Standardizing Intelligent Transportation System Project Developments

The purpose of this paper is to recommend a standardized systems engineering approach to the implementation of ITS projects. This paper describes the California Department of Transportation’s multi-pronged approach to the implementation of systems engineering to ITS project developments. Developing a standard systems engineering process for Intelligent Transportation Systems [ITS] projects will provide a number of benefits including but not limited to: • Higher project and product integrity • Common and standard development process and vocabulary • Enable sharing of resources and expertise • Acceleration of ITS projects • Deployable research projects Developing a common and standardized process is not new to the transportation community. This was successfully done for the interstate highway system where the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials [AASHTO] established common processes and standards that have been used for more than fifty years. Caltrans and the California Division of the Federal Highway Administration [FHWA] have taken the lead in laying out a roadmap to a standard systems engineering process that will meet the FHWA Final Rule [23 CFR 940 part 11] requiring the use of a systems engineering analysis for ITS projects. To meet the requirements of the Final Rule and recognizing the value of systems engineering processes as an industry best practice, Caltrans and the FHWA have provided training through the local assistance program, established a body of knowledge through the development of a systems engineering guidebook for ITS, and is currently performing an internal evaluation of systems engineering leading to a roadmap and recommendations that will integrate systems engineering for ITS into the mainstream capital development for Caltrans. In addition, Caltrans is applying a systems engineering process to the development of recent technology based research project, [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's On-Board Commercial Vehicle Monitoring and Safety System] as a model process for future technology based research projects that lead to wide spread deployments.