Roadway (Subsystem*)

The Roadway Subsystem (RS) includes the equipment distributed on and along the roadway that monitors and controls traffic and monitors and manages the roadway itself. Equipment includes traffic detectors, environmental sensors, traffic signals, highway advisory radios, dynamic message signs, CCTV cameras and video image processing systems, grade crossing warning systems, and freeway ramp metering systems. HOV lane management, reversible lane management functions, and barrier systems that control access to transportation infrastructure such as roadways, bridges and tunnels are also supported. This subsystem also provides the capability for environmental monitoring including sensors that measure road conditions, surface weather, and vehicle emissions. In adverse conditions, automated systems can be used to apply anti-icing materials, disperse fog, etc. Work zone systems including work zone surveillance, traffic control, driver warning, and work crew safety systems are also included. To enhance security, safeguard systems such as blast shields, exhaust systems and other automated and remotely controlled systems to protect transportation infrastructure is also provided. In advanced implementations, this subsystem supports automated vehicle safety systems by safely controlling access to and egress from an Automated Highway System through monitoring of, and communications with, AHS vehicles. Intersection collision avoidance functions are provided by determining the probability of a collision in the intersection and sending appropriate warnings and/or control actions to the approaching vehicles.

Subsystem Interfaces Diagram

This is a context diagram for the entity Roadway Subsystem that shows the interfaces to subsystems and every architecture flow that this entity sends or receives, as defined in the National ITS Architecture.  A complete list of  all architecture flows shown on this diagram, is available under the Inputs/Outputs section on this page.
RoadwayTraffic ManagementVehicleMaintenance and Construction ManagementMaintenance and Construction VehicleInformation Service ProviderEmissions ManagementEmergency VehicleArchived Data ManagementTransit Vehicleautomated roadway statusbarrier system statusenvironmental sensor datahov datahri statusintersection blockage notificationlane management informationlighting system statusreversible lane statusright-of-way request notificationroad user protection dataroadway information system statusroadway warning system statussafeguard system statusshort range communications statusshoulder management informationsignal control statussignal fault dataspeed monitoring informationtraffic flowtraffic imagestraffic metering statustraffic probe datavariable speed limit statusautomated roadway control databarrier system controlenvironmental sensors controlhri control datahri requestlane management controllighting system control datareversible lane controlroad user protection device controlroadway information system dataroadway warning system controlsafeguard system controlshoulder management controlsignal control commandssignal control device configurationsignal control planssignal system configurationspeed monitoring controltraffic metering controltraffic sensor controlvariable speed limit controlvehicle signage datavideo surveillance controlaccess permissionautomated vehicle control databroadcast traveler informationemergency traveler informationintersection statusroadway safety datatraffic probe reporting managementvehicle signage dataaccess requestautomated vehicle statusenvironmental probe dataprobe archive datatraffic probe datavehicle diagnostics datavehicle intersection safety datavehicle occupancyvehicle profilevehicle safety databarrier system statusenvironmental probe dataenvironmental sensor datafield device statusinfrastructure monitoring sensor dataroadway information system statusroadway treatment system statusspeed monitoring informationtraffic imageswork zone warning statusbarrier system controlenvironmental sensors controlinfrastructure monitoring sensor controlroadway information system dataroadway treatment system controlspeed monitoring controlvideo surveillance controlwork zone warning device controlbarrier system statusinfrastructure monitoring sensor dataroadway information system statuswork zone warning notificationbarrier system controlenvironmental sensors controlinfrastructure monitoring sensor controlroadway information system dataenvironmental sensor dataenvironmental probe datashort range communications statustraffic probe databroadcast traveler informationemergency traveler informationarea pollution datavehicle emissions dataemissions sensor controlpollution sensor controlbarrier system statusbarrier system controllocal signal preemption requestprobe archive dataroadside archive datadata collection and monitoring controllocal signal priority request
Get the Source Graphic, a Enhanced Windows Metafile (EMF), in ZIP format.

Terminator Interfaces Diagram

This is a context diagram for the entity Roadway Subsystem that shows the interfaces to subsystems and every architecture flow that this entity sends or receives, as defined in the National ITS Architecture.  A complete list of  all architecture flows shown on this diagram, is available under the Inputs/Outputs section on this page.
RoadwayOther RoadwayWayside EquipmentMaintenance and Construction Field PersonnelEnforcement AgencyPedestriansWeather ServiceSurface Transportation Weather ServiceMultimodal CrossingsRoadway EnvironmentBasic VehicleMap Update ProviderTrafficEnvironmentVehicle CharacteristicsDriverPotential Obstaclesroadway equipment coordinationsignal control datahri operational statusintersection blockage notificationarriving train informationtrack statusfield device status presentationwork zone warningcrew movementsfield device status requestspeed monitoring informationtraffic violation notificationspeed monitoring controlcrossing permissioncrossing callnon-vehicular presenceenvironmental probe dataenvironmental sensor dataenvironmental sensors controlenvironmental probe dataenvironmental sensor dataenvironmental sensors controlhighway control statusmultimodal crossing statusenvironmental conditionsbroadcast advisoriestraffic probe datatraffic characteristicspollutant levelsvehicle characteristicsdriver informationphysical presence
Get the Source Graphic, a Windows Metafile (WMF), in ZIP format.

Security Considerations:

The security considerations for the Roadway Subsystem (RS) are directly related to the types of field equipment that are included in a particular implementation. The RS performs a broad range of roadway network monitoring and control services and includes both safety-critical and non-safety critical systems. Safety-critical systems include traffic signal systems, gates and barriers that control facility access, and future systems that may support automated vehicle control systems. Since improper operation of these systems can directly endanger motorists, security services should be established so that these systems operate with very high levels of integrity and availability and system operation degrades in a fail-safe manner. In contrast, the information associated with operation of these systems is not confidential and typically will not need special measures to protect it from disclosure. Surveillance and environmental sensor systems provide information that may be safety critical if this information is used to monitor for incidents or dangerous road conditions. Although malicious tampering is possible, the more likely threats to sensor and surveillance information involve inadvertent loss or corruption of the provided information. Again, availability and integrity are the paramount security objectives. Although the surveillance and sensor data is generally not sensitive to disclosure, confidentially is important when CCTV cameras are zoomed in on a crash and other scenarios where individuals can be identified from the surveillance data. The driver information systems included in the RS, such as dynamic message signs and highway advisory radio, are generally not considered to be safety-critical, but have their own set of security considerations. These systems are perhaps the most likely in the RS to be the target of unauthorized access attempts and must be protected against such attacks by emphasizing security services that enhance integrity. The availability requirements associated with DMS and HAR may increase as these systems are used increasingly in critical services like Amber Alert. Other RS systems, including short range communications equipment, will increasingly warrant attention in the future with the advent of VII-enabled safety critical applications. These applications range from probe surveillance to intersection collision avoidance to weather advisory dissemination. Special security considerations will be needed based on the criticality of the supported applications.

Functionality: Equipment Packages* and PSpecs*

Inputs/Outputs: Architecture Flows* and Data Flows*

Archived Data Management flows into Roadway

Emergency Vehicle flows into Roadway

Emissions Management flows into Roadway

Enforcement Agency flows into Roadway

Environment flows into Roadway

Information Service Provider flows into Roadway

Maintenance and Construction Field Personnel flows into Roadway

Maintenance and Construction Management flows into Roadway

Maintenance and Construction Vehicle flows into Roadway

Multimodal Crossings flows into Roadway

Other Roadway flows into Roadway

Pedestrians flows into Roadway

Potential Obstacles flows into Roadway

Roadway flows into Archived Data Management

Roadway flows into Basic Vehicle

  • broadcast advisories (Architecture Flow*) - General broadcast advisories that are provided over wide-area wireless communications direct to the vehicle radio. These analog advisory messages may provide similar content to ITS broadcast information flows, but include no digital data component. Existing Highway-Advisory Radio (HAR) advisory messages are a prime example of this flow.
    Data Flows*:

Roadway flows into Driver

Roadway flows into Emergency Vehicle

Roadway flows into Emissions Management

Roadway flows into Enforcement Agency

Roadway flows into Information Service Provider

Roadway flows into Maintenance and Construction Field Personnel

Roadway flows into Maintenance and Construction Management

Roadway flows into Maintenance and Construction Vehicle

Roadway flows into Map Update Provider

  • traffic probe data (Architecture Flow*) - Vehicle data that is used to determine traffic conditions. In a basic implementation, the data could be limited to time stamped unique identifiers that can be used to measure a vehicle’s progress through the network. In more advanced implementations, the vehicle may report current position, speed, and heading and snapshots of recent events including route information, starts and stops, speed changes, and other information that can be used to estimate traffic conditions.
    Data Flows*:

Roadway flows into Multimodal Crossings

Roadway flows into Other Roadway

Roadway flows into Pedestrians

Roadway flows into Surface Transportation Weather Service

  • environmental probe data (Architecture Flow*) - Data from vehicle safety and convenience systems that can be used to estimate environmental conditions, including measured air temperature, exterior light status, wiper status, sun sensor status, rain sensor status, traction control status, anti-lock brake status, and other collected vehicle system status and sensor information. The collected data is reported along with the location, heading, and time that the data was collected. Both current data and snapshots of recent events (e.g., traction control or anti-lock brake system activations) may be reported.
    Data Flows*:

  • environmental sensor data (Architecture Flow*) - Current road conditions (e.g., surface temperature, subsurface temperature, moisture, icing, treatment status) and surface weather conditions (e.g., air temperature, wind speed, precipitation, visibility) as measured and reported by fixed and/or mobile environmental sensors. Operational status of the sensors is also included.
    Data Flows*:

Roadway flows into Traffic Management

Roadway flows into Vehicle

Roadway flows into Wayside Equipment

Roadway flows into Weather Service

  • environmental probe data (Architecture Flow*) - Data from vehicle safety and convenience systems that can be used to estimate environmental conditions, including measured air temperature, exterior light status, wiper status, sun sensor status, rain sensor status, traction control status, anti-lock brake status, and other collected vehicle system status and sensor information. The collected data is reported along with the location, heading, and time that the data was collected. Both current data and snapshots of recent events (e.g., traction control or anti-lock brake system activations) may be reported.
    Data Flows*:

  • environmental sensor data (Architecture Flow*) - Current road conditions (e.g., surface temperature, subsurface temperature, moisture, icing, treatment status) and surface weather conditions (e.g., air temperature, wind speed, precipitation, visibility) as measured and reported by fixed and/or mobile environmental sensors. Operational status of the sensors is also included.
    Data Flows*:

Roadway Environment flows into Roadway

Surface Transportation Weather Service flows into Roadway

Traffic flows into Roadway

Traffic Management flows into Roadway

Transit Vehicle flows into Roadway

Vehicle flows into Roadway

Vehicle Characteristics flows into Roadway

Wayside Equipment flows into Roadway

Weather Service flows into Roadway