The expanding use of digital communications among subsystems of the transportation infrastructure has spawned the development of message sets for the communications between these subsystems. A format for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) message sets, including common terms (e.g., object identifier), as well as attributes necessary to document ITS data messages, is addressed in this standard.

Research, compile and consolidate information leading to the publication of a standard for a template for message sets for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The template will provide an overall syntax and structure for ITS message sets.

The global interest in interoperability of communication systems in the transportation infrastructure, e.g. vehicles, management centers, and roadside systems has prompted the ITS user community to seek a standard template for message sets. The users of the standard will be the developers of message sets for intelligent transportation systems. The benefit will be the interoperability of systems developed using these message sets.