NATIONAL ITS ARCHITECTURE
NEW USER SERVICE PROCEDURE
August 15, 2001
NEW USER SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. General
The following paragraphs describe a procedure for the development of a new user service and the introduction and integration of this new user service into the National ITS Architecture. It may also be used for a significant change cutting across a number of existing user services that does not call for the specific addition of a new user service. The procedure is not intended to be all encompassing, nor is it intended to be restrictive. It should serve only as a guide to stakeholders who are interested in adding their needs to the National ITS Architecture.
It consists of two phases. Phase one of the procedure is the principle responsibility of the stakeholder community and involves addressing its transportation system needs, formalizing them in an acceptable user service, and securing acceptance for integration into the National ITS Architecture. Phase two of the procedure is the principle responsibility of the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO) and involves its actions to integrate the user service into the National ITS Architecture, coordinate its activities with the stakeholders, and ensure that the final product has stakeholder consensus and support. In both phases, it is necessary to engage in public outreach activities to ensure adequate awareness among the stakeholder and ITS communities and to offer the opportunity for them to participate.
2. Phase 1
- The first step is for the interested group of stakeholders to determine their collective concerns. Although it is not required, there are three sources of advocacy where the stakeholders may go for advice before proceeding. They are the ITS JPO, the applicable office or modal administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and ITS America. In the case of Highway Rail Intersection (HRI), the advocacy came from the Federal Railroad Administration. In the case of Archived Data (ADUS), the advocacy was shared between the Federal Highway Administration Policy Office and the JPO. Voicing stakeholder concerns to an advocate should lead to a partnership and understanding of these concerns, and a better stakeholder understanding of the process to cause the National ITS Architecture to be modified.
- The second step is for the stakeholders to review Volume II of the "National ITS Program Plan, Intelligent Transportation Systems", dated March 1995. This volume describes each of the 29 original user services. The 30th and 31st user services, addressing HRI and ADUS, have been separately developed and approved, and have been added to the appendix of the "National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan, Five-Year Horizon", dated August 2000. The description of the Maintenance and Construction Operations user service represents the 32nd user service that is now being incorporated into the National ITS Architecture. The review of these three documents enables the stakeholders to better understand the user needs currently addressed by the National ITS Architecture and how they are described. If their current needs are not satisfied in the three documents, then the stakeholders may choose to propose actions to add a newly defined user service to the National ITS Architecture.
At this point, the ITS JPO, in conjunction with other modal administrations as appropriate, will make a decision regarding the appropriateness and viability of the proposed new user service. This decision enables the stakeholders to know whether or not the ITS JPO will support their effort, and then to begin developing the user service with good guidance and direction. If the decision is to proceed, there will be a notification to the broader transportation community of the intent to expand upon the existing set of user services in response to stakeholder concerns. This can be accomplished through a notice in the Federal Register; press releases to other print media; notices posted on the ITS JPO, National ITS Architecture, and ITS America websites; notification to specific transportation committees including those of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); and notification to appropriate ITS America technical committees and task forces.
After reviewing the proposal for a new user service, the ITS JPO may determine that a new user service is not needed as the problem may be addressed by amending and/or modifying the existing user services. If they are not significant, recommendations in these areas should be forwarded to the ITS JPO Architecture Program Manager for subsequent disposition and National ITS Architecture modification. If they are significant and cut across a number of existing user services, the same steps outlined below may be followed.
- The third step is for the stakeholders to identify their specific transportation needs. This is not trivial, and may require workshops and other forums to clearly define and articulate the consensus-based needs of the stakeholder group. It should be noted that the National ITS Architecture is a consensus architecture, and no individual or small group of persons will be able to change it without the full consent of the larger stakeholder community. Development of the needs document/paper lends focus to the effort, gets the important issues addressed, and highlights consensus.
- The fourth step is the development of the user service which will become an addendum to Volume II of the "National ITS Program Plan, Intelligent Transportation Systems" or an appendix to the "National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan, Five-Year Horizon". The definition of the new user service follows the general format shown in Volume II of the "National ITS Program Plan, Intelligent Transportation Systems", and thus may require assistance from one of the advocacy sources.
Prior to completing development, it is suggested that public outreach similar to the second step of Phase 1 be used again to invite reviews of the draft user service from within the known stakeholder community as well as from the broader ITS community. In addition, since it is probable that the user service is going to be accepted by the JPO for addition to the National ITS Architecture, it is advisable to invite the Architecture Team to monitor the later development stages of the user service.
- The fifth step is an ITS screening process used by the ITS JPO, working in conjunction with other modal administrations as appropriate. This entails a review of the definition of ITS to ensure that the user service improves the availability, efficiency, and safety of operations of the transportation system. The screening process also ensures that the user service is consistent with the goals of integration and standardization. The ITS JPO will make the appropriate changes to the draft user service to ensure that its scope is consistent with the other user services.
- The final step in Phase 1 is for the ITS JPO, with formal advice from ITS America, to determine whether or not to accept and include the completed user service into the "National ITS Program Plan, Intelligent Transportation Systems" or into the "National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan, Five-Year Horizon". The Director, JPO, may accept the user service immediately or take it to the Strategic Planning Group for discussion and concurrence before it is accepted. Once accepted by the ITS JPO, the user service will be forwarded to the JPO Architecture Program Manager who will be directed to determine the resources and begin incorporation of the new user service into the National ITS Architecture.
3. Phase 2
- The first step is for the JPO Architecture Program Manager to task the headquarters team to develop user service requirements that trace to the user service, satisfy the intent of the stakeholder community, and subsequently offer clear tasking requirements to the Architecture Team. This tasking may be informally done following the ITS screening process when it is known that the user service is going to be accepted, and enable the requirements to be developed in coordination with the final development of the user service.
- The second step is for the JPO Architecture Program Manager to forward the user service requirements with a tasking document to the Architecture Team for their integration proposal and response. They will then be placed under contract for this task to modify the National ITS Architecture. The Architecture Team must develop a milestone schedule that includes a kickoff meeting and interim program review(s) to engage representatives of the stakeholder community, address the user service requirements, and begin their formal National ITS Architecture integration effort.
- The third step is the effort of the Architecture Team, in concert with the stakeholders, to integrate the new user service into the National ITS Architecture. In addition to the technical work, the effort involves one or more interim program reviews and the possibility of outreach meetings with selected members of the stakeholder community.
- The fourth step is to render a final report to the stakeholder community representatives by the ITS JPO and the Architecture Team. This is a brief oral report highlighting the changes and indicating that the integration effort is complete.
- The final step is to post the changed National ITS Architecture on the ITS JPO and National ITS Architecture websites and to release the next version of the National ITS Architecture on CD-ROM, if appropriate. There will be an outreach effort to announce the change and new version of the National ITS Architecture through the same media used previously: a notice in the Federal Register; notices in newsletters; notices in the Architecture, ITS JPO, and ITS America websites; press releases in other print media; and through notification to appropriate ITS America technical committees and task forces. Phase 2 of the ITS JPO integration activities should be accomplished within 6 to 9 months, depending upon the detail and complexity of the new user service.
At this stage, it is appropriate to invite a group of stakeholders who, where possible, will be involved in the kickoff meeting and each of the reviews to lend continuity and understanding to the overall effort and to ensure stakeholder concerns and needs are met. This will require an outreach effort prior to the kickoff meeting, again similar to the second step in Phase 1.
