Standards are designed to facilitate the integration of system components by providing a predefined and public (open)
interface that vendors/developers can design and build their products around. Ideally, when standards are implemented by different developers
(software or hardware), their products will work together seamlessly. Some simple but ubiquitous examples of standards in action are the 120V
electrical plug, RJ-45 cable connector, and CD-ROM. It is just assumed that you can take one of these items to the appropriate device/receptacle
and it will work.
The USDOT’s Joint Program Office is supporting the development and maintenance of a number of transportation-related
standards as part of the National Intelligent Transportation Systems Architecture framework. These standards are being developed by a number
of organizations and are in a various stages of development and acceptance. Even so, use of standards can greatly assist in the
decision-making process by reducing the ever-present question of component interoperability ("Will this new device from Vendor X work with that
one from Vendor Y?").
An important goal of the LA County IEN system design is adherence to open industry standards. The following standards are used in the IEN: