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Background
Strategically situated in the National Capital Region, VDOT's Northern Virginia (NoVA) District is a burgeoning, vibrant area of international importance. Its robust economy and desirable communities create unique opportunities and challenges for agencies operating and maintaining the region's transportation system.
To address these challenges, VDOT utilizes Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), under an integrated and intermodal program called the NoVA Smart Travel Program. The success of this program hinges on the ability of VDOT and the myriad county and local transportation, emergency response and enforcement agencies to cooperate, communicate, and exchange information. To maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of this program, the NoVA ITS Architecture was developed which details the interconnection of VDOT facilities and stakeholders, and describes the flow of information between these agencies and VDOT NoVA operations. Through the ITS architecture, the owners or stakeholders of each system can see what information is available in the region from other systems and they can plan how future systems might be implemented to better manage transportation, inform travelers and operate more efficiently. "Cookie cutter" approaches cannot adequately address transportation needs in an area like Northern Virginia. To truly meet the needs of the region, the NoVA-Centric ITS Architecture had to be both strategic and unique. The Architecture's strategic nature is evidenced in how it meshes with Architecture efforts in Maryland and the Washington Metropolitan area, in the significant participation of stakeholders other than VDOT, and through VDOT's role as a "champion" driving the process to successful completion.
The VDOT NoVA-championed Architecture process includes detailed elements that were defined through a robust Stakeholder Outreach program; and a Program Plan that includes a detailed Operating Concept and a Strategic Plan that guides implementation of the architecture. Finally, unique to the VDOT NoVA-Centric Architecture is the development of a planning process and a project development process for how the Architecture will actually be used to program and implement projects. In 2006, an User Guide and Checklist were developed to further assist project managers develop ITS projects that follow System Engineering process, complies with NoVA Architecture, and conforms to the federal Rule 940.
For a more detailed look at the NoVA ITS Architecture, please explore our web site. It contains a listing of stakeholders, a systems inventory, system interconnections and information flows, and applicable standards that will support the information exchanges. All this information is provided in a hyperlinked format, making it easy to comprehend the relationships of the systems in this complex District. As of July 2006, VDOT re-organized the operations boundary and the NoVA District was expanded to cover counties from part of Fredericksburg and Culpeper District and became the Northern Region Operations. This architecture will soon be expanded to the new Northern Region in 2006 & 2007.
The result of this effort is a "living" Architecture that meets current needs, flexibly responds to a dynamic transportation system, and provides framework for future planning and integration. The NoVA ITS Architecture is the prototype Regional Architecture for all of Virginia, and offers a successful model for the entire nation.