The first event occurring in your company will always need to be the inbound transport event. This allows us to always guarantee that we have all data concerning where an asset is throughout the chain. You can choose to create this via the API or manual input (see below). We encourage you to go for the API option for standard things inside your company to reduce overhead.
Step 1: selecting API or Manual input
API option
The Unova platform has been designed to be a layer on top of your current internal software system (in case you have one). Our goal was to make the implementation the least intrusive possible. Therefore, where possible, we suggest making use of our API option which allows you to send the currently collected data from your software or internal ERP system directly to the Blockchain system.
If you believe much of the data needed is already being collected, we suggest taking the API option for the specific event you wish to create. It may be necessary to make small changes to your system to make sure all relevant data is present.
Manual input option
Select a manual input form if you wish to manually provide the data via a standard form on our platform. We suggest taking this option if you wish to provide the relevant data concerning the event manually. This option has been created for companies where no internal system is present (like farms) or for special types of events which don’t always occur, and which are not captured via your usual internal system. It is possible to register everything manually if you have no internal system. However, if this is the case, we suggest contacting support, and possibly Unova can provide you with label scanners, touch screens, and label printers and can assist you with creating your own efficient internal system directly connected to our platform.
Step 2: Event creation vs Asset creation
Every asset creation is by default also an event creation. However, not every event creation will be an asset creation. The difference lies in the fact that an event is always associated with an asset. If there is no asset, then of course the asset will be automatically be created by the API.
The idea is that each step in your chain can be considered to be an event. Some events automatically imply that there will be a new asset creation.
Case 1) Something happens to an asset (Event creation)
To create an event associated with an asset a few things will need to be provided:
- Eventname:
- EventType:
- The fields in the list below:

- Any extra optional field name:
for example:
– TransportCompany
– Coming from location
(or any other field name we might wish to add to this event as extra data)
This will allow us to associate the specific event and the additional data (you can add field names) to the correct asset moving through the supply chain.
or each event type (or event name) you create you can also add other field names that allow you to add any data which is relevant to this event.
Examples of events:
- Inbound transport (arrival of assets)
- Outbound transport (assets leaving your organization)
- Quality checks
- Observation event
- Disaggregation event
- Decommission event
- Other…
Case 2) A new asset gets created (with or without a reference to a previous asset)
To create an asset (which is technically also a first event associated with that asset) the following data fields will need to be provided:

In addition to these fields it is possible to create 3 types of assets:
Serials are the most basic form of asset and can be any identifiable product (needs to have a ‘uniqueID’). It could be an asset that is created from a previous asset (an aggregation, transformation) which means that it can have one or multiple references or ‘assets referenced/added’. This will link the newly created asset to the previous asset. Or it could be just the creation of an asset without a reference (see commission event) (most likely to happen on the farm, for example: animal birth).
Lot, we define as a combination of multiple serials or even multiple pallets. The clear difference is that a Lot can have clearly identifiable and tagged assets inside them.
It is also possible to create a lot with just pieces in it that are not uniquely identifiable. A lot will usually contain only one type of product inside. So, it is like a serial but with the added optionality of having identifiable assets inside which is not the case for serials. Lots are like a hybrid between serials and pallets.
Example 1: A box of avocados that don’t have a tag on each avocado can be a serial or a lot (you can choose).
Example 2: The same box of avocados that have a label on each avocado and where each avocado is registered as an asset is called a Lot and cannot be registered as a serial.
Example 3: A day lot can be registered as such and have multiple pallets inside it so the lot has a reference to each pallet
A pallet is an asset that can contain multiple serials.
The purpose of creating a pallet is to have a structure around multiple assets so you need to register an event only on the pallet asset and the event will be created (added) to all the referenced assets. This is a very useful structure for registering outbound or inbound transports or movements of multiple assets at the same time.
Unit of measure
The next thing you should do is select the unit of measure. This will impact the optional field of Quantity. When creating an asset, it will be common that you wish to tell the system how much of something the asset is.
Example: if you wish to create an asset that represents a piece of meat, it is advised you also add how much the weight is of this piece. You will thus select the unit of measure (like kg) and then you can each time register the quantity.
Is there a reference or not?
A reference means that an asset has been created from a previous asset. Since the goal is to trace a product from beginning to end all references must be registered.
Example 1: a farmer registers a cow birth. In this case no reference needs to be made because it is a new asset being created and registered.
Example 2: A slaughterhouse cuts the cow into 4 big quarters. Each quarter will need to be registered as new assets with a reference to the cow.
Special cases lots & pallets
For creating a lot or a pallet with a reference the situation is almost the same. The difference is however that a lot or pallet does not reference an asset that now no longer exists (think of the cow in the previous example). In the case of a pallet the assets which are referenced will still exist and have their serial number. This means that it is possible to remove (or take out) these identifiable assets, meaning that the events associated with the pallet after them being taken out, will not be associated with the asset that is no longer part of the pallet.
To register the serials or lots that are being removed from the pallet you must fill in these references under ‘assets removed’. A similar thing happens for lots.
Congratulations you can now add your first event creation type or asset creation type to your internal chain!
Step 3 implementing the API
If you have added events or asset creations with the API selection option. The next step is to integrate this API.
Go to the following link for the API documentation