●Research Trends and Results

Establishment of the environment for technicalmeasures for the operation of ITS Spot services
KANAZAWA Fumihiko, Head
SAWA Jumpei, Senior Researcher
OKADA Hiroichiro, Researcher
MAEDA Takeyori, Guest Researcher
Research Center for Advanced Information Technology, Intelligent Transport System Division(Key Words) ITS Spot, operating technique study working group
1. Introduction
ITS Spot services were launched nationwide inMarch 2011. About 1,600 ITS Spots are installed,
mainly on expressways, providing wide area roadtraffic information and safety driving assist and otherservices. It is expected that compatible OBUs (OnBoard Units) will be installed in about 10 million
vehicles during the next five years.
The ITS Division of the NILIM has established theOperating Technique Working Group to ensure thesmooth operation of ITS Spot services. Specializing intechnical aspects of the operation of ITS Spots, itclarifies challenges etc. and solves various problems.
Besides that, the Division built a test course at theNILIM, and technically makes the causes obvious andevaluates the effects of countermeasures. Its members
include the ITS Program and Policy Office of theRoad Bureau, Regional Development Bureaus, andhighway companies, plus private sector OBU makers,and RSU (Road Side Unit) makers, and it has been
held about every three months since June 2010. This
paper reports the studies at the Operating Technique
Working Group.
2. Technical measures
In 2010, to start nationwide services at the end ofthe year, it studied methods to conduct connection
tests, harmonizing technical standards and services.
In 2011, after the start of nationwide services, it
took various measures for errors and problems whichappeared immediately after the startup. The importantmeasures are reported as below.
(i)Countermeasures against defects whichappeared after the launch
Highway companies and Regional Development
Bureaus reported results and problems withinteroperability among various RSU and OBU makers
at the working group in April 2011. Many of themwere kinds of errors fixed separately, such as“inability to make communications” or “failure tooutput voice information” in some combinations ofRSUs and OBUs due to the combination of different
makers. Especially in the case of RSU, which
frequently cause errors or other problems, OBUs

specially designed to check and analyze were used torecord data-log and clarified. The initial problems
were almost all resolved by these activities.
(ii) Arrangement of standards for maintenance ofITS Spot equipment
The working group defined the inspection items andinspection cycle needed for each type of equipment. It
has set inspection standards not only for ITS Spots,
but for servers and other center side equipment.
(iii) Building the NILIM Test Course
The test environment on the testing track at theNILIM was built in order to provide an actual
environment which enables us to take measures forerrors caused by combinations of RSU and OBU madeby different makers, and to perform interoperability
tests when new functions are added or software isupgraded.
Roadside equipment made by six makers operating
on expressways was installed on the test course, sothat test vehicles equipped with OBUs can be testedon the test course. It has the following beneficial
characteristics.
・ Two-way communication testing between
equipment from all makers can be done.
・ An actual environment can be reproduced(traveling speed, communication with multiplevehicles, etc.)
・ Testing can be done efficiently and rapidly.
The installation of RSU was completed inNovember 2011, and the working group members
performed tests in order to technically evaluate causesof problems and countermeasures.
3. Summary
The establishment of the Operating Technique
Working Group and the building of the test course
have created an environment allowing measurement oftechnical problems rapidly with ITS Spots. In thefuture, the working group will aim to improve thereliability of the system, operate it smoothly, deploy
ITS Spot services, and contribute to safe, comfortable,and eco-friendly road traffic.