This piece was originally published in the December 2018 issue of electroindustry.

Karen Willis, Industry Director, NEMA

With a movement toward systems in NEMA product scopes, a recent working lunch involving the Transportation Management Systems Section and the Lighting Systems Division paved the way for collaborative work projects. Among the topics they discussed were:

• Standards development needs for harmonized communications;
• State, city, and county procurement guidelines for secure roadway lighting; and
• Lighting’s potential role in the autonomous vehicle industry.

They also discussed how they are particularly poised to address safety, which is a core message for intelligent transportation systems.

Participants also agreed that cooperation with other entities, including individual departments of transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C137 on Lighting Systems, and NTCIP, will be required.

The initial brainstorming session exemplifies ways that NEMA can integrate expertise from divergent industries and product fields to address similar issues faced by Member organizations.