Finding the right balance between emerging technology trends, cost, and product life cycles is key to the overall success of any intelligent transportation systems (ITS) deployment. No matter the implementation or requirements of the design, it is imperative to insist on adherence to industry standards, from the low-level communication protocols through the application software interfaces.

Because standards occasionally leave implementation details up to the manufacturers, and resulting cross-vendor systems may not be fully interoperable, it is important to verify adherence to standards and true product interoperability. Failure to verify adherence and product interoperability could lead to commitment to sole source procurements or to expensive upgrades, which could stifle the coverage area growth of the ITS network by tying up limited monetary resources.

In addition, product datasheets and brochures may claim resistance to temperature extremes and resilience to shock, but actual product performance may differ. It is imperative that any component designed for industrial environments be evaluated for performance under expected deployment conditions.

Advanced Communication Research and Development

	Equipment undergoing performance testing in various temperature and humidity conditions similar to those found in ITS communication cabinets along the roadside

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) engineers have investigated, designed, and integrated communication technologies for commercial, transportation, and military applications which have included applicable ITS technologies such as:

• SONET, ATM, MPLS, GMPLS, and Ethernet infrastructures

• Digital video codecs (MJPEG, MPEG-1, -2, -4, etc.)

• TDM multiplexing equipment

• CCTV subsystems

• ITS field equipment

• Wave Division Multiplexer (WDM)

• Wireless Ethernet

• Signaling System 7 and VoIP

• Internet2

• Optical packet switching

Technology Assessment Services

SwRI has the experience and resources to help guide the client's technology assessment and assist with planning the infrastructure design. Services offered include:

• Product performance evaluation

• Infrastructure stress testing

• High and low temperature testing

• Vibration analysis

• EMC certification

• NEBS certification

• Equipment interoperability testing

• Obsolete equipment replacement

• Requirements definition

• Specification development

• Equipment installation and integration

What We Offer

As a member of the client's design team, SwRI offers the following benefits:

• Vendor/technology-independent laboratory

• Extensive ITS experience

• Integrated software and hardware teams

• Experienced communications engineers and scientists

• Professional project management

• Commitment to excellence

For more information about our interoperability evaluation, performance verification, and specification development capabilities, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Ryan D. Lamm at rlamm@swri.org or (210) 522-5350.