This article looks at the development of the UK's UTMC Suppliers' Forum (USF) under its first two chairmen, Richard Gibson and Gary Umpleby. The USF promoted basic open standards for urban traffic control and ensured government support for the standards in local authority procurement, encouraging competing suppliers to co-operate on the project. The technical specification for UTMC defines interoperability and makes it possible for new suppliers and products to appear. Maintenance of the standards requires time and effort, and continued technical input from suppliers, although financing for this is seen as a potential problem. Early demonstrator projects highlighted a flaw in the UTMC standard: suppliers had interpreted and implemented an element differently, creating an inability to connect systems. However, the USF enabled suppliers to work together to achieve compatibility. Both purchasing and supplying communities must support UTMC if full benefit is to be gained: it is a long-term policy decision. The UTMC standard has developed taking into account other standards initiatives such as the Real Time Information Group, and the USF is now to dissolve formally into the UTMC Development Group.
Abstract