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Turbo
Architecture: A Tool for Leveraging the National ITS Architecture
by the National ITS Architecture Team
Early in the Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) program, the U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) recognized the need for a "National ITS Architecture" to identify
interfaces for standardization and to provide a framework for the integration
of transportation systems. In 1996, DOT released the first version of the National
ITS Architecture, which is essential to meeting the DOT goal of a compatible
seamless transportation system. This stakeholder-based consensus architecture
addressed the wide cross section of the transportation community's needs as
described by the National ITS Program Plan. Since its initial release, the National
ITS Architecture has been updated with two additional user services - Highway-Rail
Intersection and Archived Data - and efforts are underway to continue to expand
the scope of the architecture to more fully address rural needs.
The National ITS Architecture can serve as the basis for identifying the many
integration options in a region. Together, these options create an architecture
for the region or architectures for each project in the region. In addition,
the strong tie between the National ITS Architecture and ITS Standards provides
a valuable resource for defining the standards that can result in efficient,
open, and interoperable ITS deployments in a region. Although the architecture
is national in scope, it benefits state and local agencies by helping them to
save time and money in achieving maximum benefits through the implementation
of integrated ITS. These benefits are gaining recognition on a worldwide basis,
as countries in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region are creating
(or have recently completed) national or multinational ITS architectures.
The National ITS Architecture, originally defined in voluminous paper documents,
has in recent years become highly accessible to public and private sector transportation
professionals through a CD-ROM version, which provides a comprehensive hyperlinked
description of the architecture. Over the past two years, DOT has provided highly
successful, hands-on interactive training to more than 2,000 transportation
professionals in the concepts and use of the National ITS Architecture.
What has been lacking until now is a software tool, available to everyone, that
can take the information found on the National ITS Architecture CD-ROM and apply
it directly to creating a customized regional or project architecture that reflects
the transportation needs of the region and identifies the full range of integration
options available. In response to this need, the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) has developed a software tool that makes it significantly easier to build
ITS architectures using the National ITS Architecture as a reference.
This tool is called Turbo ArchitectureTM and will be released to the user community
in May at the annual meeting of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America
(ITS America) in Boston. The National ITS Architecture Team - DOT and two companies
under contract from DOT, Iteris Inc. and Lockheed Martin - has been developing
Turbo Architecture for the past year. The software will be distributed through
McTrans for DOT.
The Turbo Architecture tool is a high-level, interactive software program that
assists transportation planners and system integrators, from both the public
and private sectors, in the development of regional and project architectures
that are based on the National ITS Architecture.
Turbo Architecture allows a user to:
- Create a regional architecture.
- Create a project architecture
when no regional architecture exists.
- Create a project architecture
from an existing regional architecture.
- Merge a project architecture
into an existing regional architecture.
The user enters their region-
or project-specific information into the tool and ultimately generates an architecture
that can be customized to their needs. There are two ways to initially enter
information into Turbo Architecture: via an interview or directly into tabular
forms. The interview guides the user through a series of questions and options
that results in the creation of an inventory of transportation systems and a
set of services. The user may also go directly to a pair of tabular forms to
create this initial inventory and set of services. In either case, this information
initiates the development of an ITS architecture.
When this initial data input is completed, the user can begin to customize his
architecture, which is a necessary next step. Both the interview and tabular
forms help the user identify and extract the pertinent National ITS Architecture
pieces that they require. In addition, Turbo Architecture allows the user to
map and tailor local system names and descriptions to match local needs, services,
and systems. The user can also extend his architecture beyond elements defined
in the National ITS Architecture by adding his own information flows and transportation
elements for those areas not covered by the National ITS Architecture.
When the architecture has been customized, the next issue is how to present
the information to stakeholders. Turbo Architecture answers this need with multiple
useful output reports and diagrams that are available for display and printing.
The underlying information describing the architecture is also available for
exportation as data sets that can be analyzed further.
Turbo Architecture helps the user integrate multiple-project architectures with
each other and with a regional architecture. In a single file, the user can
create a single regional architecture and multiple project architectures.
Turbo Architecture is a stand-alone Windows application program that produces
Microsoft Access 97-compatible data files that the user may further manipulate
directly using Microsoft Access 97.
To properly use the Turbo Architecture tool, it is highly recommended that users
be familiar with the National ITS Architecture because this tool is not an introduction
to the National ITS Architecture. Turbo Architecture will come with a detailed
user's manual and installation guide, as well as online help, to facilitate
easy installation and productive use. The user's manual will include information
on basic operation and advanced techniques to aid the user in creating architectures.
Turbo Architecture will support users in meeting DOT's Interim Guidance for
Architecture Consistency. This policy encourages the use of the National ITS
Architecture as a reference in developing regional and project architectures
that focus on integration of ITS within a region.
Turbo Architecture will
be available in May 2000. For more information on Turbo Architecture, contact
Lee Simmons at (202) 366-8048 or via e-mail at lee.simmons@fhwa.dot.gov.
To get your copy of Turbo Architecture, contact McTrans at (352) 392-0378 x242
or via email at mctrans@ce.ufl.edu.
This article was provided
by the National ITS Architecture Team, whose members represent DOT (FHWA, Joint
ITS Program Office), Iteris Inc., and Lockheed Martin.
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