Overview
ISO 17573-2:2025, "Electronic fee collection - System architecture for vehicle related tolling - Part 2: Vocabulary," is an international standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This document establishes a comprehensive vocabulary for electronic fee collection (EFC), focusing specifically on terminology used within the field of vehicle-related tolling systems. Targeted primarily at stakeholders, standard developers, system architects, and organizations involved in EFC, this standard fosters a unified language to support clarity and consistency across EFC documentation, interoperability initiatives, and system implementations.
By harmonizing EFC terms, ISO 17573-2:2025 helps minimize misunderstandings among industry partners and ensures that global EFC solutions can reference a common terminology. The vocabulary is particularly valuable for specifications, technical guides, contract documentation, and stakeholder communications.
Key Topics
The standard covers a broad spectrum of vocabulary relevant to EFC, including:
- Fundamental EFC Concepts: Definitions of tolling, charging errors, fee collection methods, and tolling schemes.
- System Architecture Elements: Key terms related to on-board equipment (OBE), roadside equipment (RSE), front-end and back-end systems, and system assurance requirements.
- Data and Security: Terms for data integrity, confidentiality, authentication, digital signatures, and protection of personal information.
- Testing and Conformance: Definitions involving acceptance testing, conformance testing, and evaluation assurance levels.
- Accountability and Compliance: Descriptions of actions like auditing, enforcement, and verification processes.
- Deprecated and Current Terminology: The vocabulary notes deprecated terms, encouraging best practices and modern language use.
The vocabulary intentionally excludes terms primarily related to intelligent transport systems (ITS), common payment systems, or the broader finance sector, focusing strictly on terminology central to electronic fee collection.
Applications
Implementing ISO 17573-2:2025 delivers practical benefits across multiple domains, including:
- Technical Documentation Development: Ensures consistency in user manuals, system requirements, and interface descriptions used in EFC systems.
- Vendor and Stakeholder Communication: Offers all parties a unified set of terms, reducing risk of misinterpretation and supporting efficient project collaboration.
- Interoperability Initiatives: Facilitates cross-border and multi-provider interoperability in tolling by providing mutually understood definitions, especially important in European and global toll networks.
- Procurement and Regulation: Helps authorities, government agencies, and operators set precise expectations for suppliers and partners by referencing a recognized vocabulary.
- Conformance and Testing: Standardizes the language used in conformance testing, system certification, and validation processes, streamlining audits and compliance efforts.
- Ongoing System Maintenance and Training: Serves as a reference for onboarding personnel, updating legacy documentation, and training staff on EFC system operation.
Related Standards
ISO 17573-2:2025 is an integral part of a broader family of standards supporting electronic fee collection and system architecture, including:
- ISO 17573-1: Provides the overall reference model for EFC system architecture.
- ISO 17573-3: Contains a data dictionary of ASN.1 data types and associated semantics for EFC.
- ISO 704 / ISO 1087: Guidelines for the creation and use of standardized terminology, referenced as the methodological basis for this vocabulary.
Additional relevant standards can be found by consulting the ISO and CEN technical committees (ISO/TC 204, CEN/TC 278) which oversee intelligent transport systems and related vocabulary developments.
For the latest developments and access to terminology resources, visit the ISO Online Browsing Platform.
Keywords: ISO 17573-2, electronic fee collection vocabulary, system architecture, EFC terminology, vehicle tolling standards, EFC interoperability, ITS, on-board equipment, roadside equipment, EFC compliance.