Overview
ISO 21217:2020 - Intelligent transport systems: Station and communication architecture defines a reference communications architecture for ITS station units (ITS‑SUs) used in cooperative intelligent transport systems (C‑ITS). The standard describes an abstract, OSI‑like layered architecture (access, networking & transport, facilities, plus applications) and specifies the minimum normative requirements for a physical instantiation of an ITS station within a bounded secured managed domain. ISO 21217 supports hybrid communications (multiple access technologies and protocols), peer‑to‑peer modes, distributed implementations, and security and management entities needed for interoperable C‑ITS deployments.
Key topics and technical requirements
- ITS station reference architecture: an abstract model mapping ITS functions into the ITS‑S access layer, networking & transport layer, facilities layer and applications.
- Access technologies & hybrid communications: integration of multiple radio/access technologies to meet diverse requirements (range, bandwidth, latency, QoS).
- Networking and transport: protocols and data flows that enable localized, networked and peer‑to‑peer communications between ITS nodes.
- Facilities layer and ITS services: shared services and data models used by ITS applications for safety, traffic management, telematics and infotainment.
- Management entity: station and communications management, including prioritized resource allocation and receive‑path prioritization.
- Security entity & requirements: authentication of broadcast information, secure session establishment and maintenance, and secure allocation of prioritized resources.
- Distributed implementations: support for splitting ITS‑SU functionality across multiple physical communication units (ITS‑SCUs), possibly geographically distributed.
- Minimum physical instantiation requirements: baseline normative items to ensure secure and interoperable deployments.
Applications and who uses this standard
ISO 21217 is targeted at organizations designing, implementing or operating C‑ITS systems, including:
- Vehicle manufacturers and OEM suppliers (vehicle ITS stations)
- Roadside infrastructure vendors (roadside ITS stations)
- Traffic management and control centers (central ITS stations)
- Telecom operators, system integrators and cloud/edge service providers
- Device and software developers building ITS applications and APIs
- Test labs, certification bodies and standards developers (ISO/TC 204)
Practical uses include designing secure ITS station software stacks, integrating heterogeneous access technologies, specifying communication interfaces for safety‑critical services, and guiding deployments of distributed ITS infrastructures.
Related standards
ISO 21217 is part of a family of C‑ITS deliverables. Related work specifies:
- ITS station management
- ITS communication and application security
- Facilities layer protocols
- Networking and transport protocols
- Communication interfaces for ITS services
- Integration of access technologies and distributed station implementations
(See also ISO 14813‑1 for ITS service domain context.)
Keywords: ISO 21217, ITS station, intelligent transport systems, C‑ITS, station architecture, ITS‑SU, hybrid communications, ITS security, networking and transport.