From architecture to markets : the North American ITS status.

This Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) status report provides an overview of the National Architecture, national and international standards developments, North American deployment activities, emerging markets, and business opportunities. An architecture, as the term is used in system engineering, is a framework describing the major elements of a system and the interrelationships among the elements. The National Architecture based on 29 user service requirements was released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) in June 1996 and endorsed by the ITS America Board of Directors in July 1996. It was updated in January 1997 to add a 30th user service, Highway Rail Intersections. The architecture is fully consistent with other related activities including the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN), the National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP), the ARINC Communications Alternatives Study, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Location Referencing Project. The author concludes that significant rewards are likely to be reaped by those businesses and individuals willing to risk early participation in this dynamic and growing ITS market.