ITS Architecture for Canada Version 3
ITS Architectures provide a reference framework for planning, defining, and integrating intelligent transportation systems. The Architecture describes interaction among physical components of the transportation systems including travellers, vehicles, roadside devices, and control centres. It also describes the information and communications system requirements, how data should be shared and used, and the standards required to facilitate information sharing. It was developed to support ITS implementations in urban, interurban and rural environments across the country.
Service Packages, which span across all four views of the architecture, are a service-oriented entry points that makes it easy to view a vertical slice of the architecture for a particular ITS service (e.g., traffic signal control). Further details regarding the four views and their corresponding architecture elements can be found on the Architecture Views and Elements page.
Summary of Version 3 Update
Version 3 of the ITS Architecture for Canada fully adopts all of Version 8.3 of the U.S. Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT), including complete 1-to-1 mapping to all Services Packages and supporting elements.
Version 3 of ITS Architecture for Canada also includes the the following Canadian-unique Service Packages:
- CVO20 - International Border Registration
- CVO22 - International Border Coordination
- TM26 - Signal Enforcement
- WX04 - Roadway Micro-Prediction
Compatibility and Integration with ARC-IT
U.S. ARC-IT supports inclusion of international services that provide complementary expansion on its core content. For example, a handful of European Union and Australian service packages have been integrated into ARC-IT (see example here).
The Canadian-unique Service Packages have been designed to the specifications of ARC-IT, in order to facilitate their integration into future versions. These have been provided to the ARC-IT Team, for their consideration.
Accessing and Using the Architecture
The List of All Service Packages provides access to the ITS Architecture for Canada Version 3 content using Service Packages as an entry point. NOTE: Where content is in common with ARC-IT, links will be directed to the U.S. website.
The Regional Architecture Development for Intelligent Transportation (RAD IT) and Systems Engineering Tool for Intelligent Transportation (SET IT) tools provided by the USDOT (links and descriptions below) include all the common content of the ITS Architecture for Canada Version 3, and can be easily used to apply the architecture for planning and pre-design purposes related all the common services. If users are interested in the Canadian-unique Service Packages, both tools support input and configuration of custom elements to add such support.
- RAD IT (formally known as Turbo) supports professionals focused on the transportation planning, and the development of Regional ITS Architectures and high-level specification of projects.
- SET IT supports systems engineers focused on developing various pre-design documentation. SET-IT was developed to support the CVRIA to create diagram-based project architectures covering the Physical, Enterprise and Communications Viewpoints
If further assistance is required, or for any questions, please email support.
Glossary of Terms
To ensure 1-to-1 mapping of all common Service Packages and supporting elements with ARC-IT, it was necessary to make accommodations, including:
- Use of U.S. Spelling (e.g. ‘center’/'traveler' as opposed ‘centre’/‘traveller’).
- Use of common U.S. nomenclature (e.g. 'HAZMAT' as opposed to hazardous materials)).
- Use of U.S. specific references in element descriptions (e.g. 'State' as opposed to 'Province').
The Glossary of Terms provides examples of many of the above and a mapping to Canadian equivalents.