The NTCIP standards development effort started in 1992, and it continues with new standards, amendments, and updated standards. The development of these standards provides a major step towards the goals of interoperability and interchangeability of ITS systems. The NTCIP documents are designed with many options in order to meet the varied needs of different projects. While this flexibility allows the standards to be referenced by many projects, each procurement specification must explicitly call out which options are required for the specific project. Additionally, the need to test for compliance to both NTCIP and non-NTCIP project requirements proves to be a continuous challenge.
In order to provide a reference implementation for NTCIP implementations, FHWA sponsored the development of the NTCIP Exerciser. The NTCIP Exerciser is a useful tool to test certain NTCIP implementations but it had some limitations:
- The NTCIP Exerciser did not support routable protocols (i.e., TCP/IP)
- The NTCIP Exerciser did not support Dynamic Objects;
- The NTCIP Exerciser software was not maintained, meaning that none of the clarifications and updates found in amendments and new NTCIP standards was considered; and
- The NTCIP Exerciser had an interface that requires a great deal of NTCIP expertise but is cumbersome to use and provides little assistance for novices.
Only very few NTCIP experts were available to provide this type of NTCIP-compliance testing, which resulted in:
- Dependency on very few NTCIP experts; and
- Delays in scheduling the services of these few NTCIP experts, which might have resulted in project-delivery delays.
Some agencies had therefore gone the route of performing cursory tests or to believing equipment supplier’s statements that they are NTCIP-compliant. This approach allows any interoperability problems to remain hidden until an existing system is extended (either with equipment from a different vendor or new models from the original vendors), which was one of the main reasons why rigorous ITS standards testing needed to be performed with delivery of the first system.
As such, initiatives were executed by organizations such as the ENTERPRISE Consortium to develop test procedures and perform project requirements/NTCIP standards testing. The ENTERPRISE Consortium developed and made available a number of procurement scripts and test procedures that can be used to purchase and test dynamic message signs (DMS) and environmental sensor stations (ESS, also known as RWIS).
However, the availability of these tools was not sufficient to address the above-mentioned issues due to the complex nature of the tools. Thus, this project was being proposed to simplify the user interface for these tools. Without this simplification, every project would have required extensive manual testing by an expert or risk non-interoperability. Naturally, this would result in numerous repetitions of efforts among agencies, even though this could be avoided. Additionally, a general approach by a group of state and local agencies as represented by both the ENTERPRISE Consortium and the I-95 Corridor Coalition also leveraged the combined buying power and ultimately led to reduction in purchasing costs.
Project Summary
This project was proposed as a public/private joint effort among the ENTERPRISE Consortium, the I-95 Corridor Coalition, FHWA, NEMA, and Trevilon.
This project also did not start from zero, since it leverages off previous ENTERPRISE and FHWA efforts. Additionally, the consultants’ experiences in working with both organizations (ENTERPRISE and I-95 Corridor Coalition) in developing relevant material, which was used as the starting point, expedited the process and the progress of this project. The existing ENTERPRISE tools had already been proven to work satisfactorily but it was important to enhance these tools to:
- Cover additional field devices; and
- Provide a ‘friendlier’ interface to the newcomer to NTCIP to utilize the NTCIP Exerciser.
The Team (Trevilon and PB Farradyne) is very well suited to provide the needed expertise having worked with the member agencies and the organizations for a number of years and being recognized as industry experts in terms of NTCIP standards and their implementation.
Project Activities
The following tasks were performed in this scope of work.
Task 1: Develop Paper Tools for CCTV Procurement
Several agencies identified their interest in deploying NTCIP-compliant CCTV equipment now that this standard was completed. However, these agencies were acutely aware of the challenges of being among the first to deploy a standard and requested expert assistance in order to minimize problems encountered in this effort. There were two subtasks to this effort as described below.
Task 1.1 Develop CCTV Procurement Specifications
Previous INCH projects had produced guides for developing procurement specifications for NTCIP-compliant dynamic message signs (DMS) and environmental sensor stations (ESS). This task extended this previous work by developing a similar guide for the procurement of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera controllers. The task did not include any software development efforts to add this capability to the SpecWizard software.
Discussions at the August ENTERPRISE meeting in Burlington, VT, identified this as the highest priority item for the INCH III effort. It was expected that this work will be performed under the Federal Highway IQC support contract that had already started.
Task 1.2: Develop Test Procedures for CCTV
Previous INCH projects had produced written test procedures detailing the precise steps that need to be taken in order to test DMS and ESS devices for compliance with the NTCIP requirements. This task extended this previous work by developing similar test procedures for CCTV camera controllers.
This task was identified as the second highest INCH III priority at the Burlington, VT meeting and is similarly within the scope of the FHWA IQC project.
Task 2: Provide On-Site Testing Services
This task included all work and costs required to perform on-site testing of one device for NTCIP compliance. The test was conducted per the procedures of the current version of the relevant ENTERPRISE test procedures. It was expected that these tests will be required prior to the completion of the automated software tools to be developed in Task 3, although early versions of the software may be used to automate some tasks and test the development to date.
The project estimate was based on four distinct tests as follows:
(1) One test at an I-95 site of a DMS
(2) One test at an I-95 site of either an ESS or a CCTV controller
(3) One test at an ENTERPRISE site of a DMS
(4) One test at an ENTERPRISE site of either an ESS or a CCTV controller
Task 3: Develop User Friendly Test Software
In order to overcome the challenges related to testing NTCIP equipment, ENTERPRISE had expressed interest in funding the development of a series of front-end modules that will greatly simplify performing the ENTERPRISE test procedures for various devices.
This front-end user-interface was designed to guide the NTCIP novice through an interview process to determine the user’s needs and the device’s proclaimed capabilities and then used this information to test the project-specific requirements of the device and produce a project-specific summary report. This process allowed a user to quickly assess the conformance of a subject device while providing manufacturers with a detailed report summarizing the problems found.
The following subtasks identified the individual efforts required to develop the various components of this software while Annex A provided a more detailed discussion of the goals related to this software development effort as well as the proposed architecture and maintenance for the software.
Task 3.1: DMS Wizard
The DMS Wizard guides the user through the process of performing the ENTERPRISE Test Procedures for Dynamic Message Signs.
Task 3.1.1: Release Executable for DMS Wizard
The proposed lump-sum funding for this task covered 50% of the expected costs of the wizard to automate testing of DMS devices. It provided for the free distribution of this software; however, the source code remained the property of Trevilon Corp, who provided the other 50% of the funding.
As this was the first wizard developed, this task also included the development of the generic user interface that will bind all of the wizards together into a single software application.
Task 3.1.2: Testing the DMS Wizard
This task funded the independent testing of the software developed in Task 3.1.1.
Task 3.1.3: Three Months Maintenance for the DMS Wizard
Three months of software maintenance was be provided. These maintenance activities included correcting any bugs discovered through the independent testing as well as resolving bugs reported during this time frame.
Task 3.1.4: Release DMS Wizard Source Code
Due to the limited public funds available for this project, Trevilon Corp. offered to provide partial funding for the development in exchange for owning the rights to the software code. Alternatively, a public source may have funded this task and Task 3.1.3, in which case the rights were placed in the public domain.
By investing in the software and receiving ownership, Trevilon became financially involved and had an incentive to maintain the software over time in exchange for the rights to charge for future updates. In return, the public agencies avoided having to make any financial commitment for the long-term maintenance of the software, but were able to purchase updates when deemed appropriate.
Alternatively, a public agency may have funded the remaining development costs up front and thereby ensure that the software code is freely available, while also assuming the burden of developing a maintenance program in order to ensure that (1) any bugs can be resolved quickly and (2) the software is updated periodically to reflect revisions in the standards.
Task 3.2: ESS Wizard
The ESS Wizard guides the user through the process of performing the ENTERPRISE Test Procedures for Environmental Sensor Stations.
Task 3.2.1: Release Executable for ESS Wizard
The proposed lump-sum funding for this task covered 50% of the expected costs of the wizard to automate testing of ESS devices. It provided for the free distribution of this software; however, the source code will remain the property of Trevilon Corp, who will provide the other 50% of the funding.
Task 3.2.2: Testing the ESS Wizard
This task funded the independent testing of the software developed in Task 3.2.1.
Task 3.2.3: Three Months Maintenance for the DMS Wizard
Three months of software maintenance was provided. These maintenance activities included correcting any bugs discovered through the independent testing as well as resolving bugs reported during this time frame.
Task 3.2.4: Release ESS Wizard Source Code
Due to the limited public funds available for this project, Trevilon Corp. had offered to provide partial funding for the development in exchange for owning the rights to the software code. Alternatively, a public source may fund this task and Task 3.2.3, in which case the rights would have been placed in the public domain
Task 3.3: CCTV Wizard
The CCTV Wizard guides the user through the process of performing the ENTERPRISE Test Procedures for Closed Circuit Television Camera Controllers.
Task 3.3.1: Release Executable for ESS Wizard
The proposed lump-sum funding for this task covered 50% of the expected costs of the wizard to automate testing of CCTV devices. It provided for the free distribution of this software; however, the source code will remain the property of Trevilon Corp, who will provide the other 50% of the funding.
Task 3.3.2: Testing the ESS Wizard
This task funded the independent testing of the software developed in Task 3.3.1.
Task 3.3.3: Three Months Maintenance for the DMS Wizard
Three months of software maintenance was be provided. These maintenance activities included correcting any bugs discovered through the independent testing as well as resolving bugs reported during this time frame.
Task 3.3.4: Release ESS Wizard Source Code
Due to the limited public funds available for this project, Trevilon Corp. had offered to provide partial funding for the development in exchange for owning the rights to the software code. Alternatively, a public source may fund this task and Task 3.3.3, in which case the rights will be placed in the public domain.
Task 3.4: SNMP ++ Software
SNMP++ is existing freeware developed by Hewlett Packard and provides a software library to perform all of the standard SNMP operations. A book is available for purchase that documents the software design and provides a sample application. We used this software as the base of the product due to the fact that it is freely distributable and the interface is well defined. This selection allowed future projects to extend the work of this project to other devices, if deemed appropriate.
Task 3.5: WinSock
All 32-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems came with a WinSock interface. This was the software interface used by virtually all web browsers, e-mail applications, etc to communicate over the Internet. The SNMP++ software uses this interface as well, which ensures a robust design and presence on all target machines.
Task 3.6: T2/PMPP Subnet Connection
All 32-bit Windows operating systems were provided with drivers for Ethernet and dial-up networking interfaces that meet the NTCIP requirements. However, the T2/PMPP protocol stack combination was not supported by off-the-shelf software. However, NEMA had already expressed interest in funding the development of such software and this proposal assumed that this NEMA project would move forward. This additional software completed all regularly used communication profiles within the industry. If NEMA had not fund this effort, it could readily be funded by another source at some point in the future.
However, it should be noted that it is unclear at this time whether this software will support the relatively uncommon communications stack of T2 over PPP. This issue was investigated once NEMA had made its final funding decision.
Task 4: Hands-On Training for Wizards
While the software developed under this project was largely self-explanatory, public agency personnel are still be able to benefit from a hands-on training course designed to introduce the user to the overall testing process. Topics covered by this training course would include:
· Importance of testing;
· Understanding NTCIP requirements;
· Understanding the types of operations performed during the test procedures;
· Process to prepare the test environment, including hands-on exercises;
· Understanding how to configure a test and to save the settings;
· Process of running the test, including hands-on exercises;
· Understanding the output generated;
· Understanding related software packages that address features not covered by this software; and
· Understanding how to get technical support.
Task 4.1: Develop Course Materials
This task developed detailed training materials for a two-day hands-on training course on the use of the software. The training materials were be delivered under the project and be distributed under an ENTERPRISE name in the public domain.
Task 4.2: Deliver Course
This task consisted of the delivery of the two-day training course to a group up to 12 people at a member agency’s facility. The cost associated with this task includes the necessary computer rentals.
Task 4.2.1 Deliver Course at Site 1
One course was given for the I-95 Corridor Coalition.
Task 4.2.2 Deliver Course at Site 2
One course was given for the ENTERPRISE membership.