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Intelligent Vehicle/Highway Systems (IVHS), also known as Road Transport Informatics (RTI) in Europe and by names such as Vehicle Information Communication System (VICS) and Info-Mobility in Japan, are expected to comprise as much as 10 percent of vehicle costs by the year 2000. In view of the global nature of the automobile industry, global IVHS standards are required There are three particularly important areas for standardization: data communication links between vehicle systems and the infrastructure, digital map databases for the on-board navigation and driver information systems, and the driver/machine interface. This paper outlines key IVHS standards requirements and some of the efforts already underway towards their development.

A major impediment to the widespread implementation of Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) is the absence of communications standards, particularly for mobile applications. The Communications Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sponsored a Communications Workshop in June 1990 to address this problem. The Workshop was attended by representatives from all levels of government, consultants, universities and industry from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Working groups were established to address specific issues, including research requirements, international compatibility, commonality and interoperability, content and format, and processes for developing standards. Problem statements generated by the working groups formed the basis for recommended action.

Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (NHS), based on the amalgamation of information technology with automotive and highway technologies, promise to help public authorities improve traffic efficiency and safety, while presenting new business opportunities to many private companies. However, IVHS also present new challenges to the cooperation of public and private sectors in an uncertain new market. Based on a relatively wide range of contacts and discussions with public, private, and academic institutions around the world, the authors try to summarize their observations regarding the organizational responses to IVHS in recent years. Both commonality and differences in these responses are discussed.