TN-ITS

TN-ITS is concerned with the exchange of information on changes in static road attributes. Static meaning that the attributes are of a more or less permanent nature, even though they may sometimes change such as speed limits.The focus is in general on road attributes based on regulations, but may extend to other road and transport related features. It is important that digital maps for ITS are highly up to date for attributes that are critical in terms of safety and efficiency. The map providers cannot easily keep their maps up to date for such attributes, while up-to-date maps are a key asset for ITS applications. The solution is to retrieve the information on changes from the road authorities. As they create the changes, they are the most efficient and immediate source for such information. This requires digital storage and maintenance on the side of road authorities, and some kind of flagging of changes. With governments going more and more digital, systems for such digital storage and maintenance are increasingly available. However, with a multitude of solutions that are different in terms of GIS and data models applied. Therefore a common exchange format is needed, enabling creation of plugins to existing (legacy) systems for extraction of information on changes in road attributes. Immediate updates from authorities to map makers only make sense if the second half of data chain from map makers to end user devices will also be in place. The good news is that substantial progress on incremental updating to the end user is being reported by the map makers.