Citation

Frazer J. IMSA J. 2010; 48(3): 38-39, 42-44.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, International Municipal Signal Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The term intelligent transportation system (ITS) describes the process of adding control, monitoring, and communications technology to transportation infrastructure and vehicles to improve safety, reduce energy consumption, and to reduce vehicle wear and transportation time. Development and application of ITS technology is also driven by the need for homeland security, and many of the proposed ITS systems also involve surveillance of the roadways. Additionally, through coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy, many ITS applications are also supported, enhanced, and on occasion, driven by the needs of the Smart Grid electrical distribution technologies. The NTCIP (National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol) is a family of standards that provides both the rules for communicating (protocols) and the vocabulary (objects) necessary to allow electronic traffic control equipment from different manufacturers to operate with each other as a system. The Smart Grid delivers electricity from suppliers to users by means of bi-directional digital technology to control and monitor devices located at homes, commercial, and industrial sites, as well as on the electrical distribution system itself. This article discusses the need for/development of a set of interoperability standards to support the relationship between ITS systems, the NTCIP standards, and the Smart Grid.