This is archived web content selected for preservation by The National Archives.
This snapshot was taken on
08/02/2008
.
External links, forms and search boxes may not function within these archived websites.
.

Road Pricing: Air Interface Requirements for Road Pricing where DSRC (Tag & Beacon) systems are used

Print Print page   Download PDF PDF image

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 in October 2006 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  However, both OMISS and DCAS have now been superseded.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:-

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 that the Department intends to launch early in 2008.