[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-7777]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 1, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration

 

Request for Participation in Public Forums for the Development of 
a National Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) Architecture

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation hereby announces its interest 
in public participation in the definition of a national IVHS 
architecture. The architecture will be used to establish standards 
which will guide IVHS deployments and ensure the national compatibility 
of IVHS technology. This notice announces the dates and locations of 
the first series of meetings, scheduled to take place in April and May 
1994. The subsequent series of meetings will be taking place in 
November 1994, June 1995, and May 1996. The intent of these meetings is 
to provide non-technical information on the architecture development 
efforts and receive audience feedback. Because a variety of groups are 
recognized as important to this definition process, the Department is 
interested in participation from a broad range of individuals and 
organizations including, but not limited to, elected officials from 
State and local governments, consumer groups, vehicle manufacturers and 
other private sector entities, transit authorities, toll authorities, 
small businesses, academic institutions, associations, and individual 
citizens.

DATES: The forums are scheduled as follows:
    1. April 21, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Atlanta, Georgia.
    2. April 26, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC.
    3. April 27, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Boston, Massachusetts.
    4. April 28, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., New York, New York.
    5. May 4, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Chicago, Illinois.
    6. May 5, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Kansas City, Missouri.
    7. May 6, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.
    8. May 9, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Denver, Colorado.
    9. May 10, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., San Francisco, California.
    10. May 11, 1994, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Seattle, Washington.

ADDRESSES: The forums will be held at the following locations:
    1. Atlanta--Atlanta Hilton & Towers, 255 Courtland Street, NE., 
Atlanta, Ga. 30303.
    2. Washington--Marriott Crystal City, 1999 Jefferson Davis Hwy., 
Alexandria, Va. 22202.
    3. Boston--Copley Plaza Hotel, 138 St. James Ave., Boston, Mass. 
02116.
    4. New York City--Roosevelt Hotel, 45 East 45th St., New York, N.Y. 
10017.
    5. Chicago--Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 2875 N. Milwaukee 
Ave., Northbrook, Ill. 60062.
    6. Kansas City--Hilton Plaza Airport, 8801 NW 112th St., Kansas 
City, Mo.
    7. Dallas/Fort Worth--Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 S. Main 
St., Grapevine, Tex. 76051.
    8. Denver--Embassy Suites Airport, 4444 N. Havana St., Denver, 
Colo. 80239.
    9. San Francisco--Parc Oakland, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, Cal. 94607.
    10. Seattle--Embassy Suites Hotel, 20610 44th Ave. West, Lynnwood, 
Wash. 98036.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Schagrin, FHWA, HTV-10, 
Washington, DC 20590, (202)366-2180, Fax: (202)366-8712, office hours 
are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except 
for legal Federal holidays; or Mr. Rick Schuman, IVHS AMERICA, 400 
Virginia Avenue, SW., suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20024, (202)484-4847.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The IVHS program is a national initiative to use computer, 
electronics and communications technologies to increase the performance 
of the Nation's surface transportation system. In the future, IVHS 
technologies will be applied to all types of vehicles (trucks, buses, 
and cars), to information devices (computers, kiosks, hand-held 
devices), and to all parts of the surface transportation system 
(freeways, urban arterial roadways, city streets, rural roads, and 
intermodal connections). IVHS technologies will also be used to improve 
safety, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and increase the 
Nation's economic efficiency.
    The objective of the IVHS Architecture Development Program is to 
develop a national IVHS architecture by 1996. Teams headed by Hughes 
Aircraft Co. (Fullerton, CA), LORAL/IBM (Manassas, VA), Rockwell 
International Corp. (Anaheim, CA), and Westinghouse Electric Corp. 
(Baltimore, MD), have been selected by the Department to develop 
alternative system concepts, or ``architectures,'' for the IVHS 
program.
    IVHS represents an unprecedented opportunity to improve the 
effectiveness of our Nation's surface transportation system while at 
the same time helping to mitigate some of the harmful side effects, 
such as vehicle emissions and energy consumption. The Intermodal 
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (Pub. L. 102-24, 105 
Stat. 1914) gives DOT the responsibility of providing the leadership 
and guidance necessary to ensure national IVHS compatibility over the 
long term. The teams listed above will each be exploring different ways 
to achieve this compatibility.
    The architecture development program began on September 15, 1993, 
and will proceed in two phases. Phase I will last until December 1994 
and will result in the definition of multiple system architectures. 
Each of the teams listed above will define a unique architecture that 
will be flexible enough to incorporate new functions and technologies 
as the systems evolve over time. Each architecture will also be able to 
accommodate varying levels of implementation so that public agencies 
and private consumers can acquire only what is important to them. The 
architecture will also provide guidance on integrating or upgrading 
existing systems so as to preserve current investments.
    Those teams that develop the most promising architectures will 
continue into Phase II. Lasting from December 1994 to July 1996, Phase 
II will focus on the detailed evaluation of the remaining 
architectures. Throughout both phases, the teams will have the 
opportunity to refine their architecture as they gain further knowledge 
and insight (through such means as the architecture forums). At the 
conclusion of Phase II in mid-1996, a single architecture will emerge. 
This resulting architecture will be used to establish standards which 
will guide IVHS deployments and ensure national compatibility.
    At each of the meetings announced today, representatives of each of 
the four teams currently involved in developing alternative system 
definitions and deployment scenarios for a national IVHS will discuss 
their architecture in terms of a broad vision as well as what the 
socio-economic implications of each of these alternatives are. In 
return, feedback will be solicited from the audience, which will be 
used to help guide the definition of the architectures as well as 
support the process for selection of a single national architecture.
    Because a variety of groups are recognized as important to this 
definition process, the Department is interested in participation from 
a broad range of individuals and organizations including, but not 
limited to, elected officials from State and local governments, 
consumer groups, vehicle manufacturers and other private sector 
entities, transit authorities, toll authorities, small businesses, 
academic institutions, associations, and individual citizens.
    All meetings in a given series will cover the same material. 
Therefore, it is not necessary for interested parties to attend more 
than one meeting in a series. Although there is no fee to attend these 
meetings, pre-registration for planning purposes is requested.

TO PRE-REGISTER CONTACT: Valerie Cassan of IVHS America at (202) 484-
4847, Fax:(202) 484-3483.

References

    The following references are provided in order to assist those 
individuals desiring further background information on the IVHS 
program. This is not a complete list of IVHS references.
    1. Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems Act of 1991, Pub. L. 102-
240, title VI, part B, 105 Stat. 2189 (December 18, 1991).
    2. Department of Transportation, IVHS Strategic Plan-Report to 
Congress (Publication No. FHWA-SA-93-009, December 1992). Available 
from the FHWA (HTV-10), 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590, (202) 366-2196.
    3. Strategic Plan for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems in the 
United States (May 20, 1992). Available from IVHS AMERICA, 400 
Virginia Ave, SW., suite 800, Washington, DC 20024-2730, (202) 484-
4847.
    4. Video: IVHS Technologies for Transportation. Available from 
the FHWA (HTV-10), 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, 
(202) 366-2196.

(23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48)

    Issued on: March 25, 1994.
Rodney E. Slater,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-7777 Filed 3-31-94; 8:45 am]
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