|
Welcome to the homepage for the Regional Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS) Architectures for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth, through the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation (MassDOT), Office of Transportation Planning, has
developed the current Regional ITS Architectures with extensive
input from four Regional ITS Planning and Coordination Committees
consisting of agencies and organizations involved in transportation
throughout Massachusetts. The efforts of these Committees and other
transportation stakeholders involved in the process have resulted in
four Regional ITS Architectures, each one representing a vision for
integrated and coordinated deployment of ITS.
Intelligent Transportation Systems encompass a
broad range of advanced technologies in the field of transportation.
ITS improves transportation safety, enhances productivity, and
increases personal mobility through the integrated application of
these technologies. To fully maximize the potential of ITS
technologies, ITS deployment requires an approach to planning,
implementation, and operations that emphasizes collaboration between
relevant entities and compatibility/interoperability of individual
systems. At the core of this process is an architecture that
provides overall guidance to ensure coordination and integration of
individual ITS deployment projects, without limiting stakeholder
design options.
This website is designed to assist planners of ITS
projects in reviewing their projects in relation to the appropriate
Regional ITS Architecture. The architectures also serve as useful
tools throughout the project development process, focusing
stakeholders on ensuring the compatibility and interoperability of
ITS systems, products, and services.
For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, four Regional ITS
Architectures have been developed, covering
the following regions:
The current architectures are the result of a
formal update conducted during 2010 of the original four
architectures completed in 2005. The development of these
architectures was a multi-year, collaborative effort by numerous
agencies, organizations, and other transportation stakeholders
across the Commonwealth. To remain useful and relevant, all four
architectures are periodically reviewed and updated. The most recent
update to the architectures will be completed in December 2010. An
overview of the initial development effort and the most recent
update is provided in the Executive Summary (to be provided in the
Final Website). For an explanation of the Architecture Development
Process, click here. For a
Summary of Changes made to the architectures in 2010, click here.
The Regional ITS Architectures are valuable tools
for planners and operators of the Commonwealth’s transportation
system. Each architecture provides a framework for planning and
implementing ITS in regions across the Commonwealth. They also serve
as a guide for how agencies can work together to improve interagency
coordination, improve transportation safety, increase productivity,
and provide enhanced services to the traveling public.
In addition, the Regional ITS Architectures provide
a basis for satisfying federal requirements for ITS projects funded
with highway trust funds (including the mass transit fund). These
regulations require that such projects be consistent with the
appropriate Regional ITS Architecture(s). Therefore, it is vital
that project proponents use the architecture as a guideline during
project development, just as FHWA and FTA will be using the
architecture when reviewing the project. The following links provide
further details on these federal requirements:
Date Updated: June 13, 2013
|
