Border Information Flow Architecture
At the Transportation Border Working Group
(TBWG) meeting in June, 2003, it was recognized that there has been a proliferation in the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and other technology on the approaches to both sides of the Canada - U.S. border,
and that there has been a lack of coordination among the various agencies in terms of the types of
technologies being installed.
The Technology sub-committee identified the need for a “process for
institutional cooperation and coordination to ensure that decision-making related to the selection of technologies by individual agencies will result in
interoperability”. The development of a Border Information Flow Architecture could help guide a
deliberate effort to ensure the systems deployed at the border are able to interact with each other.
An architecture describes interactions among physical components of the transportation system including travellers,
vehicles, sensors, databases, and control centres. It also describes the information and communications system requirements, how data could be shared and
used, and the standards required to facilitate information sharing.
The Border Information Flow Architecture Working Group (BIFAWG) was created in January 2004, consisting of
representatives of federal, provincial, and state governments and regional planning authorities. It is
co-chaired by Transport Canada and the United States Federal Highways Administration. A Steering
Committee has been established with membership including:
- Transport Canada
- Federal
Highways Administration (FHWA)
- Canada
Border Services Agency (CBSA)
- U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Ontario
Ministry of Transportation (MTO)
- Ministère
des Transports du Québec (MTQ)
- New
York State DOT
- Whatcom
County Council of Governments
The working group meets in person in conjunction with the semi-annual TBWG meetings, and meets bi-monthly by
teleconference. The group is holding workshops in early 2005 to develop the architecture.
Further information is available on the BIFA website.
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