ITS National Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Plan: Five Year Horizon Plan [August 2000]

Federal Highway Administration;Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office2000PDFResearch PaperUnited States. Joint Program Office for Intelligent Transportation SystemsUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Transit AdministrationUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Maritime AdministrationUnited States. Joint Program Office for Intelligent Transportation SystemsUnited StatesIntelligent transportation systems programsInfrastructureTransportation policyFederal governmentStrategic planningTransportation planningStandardsIntelligent transportation systems (ITS) infrastructureIntelligent transportation systems (ITS) standardsNational ITS ArchitectureFHWA-OP-00-008Transportation is vital to the social and economic health of the nation. Surface transportation systems - the networks of highways, local streets, bus routes, and rail lines - are the ties that bind communities and facilitate commerce. Despite the fact that the United States has one of the best roadway systems in the world, congestion is increasing and safety remains a serious problem. The efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of surface transportation have direct impacts on accessibility, national economic growth and competitiveness, and the environment. Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS, offer promising solutions to these pressing challenges. ITS refers to the electronics, communications, hardware, and software that support various services and products to address transportation problems. When deployed in an integrated fashion, ITS allows the surface transportation system to be managed as an intermodal, multi-jurisdictional entity, appearing to the public as a seamless system. With the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998, Congress reaffirmed the role of the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) in advancing the development and integrated deployment of ITS technologies. This report presents U.S. DOT's goals, key activities, and milestones for the National ITS Program for fiscal years (FY) 1999 through 2003.This 5-year plan will be followed by a 10-year program plan that sets forth the next-generation research agenda for ITS. These two documents, coupled with the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's national deployment strategy, will fulfill TEA-21's directive to update the National ITS Program Plan, and will address ITS deployment and research challenges for stakeholders across all levels of government and industry. While these reports provide an updated vision of the National ITS Program, they do not supersede material contained in the first National ITS Program Plan, published in 1995.97