In 1996, the Federal Highway Administration completed a program to develop a national system architecture (NSA) for intelligent-transportation-systems. This report presents recommendations on methodologies by which system architecture can be used to improve the deployment of transportation management projects, with emphasis on multi-jurisdictional projects. The report is part of a larger project addressing the deployment of an ITS system architecture in California. The project as a whole is led by Claremont Graduate School, and is documented in a separate report.

Intermodal transportation entails the coordinated movement of different types of transportation (rail, truck, automobile, etc.) to serve the needs of travelers and shippers. The purpose of this report is to provide a vision for systems to coordinate intermodal operations in California in the future, and also to document the types of systems that are being used today in a range of transportation modes. An intermodal system could, conceivably, establish a center (or centers) that is responsible for the joint operation of multiple modes of transportation. This is not our preferred vision. Instead, we envision that these systems will retain their current organizational and modal identifies in the future. However, systems will be developed to provide interconnections when benefits are significant. Keywords: Transportation Management Centers, Intermodal Transportation, System Architecture, Transportation Systems Management

This report describes possible objectives for a Field Operational Test (FOT), to be conducted following the completion of the National Automated Highway System Consortium (NAHSC) mission in 2002. At that time, it is anticipated that there will be one or more FOTs in which ordinary drivers will use automated vehicles on a real roadway, under test conditions. The report also identifies potential test sites in California, and evaluates the merits of these sites for conducting different types of tests.