Interoperability - Mirage or Reality?
- What is interoperability?
- Private/public motivation
- Why open architecture?
- Roadblocks to open architecture
- Interoperability coverage
- Review of interoperability models
- Potential in the U.S
What is Interoperability?
From the customers perspective
- One transponder, one account, one application, one contract, various roadways
From the agency perspective
- Technical
- Contractual
- Procedural
Public and Private Motivations
Private
- Recover costs of development
- Maximize profit
- Expand market access
Public
- Ensure free movement of goods and people
- Provide high level of customer service
- Provide equitable access to ETC
Why Open Architecture?
To commoditize the product and create competition to reduce equipment costs
To make it technically possible to have contractual and procedural interoperability
CA Title 21 is the only U.S. technical interoperability definition
Road Blocks to Open Architecture
Vendor specific patents on various technical aspects
Reluctance of the public sector to insist on a technical standard
Refusal to warrant transaction accuracy when all equipment is not provided by the integrator
Lack of national regulation
Interoperability Coverage
Who is the frequent user that travels from one ETC area to another?
- Primarily the long distance freight operator
The geographical area of interoperability can change over time
- E.U. - Germany, Austria - U.S. – IAG, southern and western states
As ETC matures the coverage area expands and intersects with other regional systems
Interoperability Models
Australia – jointly developed documents
Europe – resolving procedural differences
Chile – jointly develop documents
South Africa – developing documentsU.S. – no single standard for technology at 915 MHz perhaps at 5.9 GHz in the future
Interoperability in the U.S.
The wait for 5.9 GHz, VII
Timing and motivations of participants
- Within the next technological cycle?
- Auto manufacturers – a business reason must exist, recurring revenue stream?
- Toll operators – a reason for change out of technology must exist, reduce costs?
National government must be committed enough to regulate
Ubiquity
OBU mandated for each new vehicle manufactured
Dual readers installed on all existing toll lanes for transitioning to 5.9 GHz
All OBUs must be linked to an account for payment
Complete ubiquity is a “yes” response to all three questions
Conclusions
A near ubiquitous tolling environment is possible but will require
A degree of regulation to require conformity nationwide
A business reason for automobile manufacturers to install OBUs
A public purpose reason compelling enough to stimulate reader upgrades and software modifications
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