EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report concludes the work undertaken by the Communications Working Group on ITS Communications Needs and Standards. It defines the preferred communications infrastructure and the steps to be taken so that the products and standards used by the infrastructure are available on a timely basis to satisfy the implementation priorities of local and regional transportation agencies. The infrastructure recommended is compatible with the ITS Architecture that has been proposed for National level implementation in the US.

The proposed infrastructure includes recommendations for specific technologies that have been selected to reflect the indigenous Canadian industrial capability. An estimate of the value of the potential ITS market for these technologies is also provided. 

Recommended Infrastructure

The recommended infrastructure is based on the combined use of four major components:

• fixed communications using multi-point distribution radio services or leased wireline services where the latter are currently available at the required roadside locations,
• broadcast services initially using FM sub-carrier technology with subsequent transition to digital audio broadcast as this becomes available,
• dedicated short range communication using the same standards as selected for North America, and
• extended range two-way communications using mobile dispatch radio services currently in service with many of the potential high value users of ITS or public services such as Cellular, PCS and MSS

The common building blocks are the fixed communications and the low cost Dedicated Short Range Communications(DSRC). Together these two communication subsets can provide all of the functionality required for the full suite of ITS applications. Ubiguitous coverage through the use of DSRC however requires an extensive support infrastructure and, in areas outside of the urban core, the additional use of either broadcast, for most private users, or extended range two way communications for business or other high value vehicles, provides near ubiquitous coverage in a more cost effective manner. Neither broadcast nor extended range two way communications can satisfy all of the functionality required by the complete suite of ITS functions and therefore they are complementary to DSRC only in the sense of the broad coverage they provide.

A fifth component for vehicle to vehicle communications will be required in the long term for use with advanced safety systems Technology for this application is not yet defined but should become available as this ITS application matures. It is possible it may be accomplished as an integral feature of the collision avoidance radars expected to be widely implemented on future automobiles.

The resulting infrastructure is designed to enable the seamless operation of US vehicles equipped with ITS in Canada and the seamless operation of Canadian vehicles equipped with ITS in the US. In the short term the level of interoperability achieved may be restricted to the localized coverage provided by privately operated dispatch radio systems. This restriction will be eliminated as ubiquitous digital mobile radio coverage becomes available through one or more of the public services such as Digital Cellular, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Personal Communications Services (PCS) or Extended Service Radio Mobile (ESRM).

Long term interoperability would also be restricted in the event that the US does not implement the same Eureka standard, as currently selected by Canada and most other countries, for future digital audio broadcast services. Use of a different standard for digital audio broadcast would however have repercussions far larger than non interoperability of ITS and it is highly unlikely that Canadian and US broadcasters would implement different standards.

Potential Market

A potential capital equipment market of $106 million has been identified in each of the major metropolitan areas for the communications element of ITS. This market would be for the one time procurement of infrastructure and mobile communications equipment. It does not consider the cost of other infrastructure components, e.g. overhead gantries, power supply, etc., or the implementation rate, operating cost and replacement rate of communications equipment. If packaged with other elements to form a total ITS package, this potential market increases to $292M. There are potentially 7 or 8 such metropolitan areas in Canada where ITS could be implemented. If all were to implement  large scale ITS systems the potential market for communications equipment is approximately $750 million.

The value of the Canadian market is sufficient to justify the development and show casing of Canadian products. This is a necessary step to ensuring that Canadian Industry is competitively positioned to capture its share of the multibillion world wide market identified in the report “Strategy for Developing an ITS Industrial Base in Canada” issued by Delphi Systems Inc.Unfortunately current fiscal conditions, within many of the Provincial and Municipal Administrations responsible for the road infrastructure, place constraints on the ability for short term implementation of large scale ITS projects. However in view of the rapid emergence of ITS in other parts of the world the opportunity to prepare a larger segment of Canadian Industry for participation in the world market must not be lost. This report therefore advocates a six point action plan by which the Federal Government can encourage and prepare the Canadian communications industry so that it is placed to implement the Canadian ITS Communications Infrastructure with Canadian made products as funding for the continued development of the road infrastructure becomes available.

Action Plan

The six steps identified as necessary precursors for the implementation of the ITS communications infrastructure were:

• 1. Obtain widespread concurrence for the priorities and findings of this report.



• 2. Develop suitable tools to allow transportation agencies to optimize the local configuration of the communications infrastructure to match transportation requirements and local topography at the lowest cost.



• 3. Work with industry to establish standards for communications that can be produced at the lowest cost.



• 4. Work with transportation agencies to develop standards reflecting needs of the transportation sector.



• 5. Prepare Canadian industry for the manufacture of ITS products by consolidating and disseminating market, technical data and standards from a government based ITS information desk.



• 6. Define specific spectrum allocations that will be allowed for purposes of ITS communications. With the exception of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) and Vehicle to Vehicle communications it is expected that these allocations will be within existing mobile or fixed service allocations and will not require any additional spectrum. DSRC is currently operated in the frequency band 902 to 920 MHz. This is unsatisfactory for future safety related ITS applications using DSRC or Vehicle to Vehicle communications. The issue as to whether this band can be reserved for ITS applications or whether additional protected spectrum is required in some other band must be resolved. This requires a concentrated effort on behalf of the Federal Government in collaboration with US authorities.