The Global Challenge of Intelligent Vehicle/Highway Systems (IVHS) Standards

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.