A new momentum has been created for the development of International Standards for the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) sector by a recently concluded ISO conference.
"The conference, 'Intelligent Transport Systems - The Road to Future Standards', provided the perfect opportunity to exchange experiences and share visions for the future of ITS standardization," said Guido Gürtler, the European Co-Chair of the Industry Cooperation on Standards and Conformity Assessment (ICSCA).
Some 80 experts from private sector corporations such as Motorola, Siemens, and General Motors and, from the public sector, representatives of governmental organizations such as the United States Department of Transportation, the European Commission, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) helped bring out some of the common objectives as well as differing perspectives underlying ITS standards efforts in the US, Europe, and Japan.
Through a discussion of key industries such as automotive manufacturers, electronics, telecommunications, and navigational services, speakers at the conference expressed the ever-growing need for the development of International Standards for the ITS industry.
"Industry delegates confirmed the importance of the development of ISO standards as the most effective way to achieve wider global markets for its products," said Martin Rowell, chairman of ISO/TC 204, Transport information and control systems. "The conference provided important pointers and stepping stones towards meeting the increased ISO focus on market and consumer-driven activities within the ITS sector."
While acknowledging the challenges of developing International Standards for the ITS sector - among them the sector's range of national, regional and de facto industry standards as well as the short ITS product life-cycle - conference participants confirmed that harmonizing current standards and developing new industry International Standards could provide ITS with that compatibility and interoperability vital for the creation and continuance of compatible technologies worldwide.
"ISO could act as the driver for the ITS standardization process in view to creating consensus between the public, enterprises and administrations. Driving this process is a difficult task and a body like ISO is suited to take the initiative to move the process and maintain the speed on the process," said Dr. Gerd Teepe, Head of Motorola Automotive Systems Architecture Laboratory. "However, ISO needs to find an effective way to make adequate representation of parties possible and thus increase its acceptance and leadership in standards creation."
Among the recommendations to emerge from the debate were standardization priorities for the ITS sector and calls for closer cooperation between the leading standardization organizations. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) were encouraged to take new and more efficient routes in interdisciplinary and cross-organizational work. In order to respond to ITS market requirements, conference participants also recommended modifying voting procedures and simplifying and speeding up the standards development process.
ISO is inviting members of the public and special interest groups to review the ISO/TC 204 business plan to help ensure the broadest possible input into the technical committee's standardization work. ISO/TC 204 will incorporate all proposals generated from the conference in its business plan to make sure that their work is fully aligned with ITS market requirements. It is envisaged the ISO/TC 204 business plan, along with the ITS Industry Forum, will provide the route forward for future standardization work for the ITS sector.
ISO, in collaboration with IEC and ITU, organized the one-day conference as part of the organization's sector initiatives aimed at improving the interface between the standards needed by the ITS sector and ISO's standards development work programme.
More information on the results of the conference and ISO's collaboration with the ITS industry can be found on ISO Online, http://www.iso.org, at "Industry Forums", while access to the ISO/TC 204 business plan can also be found on ISO Online at "Business plans for public review".
