National Transportation Communications for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Protocol (NTCIP) is a family of standards that provides both the rules for communicating (called protocols) and the vocabulary (called objects) necessary to allow electronic traffic control equipment from different manufacturers to operate with each other as a system.

NTCIP is the first set of standards for the transportation industry that allows traffic control systems to be built using a “mix and match” approach with equipment from different manufacturers. NTCIP standards reduce the need for reliance on specific equipment vendors and customized one-of-a-kind software. NTCIP is part of a larger effort to develop a family of ITS standards.

To assure both manufacturer and user community support, NTCIP is a joint product of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) teamed with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). In 1996, NEMA, ITE, and AASHTO under a contract with what is now the USDOT Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to initiate this effort. NTCIP continues to enjoy support from the U.S Department of Transportation. The original NTCIP Steering Group was reorganized to become the NTCIP Joint Committee.

 

User Comments

User Comment refers to written inquiries that include a comment, question, request for clarification, or proposed revision concerning a specific NTCIP standard or other document. User comments may reference any part of an NTCIP standard or document’s content.

 

To submit a User Comment, email: your name and organization; the identity of the NTCIP standard or document (with version number, and the section to which your input applies); and your question or comment (as well as any suggested alternate language) to: ntcip@nema.org

 

 

Additional Resources

• U.S. DOT ITS Standards Program
• Natl Transp Operations Coalition (NTOC) and Tech Forum
• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Traffic Incident Management Committee
• ITE TMC Committee
• APTA TCIP
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer’s (IEEE)
• Society of Automotive Engineer’s (SAE)

 

Request Permission to Reprint NTCIP Standards

The NTCIP documents are all copyrighted by AASHTO, ITE, and NEMA.

Certain parts of the NTCIP and TCIP standards can be modified, reproduced, and distributed, such as the MIB or data dictionary, by following the instructions in the MIB DISTRIBUTION NOTICE in the front of some documents.

Other parts of the NTCIP profiles, such as the Profiles Requirements List, can be modified, copied, and distributed by again following the instructions in the PRL REPRODUCTION NOTICE in the front of some documents.

However, to excerpt and reproduce the other content in the NTCIP standards and reports, permission must be requested from either AASHTO, ITE, or NEMA. NEMA grants conditional permission to reprint standards or portions of standards under certain limited conditions, such as to textbook authors, educators, and trainers.

To request permission, send a request, including: your name, your organization name, your email and phone, as well as the NTCIP document (including version number), and section(s) you wish to reprint to: ntcip@nema.org