MD ITS Architecture Overview
This website provides online access to the Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture. The website allows users to search for various information regarding the Architecture, as well as determine the conformity of ITS projects with the Architecture. For a guide to using the website and its various features, click here.
The Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture is fully developed in a document available by clicking here.This document presents the 2009 update of the Statewide Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture for the State of Maryland. It identifies existing and planned ITS projects across the state and the Architecture "Elements" associated with those projects. It defines the relationships among the Elements and describes the flow of information between Elements. The document also presents an ITS "operational concept" and identifies key ITS stakeholders and agreements.
Georgraphic Coverage of the Architecture
History of the Architecture
Development of the Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture began in 1999. Through a plethora of inputs from stakeholders agencies, and corresponding outreach activitites, the 2001 Baseline ITS Architecture was developed. The Baseline Architecture has been subsequently used to plan specific center-tocenter interfaces, such as between CHART and Montgomery County's Advanced Tranportation Management System. It has alos been used to assess project-level conformity for such initiatives as the Maryland State Police Mobile Command Bus.
The first published version of the Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture was organized, generated, and assembled, in 2005, by Telvent Farradyne for MDSHA with support from UMD-CATT and FHWA. The version found on this website is the update to the 2005 document, and was completed in December of 2009.
About ITS and Architecture
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) refer to technologies and operational enhancements that work together to deliver state-of-the-art transportation services. Examples of ITS technologies include:
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An ITS Architecture is the framework that identifies the ITS subsystems and defines the interconnections and informational flows among the subsystems.
A Statewide ITS Architecture refers to a specific architectural framework that shares common ITS systems, institutions, needs, and interests across a single, interlinked geographic area, in this case the State of Maryland. The Maryland Statewide ITS Architecture also serves as the Regional ITS Architecture for the state for purposes of meeting federal requirements.
Geographic Coverage of the Architecture
The Architecture encompasses the state of Maryland in its entirety, as well as relationships within Maryland and between adjacent states. Maryland is bordered by Washington DC, Virginia, and West Virginia to the south, Pennsylvania to the north and Delaware to the east. The state consists of 23 counties and Baltimore City. Maryland has two major metropolitan areas: Baltimore and the outlying regions of Washington, D.C., in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
Architecture Benefits
Developing, maintaining, and utilizing a Statewide ITS Architecture offers a range of significant benefits. These benefits include the following:
A Statewide ITS Architecture enables planning and deployment to occur in an organized and coordinated manner. It offers a framework for systematically identifying and evaluating prospective solutions to the transportation problems in the State. It establishes an environment for inter-agency cooperation and coordination. Stakeholders across the Maryland may use the Architecture to plan their ITS projects to support statewide goals and priorities. Utilization of the Architecture also helps to ensure consistency among state, regional, and local planning processes.
A Statewide ITS Architecture promotes interoperability. The Architecture reveals to stakeholders the key interrelationships presently established in the State and those planned for the future. These interrelationship requirements identify those areas where operational or technology bridges to multiple agencies are needed. For example, Maryland's 2001 Baseline ITS Architecture was instrumental in planning the center-to-center interfaces between CHART and Montgomery County's Advanced Transportation Management System. In this way, the Architecture helps to anticipate and plan for the integration requirements between various agencies and systems.
A Statewide ITS Architecture encourages efficient investment. As prospective new ITS projects are identified, they can be documented in the Statewide ITS Architecture and their interrelationships with existing and planned components assessed. This will provide stakeholders with a basis for prioritizing ITS projects and making sound investment choices, by both avoiding dead-end projects and investing in projects capable of addressing multiple needs.