A Nordic Approach to Roadside Equipment

RSMP is an open and modern protocol for communication between traffic lights, road side equipment and central monitoring and traffic management systems.

RSMP is maintained by the RSMP Nordic partnership of Nordic road authorities and has no license fees. It’s supported by open-source tools for development and validation.

Because RSMP is open and vendor-neutral protocol, road authortities are free to mix equipment and systems from different suppliers.

This can often lead to more efficient and stable system maintenance. For example, a single supervisor system can be used to manange equipment from different suppliers.

Meeting Different Needs

RSMP is suitable for a wide range of use-cases, from small municipalities with only few traffic lights and basic needs, to larger road authorities with complex setups that include a lot of equipment and the need for advanced traffic management.

Example of what RSMP can be used for:

• Monitor roadside equipment, e.g. keep an eye out for errors on traffic signals or variable message signs.
• Manage traffic, e.g. by changing signal programs, change green times, or change content on variable message signs.
• Collect data from equipment such as counting stations or bicycle barometers.
• Prioritize different types of traffic such as bicycles, buses, and trams.
• Automate traffic scenario management for optimizing daily traffic flows and handling traffic incidents.

Benefits

An open protocol like RSMP stimulates innovation and market competition, reduce maintenance costs and make it easier for equipment from different vendors to work together.

With RSMP, road authorities can achieve:

• A single protocol for communication between most of their roadside equipment.
• A single monitoring systems that covers equipment from different vendors.
• Greater freedom to change equipment and suppliers.

Equipment Types

RSMP is currently used across the Nordic region for monitoring and managing different types of equipment.

Traffic Light Controllers	traffic management, signal plans, detector logics and I/O, traffic data, statuses and alarms
Variable Messages Signs	change display content, upload bitmaps, statuses and alarms
Traffic Counters	aquire traffic data, status and alarms
Payment Systems	statuses and alarms
Street Lightning Systems	statuses and alarms

So far, RSMP Nordic has standardized an SXL only for traffic light controllers, but SXLs for other types of equipments are coming. Other types of equipment currently used custom SXLs. There’s nothing wrong with custom SXLs, but standardizing SXLs provide benefits to road authorities.

Traffic Light Controller Functionality

RSMP include an extensive set of messages and alarms for working with traffic light controllers.

System	Version, Clock, Mode, Restart, Security, Config Checksum, Config Download
Modes	Fixed time, Yellow Flash, Traffic Situations, Emergency Routes
Signal Plans	Change plan, Timetable, Calendar, Offset time, Cycle time, Dynamic Bands
Signal Groups	Force Green/Red, Time-to-Green
Input/Output	Force On/Off, Sensitivity
Detector Logics	Force Active
Traffic Data	Volume, Speed, Occupancy, Classification
Alarms	Hardware, Network, Lamps, Push Buttons, Doors, Detectors
Status	Request, Subscribe, On change or by interval

Backed by Nordic Road Authorities

RSMP is maintained and developed by the RSMP Nordic partnership of Nordic road authorities and industry partners.

We strive to meet the need of both small and big road authorities.

RSMP has been proven on street since 2011 by major Nordic players such as the Swedish Transport Administration and the City of Copenhagen. The use of RSMP is growing across the Nordics.

See the full list of partners and read how to become a partner.

Supported by EU Interreg

RSMP Nordic has received funding from EU Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerak.

RSMP and EU Standardization

The EU is working on several ITS standards, e.g. in the CEN TC278/WG17 working group. RSMP Nordic supports this work and welcomes European standards as long as they are of high quality and meet the needs of the Nordic region.

European standards will take time to develop and the current approach is to build on regional standards to provide a graceful transition into new EU-standards. We maintain RSMP as a regional standard that can be interfaced or replaced with European standards once they are ready.

RSMP Nordic will provide a constructive Nordic voice in the ongoing EU standardization process.

RSMP Internationally

Although RSMP Nordic focuses on the needs of Nordic road authorities, RSMP is a general protocol that can be used anywhere in the world. We publish all specifications, documentation, and tools in English.

Road authorities from all parts in the world are welcome to join RSMP Nordic

Participate

Anyone interested in RSMP, both road authorities, suppliers, consultants, knowledge institutions, etc. can join the RSMP Nordic partnership.

We share knowledge and needs in the User Group and meet in in the Working Group to discuss and develop the next versions of the specifications and tools.

There is no RSMP Nordic partnership fee.