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 system, the API software provides a universal interface for application programs to operate on any ATC controller unit regardless of the manufacturer. In addition, it allows multiple application programs to be interoperable on a single ATC controller unit by sharing the controller's fixed resources.

The ATC API Standard has been prepared by the ATC API Working Group (WG), a technical subcommittee of the ATC JC. It establishes a common understanding of the user needs, requirements, and specification of the interface for:

1. The local, state, and federal transportation agencies who specify ATC equipment;
2. The software developers, consultants, and manufacturers who develop application programs for ATC equipment; and
3. The public who benefits in the application programs that run on ATC equipment and directly or indirectly pays for these products.

Other standards within the ATC program include the ATC/2070 Standard, the ATC Controller Standard, and the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Cabinet Standard.

Version History Table

Tracking ATC API v02.06b by the SDO Process
(For complete details on the steps of the Standards Development Process please see: www.ite.org/standards/ITEStandardDevProcess.pdf)

Tracking ATC API v02.06b by the Project Plan