National Access Points for Intelligent Transport Systems Data: From Conceptualization to Benefits Recognition and Exploitation

TL;DR

This paper explores the development and benefits of National Access Points (NAPs) for data exchange in Intelligent Transport Systems within the EU, emphasizing their role in overcoming data limitations and enhancing ITS deployment.

Contribution

It investigates the role and design methodologies of NAPs in the ITS ecosystem and demonstrates their operational process through an extended use case.

Findings

NAPs facilitate seamless data sharing in ITS

Design methodologies improve NAP effectiveness

Operational benefits include enhanced data availability

Abstract

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) constitute a core representative of a paradigm shift in the transport sector. The extent to which the transport sector has adapted itself to this digital era relies considerably on the availability of suitable and reliable data. Currently, several data-related limitations, such as the scarcity of available datasets, hinder the deployment of ITS services. Such limitations may be overcome with the deployment of properly designed data exchange platforms that enable a seamless life-cycle of data harvesting, processing, and sharing. The European Union recognizing the potential benefits of such platforms has, through the relevant Delegated Regulations, proposed the development of a National Access Point (NAP) by each individual Member State. This paper aims to ascertain the role of a NAP within the ITS ecosystem, to investigate methodologies used in designing such platforms, and, through the drafting of an extended use case, showcase a NAP operational process and associate possible benefits with specific steps of it.