Leveraging FRAME Methodology for EU-Wide Harmonization of National Access Points

The FRAME (FRamework Architecture Made for Europe) methodology enables consistent deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) services across various transport domains, cities and networks in Europe. This paper details the development and enhancement of a comprehensive National Access Point Reference Architecture (NRA) using the FRAME methodology. The reference architecture serves as a blueprint for new NAP implementations and identifies standards for existing NAPs, fostering secure and private data exchange, trust, and interoperability. The NRA, developed in the NAPCORE project, in the dedicated task led and contributed to by the authors of this paper, consist of motivational, functional, physical, organizational, and communication views created in the Enterprise Architect software. The NRA defines the architecture for two NAP types, significantly improves each view by addressing earlier limitations and by adding new features such as definition of interfaces and related standards, broader definition of agreements between actors. Additionally, the paper discusses the challenges encountered during the development process and underscores the significance of common terminology and harmonized interfaces in enhancing NAP utilization across Europe.