Development Activities

Standardization Opportunities

The National ITS Architecture provides a framework for all standards activities. With few exceptions, the scope of existing and potential ITS standards is defined by the National ITS Architecture. In 1996, a variety of stakeholders (representatives of Standard Development Organizations (SDOs), employees of state and local agencies, industry experts, and members of the National ITS Architecture Team) convened to identify each ITS element for which a standard should be developed. Initially, 80 elements were identified for standardization. With the growth in the National ITS Architecture, a total of 118 standards have been identified to support the communication interfaces of the National ITS Architecture. Since then, additional architecture flows have been identified as candidates for future standardization. The National ITS Architecture provides a means of detecting gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies between standards.

In 1996, a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from the Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), state and local agencies, industry experts, and the National ITS Architecture Team, convened to identify the critical interfaces for which standards should be developed. The National ITS Architecture's architecture flow definition were leveraged, detail was added, and over 80 ITS standards were developed. Since then, some of these ITS standards have been amended, and more ITS standards are being drafted.

Since the late 90s, the National ITS Architecture's scope has broadened to include additional functions and interfaces as identified by early users of the National ITS Architecture. This has resulted in the identification of additional architecture flows that are candidates for future standardization. Standards developers should periodically check the link for guidance on possible architecture flows to include. Each of the candidates has been assigned to one or more standards communities, based on the group most likely to play a role in its standardization.