The National ITS Architecture project performed three tasks over the scheduled year. The first task was to coordinate and plan an ITS Architecture Workgroup session. The second task was to provide support to the group during the meeting. The final task was to create a final report for the project, based on the findings of the meeting and correspondence with external groups such as the Federal Highways Administration.
Project Activities
The three tasks required to complete this project will include the following:
Task 1 ITS Architecture Project Conference Call
In Task 1, the Kansas Project Manager (with assistance from the Castle Rock Consultants) will organize and facilitate a conference call intended to introduce the project to ENTERPRISE Board members as well as other representatives from within the ENTERPRISE member states. The intent of the conference call will be to establish the focus of the group around ITS architecture and standards, and to understand the issues and questions that each member state has on the topic.
The results of the conference call will be summarized in a brief technical memorandum, as well as assembled to serve as the basis for building the agenda for the in-person meeting planned for the Spring 2005.
Deliverables:
• Conference call
• Summary of conference call and topic points for in-person meeting
Task 2 Support and Facilitate the Workgroup Session
Following the conference call, a working session will be held in association with the Spring ENTERPRISE meeting in Kansas City to bring together interested parties who have a good understanding of their state’s ITS architecture and/or use of standards. As such, attendees may not necessarily be the ENTERPRISE Board representative, but may be the state’s ITS Architecture representative and/or someone familiar with the use of ITS standards within the state.
In preparation for the meeting, Castle Rock will prepare a “Talking Points” document, outlining the agenda and discussion goals for the group to address. These could include: –
• Understanding the specific details of the Federal Highway Administration’s requirements for state compliancy.
• Suggesting how Architecture can be best used by each state.
• Establishing the benefits to a state of complying to relevant standards.
• Reviewing what ITS standards are available and the status of ongoing developments and updates to such standards.
• Finding out what benefits states feel they receive from their Architecture plan
• Establishing how Architecture plans should be modified over time, with technological and other developments.
• Discussions of standards migration plans that are either in-use or planned for various states.
The two key topics of the meeting will be as follows:
– To allow facilitated discussions among ENTERPRISE member states to share lessons learned and successes with the ITS architecture and ITS Standards; and
– To encourage participation and feedback from FHWA and/or the members of the ITS Architecture team and to the National ITS standards development efforts, to the extent possible.
Deliverables:
• facilitated in-person meeting
Task 3 Project Final Report
A report will be complied, similar to previous projects from Enterprise. This will outline the findings of the group discussion, as well as any research carried out, and any follow up questions and answers from FHWA representatives. The report will then be presented to Enterprise members.
The primary benefit of the project is expected to come from the architecture representatives in each state participating in focused discussions on the use, upkeep, and compliance of ITS architectures. Similarly, the final report will document the discussion on ITS standards use and migration towards use, as well as the benefits (and drawbacks) of standards use.