National ITS Architecture and
Architecture Implementation
ITS Integration Program
Procurement Practices
Program Assessment and
Evaluation
SAFETEA-LU
Standards Development and
Implementation
Systems Engineering
Telecommunications
Training
| ITS Deployment Support |
Architecture Implementation and National ITS Architecture
 | Architecture Implementation and National ITS Architecture Points-of-Contact |
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 | National ITS Architecture Section of the ITS Joint Program Office Website |
| This website is a compilation of resources related to the National ITS Architecture. The site links to the National ITS Architecture "browsable" online version developed by Iteris and provides instructions on how to order the document on CD-ROM. The site also contains information related to the Turbo Architecture software tool and National ITS Architecture Security which presents an overview of security as it is represented in the Architecture and provides guidance for using the security-related aspects of the Architecture. In addition, the site lists other Architecture-related documents, training courses, workshops, contacts in the ITS Joint Program Office, and related links, including applicable ITS standards. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.its.dot.gov/arch/index.htm. | |
| ITS Architecture Implementation Program Section of the FHWA Office of Operations Website |
| This website offers a Web-based resource guide on conformity with the FHWA's Final Rule and the FTA's Policy on the National ITS Architecture and Standards. The website contains the final text of both the FHWA Rule and FTA Policy, as well as frequently asked questions (with answers), fact sheets, training information, and sample architecture documents. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/its_arch_imp/index.htm. | |
| National ITS Architecture Field Support Team |
| The National ITS Architecture Field Support Team (AFST) provides short-term, on-call, or on-site technical assistance to facilitate the development, utilization, and maintenance of regional ITS architectures. The Team offers technical assistance in the following areas: customized training courses, including a basic primer on ITS architectures; pre- or post-meeting support held in conjunction with the Regional ITS Architecture Development Process Workshop; guidance materials, including examples of good regional ITS architectures; review of existing regional ITS architectures; and support for users of the Turbo Architecture software. Services are available to public sector staff at the Federal, state, and local levels. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Contact the ITS Specialist at the FHWA Division Office in your state. Contact information for these individuals can be found online at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/its_specialists/fhwa_office.htm. Alternatively, contact any of the team members:
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 | The National ITS Architecture: A Framework for Integrated Transportation into the 21st Century, Version 6.0 |
| Just as an architect's plans lay out the design of a house, the National ITS Architecture provides a master blueprint for building an integrated, multimodal, intelligent transportation system. The National ITS Architecture defines the framework around which a generally common ITS infrastructure can be developed, while ensuring that local needs are met. The Architecture helps state and local decision-makers plan smarter and buy smarter, ultimately saving time and money while making their regions more economically attractive. Available online is a "browsable" version of the Architecture developed by Iteris, which, together with a CD-ROM version, contains the complete set of documents, physical and logical architecture databases, as well as hyperlinks to assist in navigation. The CD-ROM also includes National ITS Architecture Security, which presents an overview of security as it is represented in the Architecture and provides guidance for using the security-related aspects of the Architecture, and Regional ITS Architecture Guidance: Developing, Using and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region, Version 2.0. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.iteris.com/itsarch. To order the CD-ROM, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487, itspubs@dot.gov. | |
| Turbo Architecture Version 4.0 |
| Turbo Architecture is an interactive software tool for regional and project-specific ITS architecture development. By helping the user integrate multiple project architectures with a regional architecture and with each other, Turbo Architecture makes it easier to develop an architecture consistent with the National ITS Architecture. Version 4.0 is compatible with the National ITS Architecture 6.0, has added new interfaces and flows, has updated equipment package descriptions, function requirements and ITS standards information, and is compatible with Microsoft Vista. Cost: $190 for a single-site license, less per license when multiple-site licenses are purchased; $50 with a trade-in of Turbo Architecture 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0. To Access This Resource: Order Turbo Architecture through the McTrans Center for Microcomputers in Transportation at the University of Florida, (352) 392-0378, fax: (352) 392-3224, mctrans@ce.ufl.edu, http://mctrans.ce.ufl.edu. | |
 | Systems Engineering for Intelligent Transportation Systems: An Introduction for Transportation Professionals (FHWA-HOP-07-069) (2007) |
| This guide is an introduction to systems engineering, showing how the systems engineering (SE) process can be applied to planning, designing, and implementing ITS projects. This guide leads the reader, step by step, through the project life cycle and discusses how SE can be applied at each step. The guide explains how to begin implementing the SE approach on new projects and how to incorporate SE more broadly into an organization's business processes and practices. The guide concludes with a list of resources, including ITS-specific publications, general SE references, selected SE standards, and available SE training. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the following website addresses:
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| Regional ITS Architecture Guidance: Developing, Using and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region, Version 2.0 (FHWA-HOP-06-112) (2006) |
| This document is a guide for transportation professionals involved in the development, use, or maintenance of regional ITS architectures. The document describes a process for creating a regional ITS architecture and includes supporting examples of each architecture product. This process includes the following steps: getting started, gathering data, defining interfaces, implementation, and, finally, use and maintenance of the regional ITS architecture developed. The document contains an appendix that describes several tools available for regional ITS architecture development. In its discussion of the uses of regional ITS architectures, the document presents an approach for mainstreaming ITS into the transportation planning and project development process. This document is designed to aid regions in the development of regional architectures that comply with the FHWA's Final Rule and the FTA's Policy on the National ITS Architecture and Standards. The document provides a foundation for the two-day Regional Architecture ITS Architecture Development Process Workshop and the one-day Regional ITS Architecture Development Process Seminar. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the following website addresses: .
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| Regional ITS Architecture Checklist (2004) |
| This checklist is a tool that allows a reviewer to assess the completeness of and identifying improvements to a regional ITS architecture, as stated in the FHWA Rule and FTA Policy on ITS Architecture and Standards. Questions are listed by main topic area, with space for a reviewer to make an assessment. The "Comments" column allows a reviewer to document any suggestions, notes, strengths, or shortcomings. Reviewers are encouraged to use Regional ITS Architecture Guidance: Developing, Using and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region, Version 2.0 as a reference when filling out this checklist. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/its_arch_imp/checklist.htm. | |
| Regional ITS Architecture Maintenance White Paper (FHWA-HOP-04-004) (2004) |
| This document provides guidance for the development, use, and maintenance of regional ITS architectures. This document is a companion to Regional ITS Architecture Guidance: Developing, Using and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region, Version 2.0, providing detailed guidance for the development of a regional ITS architecture maintenance plan and the activities involved in maintaining a regional ITS architecture. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13957.html, EDL# 13957 or http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/its_arch_imp/ArchMaintrV5.htm. | |
| Disaster Response and Evacuation User Service: An Addendum to the ITS Program Plan (2003) |
| This document provides a detailed description of the Disaster Response and Evacuation User Service. This document serves as an addendum to the National ITS Program Plan in describing the 33rd ITS user service and establishes the need for including disaster response and evacuation (DRE) in the National ITS Architecture. ITS technologies and services described in the document provide enhanced access to the scene for response personnel and resources, better information about the transportation system in the vicinity of the disaster, and more efficient and safer evacuation of the general public. ITS can also be used to prioritize, allocate, and track personnel and resources for more efficient and effective disaster response. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_pr/14064.html, EDL# 14064. | |
| FTA National ITS Architecture Consistency Policy: Additional Grantee Guidance (2003) |
| In 2001, the Federal Transit Administration published its National ITS Architecture Policy on Transit Projects to meet the requirement in Section 5206(s) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The policy requires that ITS projects conform to the National ITS Architecture and related standards and recommended activities that transit agencies should be carrying out in order to meet the policy's requirements. This document contains additional guidance resulting from feedback received since the policy went into effect. The additional guidance recommends that transit agencies take several key steps: familiarize themselves with the policy, assess how the policy is applicable to their own projects and grants, participate in the ITS architecture development process in their own region, and develop an ITS project architecture for all major ITS projects. The additional guidance recommends that this last step be accomplished by conducting a systems engineering analysis for the ITS and communications components of any major ITS project. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the following website addresses:
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| FHWA's Final Rule and FTA's Policy for Applying the National ITS Architecture at the Regional Level (FHWA-OP-01-029) (2001) |
| This pamphlet explains how the FHWA's Final Rule and the FTA's Policy on the National ITS Architecture and Standards affect the planning and operations of regional transportation systems. The pamphlet provides the background behind the Final Rule and Policy, outlines the relationship between the National ITS Architecture and regional architectures, notes the benefits of a systems engineering approach to developing a regional ITS architecture, outlines requirements and incentives for using ITS standards, and provides an extensive list of resources for technical assistance. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: To order a hardcopy, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487 or itspubs@dot.gov. | |
| Maintenance and Construction Operations User Service: An Addendum to the ITS Program Plan (2001) |
| This document provides a detailed description of the maintenance and construction operations user service. This document serves as an addendum to the National ITS Program Plan in describing the 32nd ITS user service and establishes the need for including maintenance and construction operations in the National ITS Architecture, focusing on four specific functions: maintenance vehicle fleet management, roadway management, work zone management and safety, and roadway maintenance conditions and work plan dissemination. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_pr/13465.pdf, EDL# 13465. | |
| National ITS Architecture New User Service Procedure (2001) |
| This document describes a two-phase procedure for the introduction and integration of a new user service into the National ITS Architecture. Phase I involves stakeholders' efforts to address their transportation needs, formalize these needs into a user service, and gain acceptance within the U.S. DOT. Phase II involves the actions of the ITS Joint Program Office to integrate the new user service into the National ITS Architecture, coordinate activities with stakeholders, and ensure that the final product has stakeholder consensus and support. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13483.html, EDL# 13483. | |
| National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan: Five-Year Horizon (FHWA-OP-00-008) (2000) |
| This document presents the National ITS Program's goals, key activities, and milestones for the next five years. For each major area of the program – metropolitan ITS, rural and statewide ITS, commercial vehicle operations, and the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative – the document discusses current status (where we are), a vision for the future (where we are going), and strategies the program will employ to achieve its goals (how we get there). Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/11943.pdf, EDL# 11943. To order a hardcopy, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487 or itspubs@dot.gov. | |
| Archived Data User Service (ADUS): An Addendum to the ITS Program Plan, Final Version 3.0 (1998) |
| This document provides a detailed description of the archived data user service (ADUS). This document serves as an addendum to the National ITS Program Plan in describing the 31st ITS user service and establishes the need for including data archiving in the National ITS Architecture. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_pr/5224.htm, EDL# 5224. This document is also included as an appendix in the National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan: Five-Year Horizon. | |
| Highway-Rail Intersection User Service (1996) |
| This document provides a detailed description of the highway-rail intersection ITS user service. This document serves as an addendum to the National ITS Program Plan in describing the 30th ITS user service and establishes the need for including highway-rail grade crossing safety in the National ITS Architecture. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_pr/12503.pdf, EDL# 12503. This document is also included as an appendix in the National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan: Five-Year Horizon. | |
| National ITS Program Plan (1995) |
| Since its publication in 1995, this document has guided development and deployment of intelligent transportation systems in the U.S. The guidance contained in this Architecture document seeks to encourage coordination, maintain a focus on deployment, and ensure that ITS is intermodal. The strategy for accomplishing these goals is the formal definition of the National ITS Program in terms of 29 ITS user services. These user services form the basis upon which the National ITS Architecture was developed. A Synopsis provides a 50-page encapsulation of the major subject areas within the National ITS Program Plan, with special emphasis on deployment. Volume I focuses on the origins of the National ITS Program, user services, compatibility, deployment, and program assessment. Volume II contains detailed descriptions of each of the 29 original ITS user services. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the following website addresses:
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 | Deploying the National Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Architecture (NHI Course# 137013) |
| The objective of this course is to demonstrate in an interactive workshop format how to apply tools and methodologies developed by the National ITS Architecture Team for the U.S. DOT. Topics covered include transportation services, subsystems and terminators, information flows, market packages, ITS standards, developing an ITS architecture, logical architecture, using an architecture for project deployment, user service requirements and the theory of operations, and the FHWA's Final Rule and FTA's Policy on ITS Architecture and Standards. Skill Level: Core learning. Target Audience: This course is primarily for a public sector audience involved in ITS planning, deployment, and operations; systems integrators from the private sector would also benefit. Course Length: Two days. Cost: $270 per participant. The course fee includes a copy of the National ITS Architecture Version 5.0 on CD-ROM. To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/brows_catalog.aspx and search for course number "137013." | |
| Turbo Architecture Software Training (NHI Course# 137029A) |
| This course provides training on how to use Turbo Architecture, which is a software tool for regional and project-specific architecture development. Target Audience: Public sector transportation professionals at the state, county, city, and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) levels, as well as private sector consultants, who are developing regional and project architectures. Skill Level: Specialized training. Course Length: Two days. Cost: $270. The sponsoring organization is responsible for providing 400 Mhz microcomputers running Windows SE or better, color monitors, and a hard disk with 50 MB free storage memory. To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/brows_catalog.aspx and search for course number "137029A." | |
| Introduction to the National ITS Architecture (NHI Course# 137015) |
| This Web-based distance learning course provides students with a broad overview of the National ITS Architecture and the role it plays in planning, designing, and implementing ITS. The course provides background (what the National ITS Architecture is, how it is defined, why it was established, and its goals and objectives) and introduces the concept of ITS user services. Basic concepts and models of systems engineering are addressed, as well as the physical architecture through examples of local implementations of the National ITS Architecture. Specific elements of the physical architecture, such as subsystems and terminators, are presented in detail. Skill Level: Awareness learning. Target Audience: Transportation professionals wanting to enhance their knowledge of and skills for using the National ITS Architecture. Course Length: Eight hours. Cost: $75 To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.citeconsortium.org/courses/initsa.html or contact Kathleen Frankle, Consortium of ITS Training and Education (CITE), (410) 414-2925, KFrankle@umd.edu. | |
| Complying with the Federal Transit Administration's Policy on ITS Architecture Consistency and Its Impact on Project Planning and Implementation |
| In 2001, the Federal Transit Administration published its National ITS Architecture Policy on Transit Projects to meet the requirement in Section 5206(s) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). This policy requires that ITS projects conform to the National ITS Architecture and related standards. This policy applies to all ITS projects that are funded in whole or in part with the Highway Trust Fund, including the mass transit account. Additionally, FTA encourages the coordination of local ITS strategies and projects to help meet national and local goals. This course focuses on providing transportation agencies and Federal field staff with an understanding of the policy, the intent behind the policy, the impact of transit ITS planning and development, practical benefits of conformity, and guidelines for meeting policy requirements. Course Length: One day. Cost: Free for Federal, state, and local government employees; $150 for contractors and consultants. To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ntionline.com/CourseInfo.asp?CourseNumber=ID019 or Myrna Sirleaf, National Transit Institute, (723) 932-1700 x228, MSirleaf@nti.rutgers.edu. | |
| ITS Architecture Use and Maintenance Workshop |
| This two-day workshop will help participants understand how a regional ITS architecture can be used in regional and statewide transportation planning and project deployment. Participants will gain insight into the decisions and process steps involved in maintaining a regional ITS architecture. Workshops will be customized for individual regions, which a single workshop involving all stakeholders from a given region. This interactive workshop will be facilitated by the National ITS Architecture Team using lectures, discussions and group exercises. Exercises will guide participants on how to use their own region's ITS architecture to support long-range transportation planning, identify ITS projects, support programming and budgeting of these projects, support systems engineering, support project implementation, and maintain the architecture, i.e., keeping it relevant to changing circumstances. Cost: Free. Host organizations must pay certain logistical expenses, such as catering and room rental. To Access This Resource: Contact the ITS Specialist at the FHWA Division Office in your state. Contact information or these individuals can be found online at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/its_specialists/fhwa_office.htm. | |
| Regional ITS Architecture Development Process Seminar |
| This one-day seminar will equip ITS professionals with the information needed to develop their own regional ITS architecture. The seminar will focus on the six-step process described in the document Regional ITS Architecture Guidance: Developing, Using and Maintaining an ITS Architecture for Your Region. The seminar will address both technical and institutional issues often encountered during the regional ITS architecture development process. Cost: Free. Host organizations must pay certain logistical expenses, such as catering and room rental. To Access This Resource: Contact the ITS Specialist at the FHWA Division Office in your state. Contact information for these individuals can be found online at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/its_specialists/fhwa_office.htm. | |
| Regional ITS Architecture Development Process Workshop |
| This two-day workshop will equip ITS professionals with the tools to develop their own regional ITS architecture by helping them prepare a customized action plan to guide them through the process. The discussions will address both technical and institutional issues that stakeholders may encounter during the regional ITS architecture development process. The workshop is conducted in roundtable format, with extensive discussions of situations specific to the participants' own particular region. Participants are expected to be knowledgeable about the National ITS Architecture, as well as their region's transportation planning process. Participants will leave the workshop with a customized action plan, which they can then use as a roadmap to develop their own regional ITS architecture. A single workshop can accommodate from one to four regions, with ITS architecture champions and key stakeholders attending. Cost: Free. Host organizations must pay certain logistical expenses, such as catering and room rental. To Access This Resource: Contact the ITS Specialist at the FHWA Division Office in your state. Contact information for these individuals can be found online at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/its_specialists/fhwa_office.htm. | |