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NTCIP 2301 - Simple Transportation Management Framework (STMF) Application Profile


This Fact Sheet was written on September 25, 2009. The status of the standard at the time was: Published December 2001. In April 2008, NTCIP 2301 V02.16 was accepted as a Recommended Standard and Subsequently sent to the SDOs for approval, however this version is not publically available at this time.

This Fact Sheet was written on September 25, 2009. The status of the standard at the time was: Published in December 2001.

This Fact Sheet was last verified on September 28, 2009

 Check the ITS Standards Search to see if there has been subsequent development activity.

Overview

The National Transportation Communications for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Protocol (NTCIP) is a family of standards that provides both the rules for communicating (called protocols) and the vocabulary (called objects) necessary to allow electronic traffic control equipment from different manufacturers to operate with each other as a system. The NTCIP is the first set of standards for the transportation industry that allows traffic control systems to be built using a "mix and match" approach with equipment from different manufacturers. Therefore, NTCIP standards reduce the need for reliance on specific equipment vendors and customized one-of-a-kind software. To assure both manufacturer and user community support, NTCIP is a joint product of the National Electronics Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). More information concerning the NTCIP family of standards and their related documents is available in the NTCIP 9001 - NTCIP Guide, available on-line at (www.ntcip.org).

An application profile specifies a set of protocols and standards that define communications and interfaces at the highest levels. Within the context of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Basic Reference Model, NTCIP application profiles are applicable to the three highest layers: the application, presentation and session layers. This standard provides message authentication, information management, and data representation services for NTCIP devices and management stations by defining requirements applicable to those three layers.

What are these standards for?

This standard, NTCIP 2301 - Simple Transportation Management Framework (STMF) Application Profile, provides a set of requirements designed to ensure interoperability over the top three layers of the OSI Basic Reference Model between implementing devices. This standard includes mandatory requirements for implementing the STMF, and optional and conditional requirements that may be applicable in specific environments.

Who uses them?

This standard, NTCIP 2301 - Simple Transportation Management Framework (STMF) Application Profile, should be used by transportation and traffic engineers involved with the design, specification, selection, procurement and installation, operation, and maintenance of any NTCIP device, including field devices and central computer systems that interface with those field devices. ITS product hardware and software designers and application (computer program) developers should find this standard especially relevant to their efforts.

How are they used?

This standard, NTCIP 2301 - Simple Transportation Management Framework (STMF) Application Profile, defines the requirements for implementing the application, presentation and session layers of the OSI Reference Model. Compliant systems will implement these requirements to ensure compatibility with other implementing devices.

This standard will invariably be used in conjunction with device-specific standards (NTCIP 1201, 1202, etc.) and lower level communications standards that define the transport layer (NTCIP 2201, 2202) and lower layers (subnetwork profiles defined in 2101, 2102, 2103, and 2104) to complete a set of requirements for specific types of devices. From the system architecture level this standard may also be used together with the transport and subnetwork standards to define system-wide communications requirements that potentially undefined NTCIP-compliant devices would use, thereby ensuring interoperability prior to system design.

Scope

Communications between central computer systems, field support systems such as laptops used for maintenance and configuration and field devices such as actuated signal controllers, dynamic message signs, etc. are facilitated by implementation of the requirements in NTCIP 2301 - Simple Transportation Management Framework (STMF) Application Profile.

Related documents

The following ITS standards and documents are related and should be considered when using this standard:

The following standards and documents, while not part of the ITS standards, should also be considered when using this standard:

How to obtain Standards
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
202-624-5800
https://www.transportation.org/
Institute of Transportation Engineers
202-289-0222
http://www.ite.org
Association of Electrical and Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturers (NEMA), formerly known as National Electrical Manufacturers Association
703-841-3200
http://www.nema.org