With an extensive road network and a two-lane equivalent length covering a little over one million kilometers, Canada places 7th in the world in terms of size. Canadian road authorities face a number of unique challenges due to factors including the country’s vast and varying geography and sometimes harsh climate, the high degree of urbanization, and the significant rate of cross border trade with the U.S. Other challenges are similar to that of many modern economies around the world, such as the increased demand for more efficient and expansive transportation systems, as a result of traffic and population growth.
To begin responding to such challenges, Canadian road authorities have employed and adopted robust Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), Operational Technologies (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) to provide improved safety and efficiency to road users. These are collectively referred to
as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Today’s road transportation system is a combinat