Interoperability for road pricing schemes
The interoperability of different local schemes is a key factor in the Department's thinking on road pricing.
Where Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC - usually referred to as "tag and beacon") technologies are used, there can be no such interoperability if, say, Scheme A's tag cannot "talk" to Scheme B's beacon. In order to achieve this, different local schemes need to comply with the same air-interface standards.
The Department for Transport explored options for DSRC interoperability through its DIRECTS road charging research project which led, amongst other things, to the publication of an air interface specification referred to as the Open Minimum Interoperability Specification Suite (OMISS). OMISS was, in turn, replaced by an updated specification called the DSRC Charging Application Specification (DCAS). However, both OMISS and DCAS have now been superseded.
The European Committee for Standardisation - CEN - has developed a European Standard for DSRC interoperability and this has been published as a British Standard - BS EN 15509:2007.
Against this background, and in order to achieve DSRC interoperability for road pricing schemes in England and Wales, the Department for Transport proposes that the following air interface requirements should be met:-
- BS EN 15509:2007 (obtainable from the BSI Group [http://www.bsi-global.com/en/Shop/Publication-Detail/?pid=000000000030149383]), plus,
- a draft "top up" specification [PDF1,66KB] illustrating how the various discretionary elements of BS EN 15509:2007 should be exercised for road pricing schemes in England and Wales, alongside with
- explanatory notes [PDF2 49 KB]to give guidance on how EN 15509 and the top up specification are envisaged to be implemented, and,
- a test specification [PDF3 85 KB]for determining whether or not the requirements of BS EN 15509:2007 and the top up specification have been met.
Both the top up and test specifications are published as drafts . They will be refined in consultation with stakeholders through the road pricing Interoperability Forum.
