California Statewide intelligent transportation systems plan evaluation - Case study of conformity with National Intelligent Transportation Systems Architecture

A statewide evaluation was conducted of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Deployment Plans in California. It found that all 12 plans covering the state will conform by April 8, 2005, with Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration ITS Architecture and Standards: Final Rule. Developing the plans greatly raised the knowledge and awareness of the potential benefits of integrated technology systems. Multiple layers of architecture have been identified, particularly in Southern California, where developments are most advanced. Experience with deployment of an interregional system of data exchange, Showcase, indicates that such systems require far more time and resources than could have been anticipated at the outset. Technology obsolescence and software documentation have become key issues that other regions will face as projects move from plans to major deployments. Funding the operation and maintenance of these systems is emerging as a major barrier to their successful implementation. So too is the need to educate senior management and elected officials about the infrastructure requirements of successful system integration. Funding the operations and maintenance and configuration management of systems will undoubtedly be the issue for focus in the next decade, as transportation professionals begin to fully understand the implications of the concept of regionally integrated ITS.