The Traffic Open Products and Specifications Group, TOPAS, has taken over administration of specifications surrounding Urban Traffic Management and Control.
UTMC Director Steve George made the announcement at the Transport Technology Forum’s Annual Conference in Leicestershire explaining that the wider industry had recommended the transfer because TOPAS is the principal repository of specifications for traffic systems.
“This reflects the reality that these specifications are now mature and well embedded in both the supplied marketplace and deployed systems,” he said.
Mr George, who leads the TTF’s UTMC Working Group added: “I am now pleased to report that with the formalities done, the transfer of UTMC specifications to TOPAS has been completed, and as a final step, the specifications page on the current UTMC website will be altered to point straight to TOPAS.”
But he added that this does not mean the end of UTMC. “UTMC has often been described as the glue between systems, and this remains the case, but now the glue is focused less on technical interfaces, but on broader objectives that address the functional and operational aspects of integration,” he said. “We aim to do this through the development of current informed guidance on implementation and standards linked to the manual for smart streets. Working with support from LCRIG, our current short term work programme aims to deliver a pilot project in the area of future bus priority requirements, bus connectivity and bus priority benefits.”
“TOPAS has formed a working group working actively on the first of a series specifications, that being system-to-system,” explained TOPAS administrator Kealie Franklin. “We will also shortly publish revamped versions of UTMC frameworks to be consistent with other TOPAS standards. Watch this space!”
The UTMC group is now working on a new set of objectives for the next three-to-five years.
(Picture – TTF)