DIREC Methodology The DiREC vision is for a common framework to support NRAs to provide better engagement with OEMs and service providers, identify clearer responsibilities and liabilities, and include tools to calculate the costs and benefits of providing different levels of support to CAVs. |
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CAV-Ready Framework (CRF) DiREC proposes to establish the CAV-Ready Framework (CRF) that will address eight core subject areas that NRAs must consider in the delivery and management of connected infrastructure to support CAD. These subject areas will define the foundations of the DiREC approach and will allow the CRF to address the digital infrastructure and connectivity aspects of infrastructure adaptation for NRAs, as well as provide the potential to extend to other subject areas. The CRF is built on the premise that CAV-ready transformation will not be achieved by just implementing more/better technologies and operational procedures. Adaptation will also involve aligning organisational objectives, governance, accountability, and legal and regulatory aspects, potentially expanding the mandate of NRAs to become digital road operators, integrated with CAD. |
The inner cycle represents the eight subject areas. The outer layer in the circle above represents the governance framework for the CRF.
The eight core subject areas will be further divided into sub-sets, which in turn break down into individual criteria and indicators to assess CAV-ready maturity, These will measure the position of an NRA, and infrastructure services, in the CAV ecosystem. |
CAV-Ready Maturity Levels (CML) DiREC proposes the use of CAV-Ready Maturity Levels (CML) that could be applied to measure the capacity of an NRA to deliver CAV-ready infrastructure services by combining, for example, their organisational capability, aims for automation, technical requirements to achieve automation and current infrastructure capability (e.g. machine readability). This concept aligns with other existing CAV service models. For example, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) have developed levels for assessing the capacity of vehicle and drivers for automation, and the Infrastructure Support Level for Automated Driving (ISAD) developed by INFRAMIX project addressed the requirements for technical support of CAVs that can be provided by the infrastructure, e.g. digital maps, speed guidance, lane advice. However, in DiREC an overall CAV-Ready maturity level will be a pan-organisational classification that considers not only the operation capacity (e.g. road operations), but also the legal and regulatory frameworks, organisational capacity (e.g. mission), the digital and infrastructure and the services available.
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CAV-Ready Level of service Approach (CLA) DiREC also proposes a CAV-Ready Level of service Approach (CLA) as a self-examination tool for NRAs. This will prioritise focus areas and plan towards desired outcomes via 'how-to' advice. It will also show that NRAs can follow more than one path towards CAV maturity. It will explore the relationship between CAV sophistication, the readiness of the infrastructure to support automation, and other features of the regulatory and physical environment that may contribute to greater safety and efficiency of the strategic road networks.
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