API Reference Implementation and Validation Suite

The Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) Standards are intended to provide an open architecture hardware and software platform that can support a wide variety of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications including traffic management, safety, security and other applications. The ATC Standards are being developed and maintained under the direction of the ATC Joint Committee (JC) which is made up of representatives from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

The ATC Application Programming Interface (API) Standard is one of four ATC standards efforts. It defines a software platform that operates on an ATC controller unit (as defined by the ATC Controller Standard). The API software provides management capabilities and functional interfaces for the ATC controller's Front Panel, the controller cabinet's Field Input/Output Devices, and the controller's Time. When combined with the ATC controller's operating sysThe Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) standards program has been developed to meet the current and future needs for transportation field equipment. At the heart of this program are the ATC 5201 Advanced Transportation Controller Standard and the ATC 5401 Application Programming Interface Standard. These standards are characterized as being open architecture, modular, multi-process, multi-application, designed to leverage new technologies, able to operate in legacy transportation field cabinet systems (TFCSs) and to be central to developing new TFCS designs.

ATC 5201 specifies a controller architecture where the computational components reside on a single (5” x 4”) printed circuit board (PCB), called the “Engine Board,” with standardized connectors and pinout. It is made up of a central processing unit (CPU), a Linux operating system (O/S) and device drivers, memory, external and internal interfaces, and other associated hardware necessary to create an embedded transportation computing platform. ATC 5401 defines both user interface facilities and programmatic interfaces for ATC controller units that are not provided through ATC 5201 or the standard Linux O/S. The user interface facilities of ATC 5401 include a windowing system that allows operational users to interact with concurrently operating application programs (which in turn have their own user interfaces) and system-wide configuration management utilities. The programmatic interfaces of ATC 5401 provide C language function definitions that allow software developers to create application programs that share resources of the ATC controller unit including the front panel, field I/O equipment and real-time clock. When used with the Linux O/S and device drivers of the Engine Board, ATC 5401 provides for a software environment that allows application programs to be portable (runs on any ATC manufacturer’s equipment), compatible (will run concurrently with other application programs), and interchangeable (assuming they perform the same function) on a single ATC controller unit.

The ATC 5401 Standard was developed by the API WG a technical subcommittee of the ATC JC. The API WG is made up of technical experts in transportation applications, software development and hardware development from both the public and private sectors (including manufacturers).

The primary objectives of this project are to: a) establish and maintain cohesive project management  and implementation plan; b) develop an API Reference Implementation (APIRI) which is software representative of the ATC 5401 Standard; c) develop an API Validation Suite (APIVS) which is to test software and hardware capable of validating the APIRI on an ATC Engine Board; d) perform integrated testing of the APIRI and APIVS; e) establish an open source software (OSS) environment for the software and documents produced during the project; and f) deliver final versions of the software, test documentation and test results.

Tracking APIRI Progress Through the Project Tasks