Intelligent Transport Systems

2 Architecture Reference of ITS in the USA

Clifford D. Heise

Iteris, Inc., Sterling, VA, USA

2.1 Introduction

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) involve the integration of numerous transportation-related systems or subsystems. These systems must work together in an integrated and cooperative manner in order for the benefits of ITS to be realized. In 1993, the United States embarked on the development of a National ITS Architecture to guide the United States federal government’s investment in research, interface standards development, and state/local ITS deployment. This National ITS Architecture was defined following a systems engineering process and based on stakeholder views of ITS services and capabilities, called ITS user services. The National ITS Architecture in the United States has evolved as ITS has matured and it is used to plan and guide ITS development and deployment throughout the country. It has gained increasing acceptance as ITS benefits have been experienced. The United States Department of Transportation has established regulations regarding its use for federally funded ITS projects. The Department of Transportation is expanding the National ITS Architecture to include support for the connected vehicle environment and the evolving research being done within that community. This chapter will review the origins of the National ITS Architecture in the United States, the basis of its definition, the impact it has had on ITS development in the United ...