In December 1996 the UK Government issued two consultation documents on ITS. The first, "A policy for using new transport telematic technologies for road transport" (IRRD 886822), identifies three main topics as potentially important to the general subject of integrating ITS applications. These are ITS architecture, ITS standards and a common telematics/ITS infrastructure. The second concerns a proposal to develop three Regional Traffic Control Centres (RTCCs) for England as part of the Government's Private Finance Initiative (IRRD 887558). In parallel with these Government consultations, an ITS Focus Task Force on System Architecture has been carrying out a review of the US National ITS Architecture and has prepared a report to the UK Government. The Task Force has considered the part system architecture will play in support of the Government's market-driven approach to the implementation of core ITS infrastructure. Key issues concern first how far European results from DRIVE, PROMETHEUS and the current EU Telematics Application Programme can serve the UK's national interests, and second the degree to which a global approach to ITS architecture and standards is appropriate given the results of the US National ITS Architecture study. This paper summarises the main conclusions and recommendations of the ITS Task Force.
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