Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) include a broad range of diverse technologies being used to solve many transportation challenges. Some of these technologies include information processing, communications, electronics, and traffic control. Through integration and cooperation, these technologies will help make our transportation systems safer and more efficient.
Our transportation systems suffer from ever increasing demands. We will have to travel smarter. Traffic accidents and congestion take heavy tolls in lives, lost productivity, and wasted resources. Integrating ITS technologies into our transportation systems will enable people and goods to move efficiently and safely through those transportation systems.
The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) recognizes that, in the future, all Regional ITS Architectures and ITS projects using federal transportation funds will have to conform to United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)-sponsored National ITS Architecture. USDOT is developing National ITS Standards through cooperative agreements with five Standards Development Organizations (SDO) and several other interested groups. To ensure compatibility with National ITS Architecture Standards among locally planned ITS technologies, the Des Moines Area MPO is coordinating development of a nationally compliant, Regional ITS Architecture on behalf of its many regional stakeholders.
The FHWA, Iowa Division, Ames, the FHWA's Midwestern Resource Center, Chicago, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Iowa DOT's Interstate 235 reconstruction project consultant team have been instrumental in assisting the Des Moines Area MPO staff in hosting Tier I and Tier II ITS Regional Architecture Development Workshops. The Des Moines Area MPO hosted the Tier I Workshop at the Des Moines Botanical Center on August 30, 2001. Thirty transportation professionals and stakeholders attended the workshop, representing Iowa DOT, FHWA, law enforcement, emergency management services, railroads, freight shipping, Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, Des Moines International Airport, local public works departments, and the Interstate 235 reconstruction project consultants. FHWA's ITS consultant, Iteris, Inc., traveled from California and FHWA's Midwestern Resource Center staff traveled from Chicago to lead the August 30 workshop. The workshop provided an excellent beginning for developing the needed Regional ITS Architecture for this metropolitan area and for this region, thanks to the many stakeholders participating.
After the August 2001 Tier I workshop, Iteris provided the Des Moines Area MPO staff with the inventory of existing and planned technologies in the region. This Tier I inventory served as the foundation for developing a coordinated and a comprehensive Regional ITS Architecture for this region.
The Des Moines Area MPO hosted the Tier II Architecture Workshop on December 11 - 13, 2001, at the Des Moines Botanical Center. The two and one half-day event represents when the Des Moines metropolitan area really began the Regional ITS Architecture planning process. The Tier II workshop helped the stakeholder participants develop a preliminary Regional ITS Architecture for the Des Moines metropolitan area and for the region, based on the Tier I workshop-developed inventory.
Following the December 2001 Tier II workshop, the Des Moines Area MPO staff has worked with the regional stakeholders to complete the initial Draft Regional ITS Architecture for the Des Moines metropolitan area. On December 10th, 2002, the Des Moines Area MPO hosted a ITS Architecture Workshop to review the Draft Regional ITS Architecture for the Des Moines metropolitan area. The stakeholders present at the meeting offered comments that have been in the Regional ITS Architecture. The Des Moines Area MPO staff also followed up with all of the regional stakeholders following the workshop to collect additional information to be included in the Regional ITS Architecture.
This report, containing a description of the Des Moines Area's Regional ITS Architecture, represents that accomplishment. The Des Moines Area MPO staff is maintaining this architecture using Turbo Architecture database software.
Some parts of this report require the use of Adobe Acrobat that can be downloaded free from www.adobe.com