To properly track ITS deployments in IDAS, a Deployment Hierarchy (see attatched figure, showing projects, alternatives, and ITS components) is used to represent individual ITS components in the created ITS options. This hierarchy is capable of aggregating individual pieces of ITS equipment into meaningful combinations of ITS deployments. Although based on the National ITS Architecture, the hierarchy is unique to IDAS as some disaggregation/aggregation was necessary to create definitions that could be successfully represented in IDAS and would be meaningful to model users. The deployment hierarchy uses ITS equipment as the most basic ITS building blocks to create ITS components, ITS improvements, and ITS options.

• ITS Equipment - Individual items of ITS equipment are used as the basic units for building ITS deployments in IDAS. ITS equipment consist of the individual pieces of ITS infrastructure, such as computers, computer software, cameras, communication lines, vehicle transponders, and variable message signs, among many others. ITS equipment are generally defined as being non-divisible (i.e., it is not possible to deploy half of a camera). IDAS maintains a comprehensive list of ITS equipment and allows different ITS components to be built by combining ITS equipment. The definitions of ITS equipment used in IDAS are identical to the definitions in the National ITS Architecture.
• ITS Component - An ITS component is a combination of ITS equipment that is meaningful as a single ITS deployment on the model network. A traffic actuated ramp meter, a freeway variable message sign, or a transit vehicle signal priority system are examples of ITS components defined in IDAS. IDAS users typically work at the ITS component level. IDAS then automatically associates all the ITS equipment related with the ITS component to the location selected by the user. Benefits data are related to the ITS component level.
• ITS Improvement - An ITS improvement is defined as the deployment of a single type of ITS component in one or multiple locations. In some instances, the user may want to deploy a number of ITS components at multiple locations on the network as part of a single ITS improvement - or deployment project. For instance, an IDAS user may want to deploy transit vehicle signal priority at a single intersection, or at multiple locations, such as four intersections along a corridor. ITS components grouped together as a single ITS improvement must have common deployment schedules and anticipated useful life cycles. Different ITS components may not be grouped together in a single ITS improvement. Any number of ITS improvements or combinations of ITS improvements may be added to the control alternative network to create a single ITS option.