Predecessor | International Association of Fire and Police Telegraph Superintendents (IAFPTS) |
---|---|
Formation | October,1896 |
Founded at | Brooklyn, New York |
Merger of | The International Association of Municipal Electricians (IAME), formerly IAFPTS, the Associated Municipal Signal Services (AMSS), and various other organizations in October of 1935. |
Purpose | Advancing the Future of Public Safety |
Headquarters | Rockledge, Florida |
Website | https://www.imsasafety.org/ |
Remarks | Thomas A. Edison and the Edison Electric Company were associate members in 1901. |
The International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) is one of the two main professional organizations contributing input to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in revising and developing highway standards concerning traffic signals and control devices.
Primarily these standards are represented by the most current edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Through its members, the IMSA participates on national committees such as the Standards Committee of the IEEE-SA's National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), [1] National Electrical Code (NEC), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). It is also designated as the FCC designated frequency coordinator for all public safety agencies. [2]
Another function of the IMSA is to develop certification standards and training in areas such as municipal fire alarm system technician, public safety dispatcher, roadway signs and markings, roadway lighting, traffic signal technician, and work zone traffic safety. [3]
The organization dates back to October 1896, when municipal signal men representing several cities met in Brooklyn to discuss and share knowledge in construction procedures and maintenance of signal systems. They formed the International Association of Fire and Police Telegraph Superintendents. [4]
In 1900, the name was changed to the International Association of Municipal Electricians (IAME). During the following year, members started to develop standards for wire, cable, and fire alarm boxes—as well as specifications for manhole cover sizes. Thomas Edison is known to have been a member around this time. On 31 August 1913, Charles Proteus Steinmetz was nominated and elected first vice-president of the IAME, an office he held until his death on 26 October 1923. [4]
In 1921, a small group of signal superintendents from Connecticut formed an alternative group called the Eastern Association of Superintendents of Fire and Police Telegraph. As they grew in membership and recognition, they changed the name to the New England Municipal Signal Association. During this period, several similar groups from other areas also began to form and develop independently. In the early 1930s, these groups came together to create the Associated Municipal Signal Services (AMSS). [4]
The IAME and AMSS continued to coexist and grow. Many members belonged to both organizations, as well as to other state or local associations. At its annual conference at Richmond, Virginia in October 1935, the IAME consolidated the many independent associations, drafted by-laws and a new constitution, and changed the name to the National Municipal Signal Association (NMSA). The lead member of each of the former associations was named to the Board of Directors. [4]
In September 1937, as membership of the NMSA expanded beyond the US, the name was officially changed to the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA). The association now has members in areas of Canada, as well as in a number of other countries. [4]
The IMSA Journal is published six times annually and has a circulation of close to 10,000 primarily in the United States and Canada. [5]
The International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are non-profit associations certified by the FCC to provide frequency coordination services to governmental and related agencies. [6]
The American National Standards Institute is a private nonprofit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international standards so that American products can be used worldwide.
Conformance testing — an element of conformity assessment, and also known as compliance testing, or type testing — is testing or other activities that determine whether a process, product, or service complies with the requirements of a specification, technical standard, contract, or regulation. Testing is often either logical testing or physical testing. The test procedures may involve other criteria from mathematical testing or chemical testing. Beyond simple conformance, other requirements for efficiency, interoperability, or compliance may apply. Conformance testing may be undertaken by the producer of the product or service being assessed, by a user, or by an accredited independent organization, which can sometimes be the author of the standard being used. When testing is accompanied by certification, the products or services may then be advertised as being certified in compliance with the referred technical standard. Manufacturers and suppliers of products and services rely on such certification including listing on the certification body's website, to assure quality to the end user and that competing suppliers are on the same level.
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways. It focuses mainly on research for safe and efficient traffic flow, such as road geometry, sidewalks and crosswalks, cycling infrastructure, traffic signs, road surface markings and traffic lights. Traffic engineering deals with the functional part of transportation system, except the infrastructures provided.
Base station is – according to the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – a "land station in the land mobile service."
The National Electrical Code (NEC), or NFPA 70, is a regionally adoptable standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment in the United States. It is part of the National Fire Code series published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a private trade association. Despite the use of the term "national," it is not a federal law. It is typically adopted by states and municipalities in an effort to standardize their enforcement of safe electrical practices. In some cases, the NEC is amended, altered and may even be rejected in lieu of regional regulations as voted on by local governing bodies.
A two-way radio is a radio transceiver, which is used for bidirectional person-to-person voice communication with other users with similar radios, in contrast to a broadcast receiver, which only receives transmissions.
IMSA is the International Motor Sports Association, an auto racing governing body headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States.
Project 25 is a suite of standards for interoperable digital two-way radio products. P25 was developed by public safety professionals in North America and has gained acceptance for public safety, security, public service, and commercial applications worldwide. P25 radios are a direct replacement for analog UHF radios, but add the ability to transfer data as well as voice, allowing for more natural implementations of encryption and text messaging. P25 radios are commonly implemented by dispatch organizations, such as police, fire, ambulance and emergency rescue service, using vehicle-mounted radios combined with repeaters and handheld walkie-talkie use.
A travelers' information station (TIS), also called highway advisory radio (HAR) by the United States Department of Transportation, is a licensed low-powered non-commercial radio station, used to broadcast information to the general public, including for motorists regarding travel, destinations of interest, and situations of imminent danger and emergencies. They are commonly operated by transportation departments, national and local parks departments and historic sites, airport authorities, local governments, federal agencies, colleges and universities, hospitals and health agencies, and for special events and destinations.
IEEE 802.11p is an approved amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard to add wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE), a vehicular communication system. It defines enhancements to 802.11 required to support intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications. This includes data exchange between high-speed vehicles and between the vehicles and the roadside infrastructure, so called vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, in the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85–5.925 GHz). IEEE 1609 is a higher layer standard based on the IEEE 802.11p. It is also the basis of a European standard for vehicular communication known as ETSI ITS-G5.
Vehicular communication systems are computer networks in which vehicles and roadside units are the communicating nodes, providing each other with information, such as safety warnings and traffic information. They can be effective in avoiding accidents and traffic congestion. Both types of nodes are dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) devices. DSRC works in 5.9 GHz band with bandwidth of 75 MHz and approximate range of 300 metres (980 ft). Vehicular communications is usually developed as a part of intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. It provides Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services over the Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. AAI currently manages a total of 137 airports, including 34 international airports, 10 Customs Airports, 81 domestic airports, and 23 Civil enclaves at Defence airfields. AAI also has ground installations at all airports and 25 other locations to ensure the safety of aircraft operations. AAI covers all major air routes over the Indian landmass via 29 Radar installations at 11 locations along with 700 VOR/DVOR installations co-located with Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). 52 runways are provided with Instrument landing system (ILS) installations with Night Landing Facilities at most of these airports and an Automatic Message Switching System at 15 Airports.
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International was founded in 1935.APCO supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. APCO’s stated mission is to provide public safety communications expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach to benefit its members and the public.
European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) is an international nonprofit (vzw) organisation registered in Belgium. It operates from Worting House, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Frequency Coordination is a technical and regulatory process that removes or mitigates radio-frequency interference between different radio systems that operate on the same frequency.
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) is a North American railway industry group. It publishes recommended practices for the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, which are used in the United States and Canada.
The American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) was the non-profit trade association representing members of the professional moving industry based primarily in the United States. Its approximately 4,000 members consisted of van lines, their agents, independent movers, forwarders, industry suppliers, and certain individuals and organizations.
The normal function of traffic lights requires more than sight control and coordination to ensure that traffic and pedestrians move as smoothly, and safely as possible. A variety of different control systems are used to accomplish this, ranging from simple clockwork mechanisms to sophisticated computerized control and coordination systems that self-adjust to minimize delay to people using the junction.
The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) or ANSI Standard C2 is a United States standard of the safe installation, operation, and maintenance of electric power and communication utility systems including power substations, power and communication overhead lines, and power and communication underground lines. It is published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "National Electrical Safety Code" and "NESC" are registered trademarks of the IEEE. The NESC should not be confused with the National Electrical Code (NEC), which is published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and intended to be used for residential, commercial, and industrial building wiring.