How does the regional ITS architecture relate to the transportation planning process?
The development of the regional ITS architecture is not meant to compete with the formal transportation planning process. They must work together to provide the best “plan” for the region. Key ITS projects and initiatives are targeted early in the planning process in order to facilitate more effective integration with other projects in the region. For instance, the architecture can support and help define the goals and objectives of a Long Range Transportation Plan since it provides a vision of ITS in the future as seen by the stakeholders. Operational concepts, market packages, and agency/subsystem interfaces can all provide more clarity to the Long Range Transportation Plan components for better scoping and allocating costs. In the case of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the application of regional architecture products can generate more accurate cost estimates for projects in the TIP, a better understanding of the agencies involved in each project, and synergies among
