ITS Architecture and Standards Consistency Highlights

New! Rule and Policy on Intelligent Transportation Systems Architecture and Standards Conformance

The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

(TEA-21), section 5206(e), requires ITS projects funded from the Highway Trust Fund to conform with the National ITS Architecture and appropriate standards. The Federal Highway Administration�s (FHWA) new ITS rule and the Federal Transit Administration�s (FTA) new ITS policy implement the law by requiring development of regional ITS architectures.

The National ITS Architecture and Regional

ITS Architectures

The National ITS Architecture provides a common framework to guide practitioners in developing regional ITS architectures. It promotes interoperability and helps in choosing the most appropriate strategies for processing transportation information. It defines system components, key functions and organizations involved in developing an architecture as well as the type of information to be shared between organizations and parts of the system.

It�s unlikely that any single metro area or state would plan to implement the entire National ITS Architecture. Therefore the Rule and Policy require that the National ITS Architecture be used to develop a framework for how ITS may be implemented locally. This is referred to as a regional ITS architecture. A regional ITS architecture is a local implementation, or subset of the National ITS Architecture, developed with local needs in mind. Local participants define the region based on needs for information sharing and coordination. The region can be a metropolitan, Statewide, multi-State, corridor or service area.

Architecture Requirements

If a region has or is deploying ITS projects, a regional ITS architecture must be developed by April 8, 2005 (which is four years from the effective date of the Rule and Policy).
If a region has not yet deployed an ITS project, a regional ITS architecture must be developed within four years after its first ITS project deployment.
Modifications to existing systems in order to conform with the National ITS Architecture are not required by the Rule and Policy. It�s anticipated over time, however, that regional ITS architectures would call for changes to legacy systems in order to support local desires for integration.

Project Requirements

Until a regional ITS architecture is in place, all major ITS projects must have a poject level architecture to ensure proper consideration of regional integration.
All ITS projects must be developed using a systems engineering approach. This requires project developers to consider all phases of the system�s life cycle from system conception to installation. The stages of planning, design, procurement, deployment, operations, maintenance, expansion and retirement of the system or subsystems must be considered.
Once a regional ITS architecture is in place, all subsequent ITS Projects must be designed in accordance with the regional ITS architecture.

Standards Requirements

The Rule and Policy require that, as appropriate, federally funded ITS projects use ITS standards adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).
No ITS standards have been adopted by the USDOT as of June 2001 but over 80 ITS standards are in development by various Standards Development Organizations (SDO).
As an SDO-approved standard matures and its market expands, USDOT may decide to adopt it through a formal rulemaking process.

TOOLS -- OUTREACH, TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Online Resources

Go to USDOT�s ITS website www.its.dot.gov for information on the National ITS Architecture, consistency, and ITS standards. You can also submit questions online from this website.
Brochures, fact sheets, frequently asked questions, and other documents can be downloaded from the site; order current documents from [email protected].
Subscribe to USDOT�s ITS newsletter at www.nawgits.com/jpo for the latest ITS news from USDOT and partners in the National Associations Working Group for ITS.

Training

A number of relevant courses developed by USDOT are available through the National Highway Institute (http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov), the National Transit Institute (http://www.fta.dot.gov/research/implem/nti/nti.htm) and the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov) websites.

National ITS Architecture Training

Instructional training on the National ITS Architecture is available from USDOT.

Both introductory and technical instruction on the use of architecture is offered. (http://www.its.dot.gov/aconform/Training.htm)

National ITS Standards Training

Instructional training on the National ITS Architecture is available from USDOT through the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Information on course content and scheduling is available on the ITE website at www.ite.org.

Integrated ITS maximizes the benefits of individual ITS investments.

Workshops and Technical Assistance

Despite a wealth of resources, questions still arise that go beyond general information and training and require specific assistance. USDOT plans to develop workshops and other technical assistance programs to support both regional ITS architecture and ITS standards implementation. Additional information on content and delivery plans for these workshops will be available later this year on USDOT�s Office of Travel Management web site at (www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Travel).

USDOT stands ready to help ITS practitioners understand and implement the new Rule and Policy. The first place for technical assistance is the FHWA Division Office or FTA Regional Office.

FHWA Division Offices and Resource Centers:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/field.html#fieldsites

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/fieldoff.htm

FTA Regional Offices:

http://www.fta.dot.gov/office/regional

Headquarters Team:

Ron Boenau (USDOT Federal Transit Administration)

[email protected]

Mike Freitas (USDOT ITS Architecture Consistency)

[email protected]

Mark Kehrli (USDOT ITS Architecture Consistency)

[email protected]