site.
Organizational structure
GlobalPlatform members drive the organization through a Board of Directors, an Advisory Council, three technical committees and two strategic task forces. Day-to-day activity is managed by an executive team made up by an executive director, a technical director, an operations secretariat and a marketing secretariat.The GlobalPlatform Board of Directors consists of up to 11 Directors from organizations that have joined as Full Members. The Board sets the strategic vision, oversees the management of GlobalPlatform, develops the agenda for member meetings and controls the budget. The Board also has final approval of all changes to the specifications and any documentation published by GlobalPlatform.
The Card, Device and Systems Committees define business, compliance and functional requirements for the development of GlobalPlatform’s Technical Specifications. These committees formulate strategic business models and define guidelines for multiple industry implementations.
The Advisory Council meets at least twice a year as a forum to provide all GlobalPlatform members with the opportunity to engage directly with the Board of Directors, committee chairs, and GlobalPlatform's Technical and Executive Directors. Members are encouraged to share insight and expertise regarding industry trends that can feed into the development of the organization’s specifications.
GlobalPlatform also operates a Government Task Force and a Mobile Task Force. The purpose of these strategic groups is to focus on the direct link between GlobalPlatform Specifications and specific industry and application requirements as prioritized by the organization’s membership.
Membership
Membership to GlobalPlatform is open to any organization interested in smart card technology including hardware, chip and technology vendors, payment associations, integrators, telecommunications organizations and international government agencies. There are five levels of GlobalPlatform membership – Full, Participating, Observer, Public Entity and Consultant - to meet the participation preferences and budgetary requirements of organizations. A full list of current members can be found at the GlobalPlatform website.GlobalPlatform Specifications – what they define
Card issuers require four core pieces of technology:- a card stock,
- a smart card management system,
- a host system
- and a terminal network.
The structures and operations of the interactivity and security of these components are defined under the GlobalPlatform specifications delivering a complete set of smart card specifications for an end-to-end smart card infrastructure.
Card specification
The GlobalPlatform Card Specification is a secure, dynamic card and application management specification that defines card components, command sets, transaction sequences and interfaces that are hardware-neutral, operating system neutral, vendor-neutral and application independent. It is applicable to any type of application and industry, allowing any combination of applications from any industry on a single card – from mono-application to multi-application.The GlobalPlatform Card Security Requirements Specification provides guidance for selecting card configurations most appropriate to the security policies set up by the Card Issuer and Application Providers. Card vendors are also provided with guidance to implement security functions in a consistent manner. This specification also provides guidelines to manage business risks, provide security policy alternatives to mitigate those risks, and links those policies to the corresponding card configurations to select.
Most of the secure elements used in the NFC or Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication
Near field communication, or NFC, allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters. It is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by smartphone in the United States...
context rely on GlobalPlatform card specification.
Device specification
In order to provide a common basis to the programming of Card Acceptance Devices, GlobalPlatform endorses the STIP Specifications. (STIP provides an open framework for device programming, with different profiles for different industries. The profiles are organized around a common core framework technology and share most of their detailed API’s). The GlobalPlatform Device API provides an additional layer of abstraction on top of the STIP specification to program completely interoperable logical kernels of device applications helping to reduce cost and time to market. The Mobile Profile defines a compliant execution environment to TR1 from Open Mobile Terminal PlatformOpen mobile terminal platform
The Open Mobile Terminal Platform was a forum created by mobile network operators to discuss standards with manufacturers of cell phones and other mobile devices. During its lifetime, the OMTP included manufacturers such as Huawei, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony...
(OMTP)