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NTCIP 2306 - Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML)


This Fact Sheet was written on September 25, 2009. The status of the standard at the time was: Published December 2008.

This Fact Sheet was written on September 25, 2009. The status of the standard at the time was: Under Development.

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 System (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 transportation 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 also defines requirements applicable to the transport layer (layer four), and altogether defines message form, message usage and transport sufficient for center-to-center exchange of data encoded in the eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

What are these standards for?

This standard, NTCIP 2306 - Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML), provides a mechanism for the implementation of communications interfaces defining the message form, usage and transport protocol used for transmitting information encoded in the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) between centers. This standard defines mandatory requirements for implementing C2C, and also defines optional and conditional requirements that may be applicable in specific environments.

Who uses them?

This standard, NTCIP 2306 - Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML), should be used by transportation and traffic engineers involved with the design, specification, selection, procurement and installation, operation, and maintenance of NTCIP central computer systems that will interface with other central systems. ITS software designers and application (computer program) developers should find this standard especially relevant to their efforts.

How are they used?

This standard, NTCIP 2306 - Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML), defines the requirements for using XML to implement a communications interface for sharing transportation-relevant data. Specifically, it defines mechanisms for using the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) to support customer-initiated requests for information from a central system. Compliant systems will implement these requirements to ensure compatibility with compliant applications.

This standard will be used closely with the Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) and Message Sets standard, which defines the vocabulary of information that can be exchanged using this standard.

Scope

Communications between central computer systems (e.g. a traffic management center and external management centers) using XML are facilitated by the requirements defined in this standard, NTCIP 2306 - Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML).

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