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1998 FHWA
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The ITS program continues to move along a path that is leading from a research and development focus, through operational testing, and toward deployment as an integral part of the delivery of transportation services. This path is taking us toward the vision of seamless transportation with intelligent vehicles and an intelligent infrastructure working together to create an intelligent transportation system.
During the Intermodal Surface Transpor-tation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) era (FY 1991 through FY 1997), the ITS program was largely devoted to building the foundation on which deployment of ITS could take place. These efforts included an aggressive research and technology program aimed at addressing concerns about the technological limitations of ITS, an extensive operational test program to demonstrate the viability of first-generation ITS technologies and services, and an architecture and standards program to create the framework needed for the deployment of integrated ITS systems. Much has been accomplished, including:
* An industry with technical expertise and commercially viable products exists.
* Research and development has proven ITS to be technically feasible.
* Operational tests have shown the benefits of first-generation ITS services.
* A National ITS Architecture exists, and ITS standards are under development.
TEA-21 continues to maintain a strong research program while seeking to advance the deployment of integrated ITS technologies in metropolitan and rural areas and through the Commercial Vehicle Infor-mation Systems and Networks (CVISN). Building upon the ITS foundation of technical knowledge, institutional partnerships, national architecture, and standards, TEA-21 establishes a program that fosters integrated deployment in a manner that will improve the mobility, productivity, and safety of our transportation system.
In FY 1998, work also continued on the second part of the Intelligent Transportation System--the vehicle. The Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI), established in 1997 to consolidate all of the ITS vehicle-based research into a single, focused effort, has begun to take shape and move forward. An IVI Business Plan that articulated the vision, mission, and scope of the program was developed. This business plan was published in the December 1997 Federal Register as part of a request for public comment on IVI. More than 150 responses, totaling more than 700 pages, were received from a broad range of interested parties, including domestic and foreign car manufacturers, truck manufacturers, transit agencies, and local transportation agencies. Through ITS America, the responses were analyzed, and a letter of advice was sent from the ITS America Board of Directors to the Secretary of Transpor-tation in August. This letter expressed support for the program content and direction, and it recommended joint government/industry governance of the program.