1.3  Scope and pillars of harmonisation and interoperability in this handbook

The intention of the ITS Service Deployment Reference Handbook is not to deal with the detailed specification of ITS Services to suit the requirements for tendering of systems through, for instance, suggesting a common European-wide system architecture for ITS services.

Instead it seeks to facilitate the adjustment to existing specifications and best practice in four areas where European added value can be achieved for four user groups. These areas are:

• Interoperability in terms of functional and organisational requirements and the use of standards to harmonise cooperation and collaboration between different road operators and other third parties involved in the deployment and operation of an ITS Core service
• Information provision and acquisition on national access points and C-ITS interfaces
• Common Look & Feel to present ITS Core services to the end user in a harmonized European way
• European-wide accepted assessment criteria to offer assessment against the background of harmonized level of service and operational environment criteria.

The four different user groups where the above will generate European added value benefits are depicted as four main pillars in Figure 5.