CNA & OSPT collaboration: discover our FAQ

In Jan 2020, CNA and OSPT announced their collaboration to drive the adoption of open standards. Discover the FAQ we have created in order to enlighten the ticketing community, whether they are decision-makers or suppliers, on the milestones and next steps of this convergence.

The aim of the program is to achieve convergence between their respective open standards – CALYPSO® and CIPURSE™ – simplifying the choice and integration options for public transport operators while bringing time and cost efficiencies to the entire transport ticketing value chain. 

In these FAQs, readers can learn more about the collaboration, what it means for each association and the benefits for the industry.

ORGANIZATIONAL

1.   What is the motivation behind the collaboration?

CNA and OSPT have co-existed in the market for many years, both offering open standards for transport ticketing applications and beyond.

As the market has evolved and become increasingly crowded and complex, the two associations took the decision to collaborate and eventually converge their specifications to provide the industry with a single, coherent and clear approach to open standards. The aim is to combine the efforts of both associations to simplify the choice and integration options for public transport operators (PTOs) thereby reducing fragmentation and bringing time and cost efficiencies to the entire transport ticketing value chain.

Removing the overlap of work allows CNA and OSPT to expand their current scope to bring the benefits of standardization to the entire transport ticketing infrastructure. With all stakeholders involved, the aim is to create an ecosystem without hidden agendas, with standards that truly reflect the needs of all.

2.   What are the benefits to the industry?

The collaboration will reduce fragmentation and provide the industry with a clear, coherent position regarding the benefits of open standards when compared to proprietary solutions. Specific benefits include:

– Simplification of the decision-making process for public transport operators (PTOs) and Public transport agencies (PTAs) by creating a common harmonized open approach for transport ticketing systems that can support more than one type of technology.

–  Ease the process of upgrading infrastructures and innovating while realizing cost efficiencies.

–  Remove the overlap of work in standardization for those who choose to actively support and drive the use of open standards.

–  Speed up decision-making and ‘time for tender’, which in turn supports industry innovation and growth.

–  Support and encourage competition by creating a more level playing field.

3.   What are the objectives of the collaboration?

The end goal of the cooperation program is to achieve convergence between the respective open standards of CNA and OSPT Alliance – CALYPSO® and CIPURSE™ – simplifying the choice and integration options for PTOs while bringing time and cost efficiencies to the entire transport ticketing value chain.

To quickly bring the full benefits of the cooperation to all stakeholders, OSPT Alliance and CNA have established shared working groups:

–  Governance: The objective of this group is to address organizational questions and logistics such as association coordination, access to the specification, future licensing, and brand for example

–  Technical: The initial work of the Technical group will focus on analyzing in detail the features and unique strengths of CIPURSE and CALYPSO and, with backward compatibility in mind, define a roadmap that respects and supports existing solutions. Based on this analysis, the objective is to work towards the creation of a common specification. Additionally, the group will focus on software development with open source plugins based on Eclipse Keyple.

– Marketing & communications: This group will focus on promoting the widespread benefits of open standards over proprietary systems, including joint participation in international industry conferences.

4.   Who can participate in the activities of the collaboration?

As truly open bodies, both CNA OSPT Alliance and welcome any company to become a member of their respective associations and support the work efforts to promote the adoption of open standards. Both alliances gladly accept companies not yet supporting open standards in transport ticketing to join in this journey.

5.   As a member of CNA how will my membership be affected?

Currently there will be no impact on membership. The collaboration serves to enhance the participation opportunities for members and bring a clearer, more coherent approach for the industry.

6.     I am a member of both CNA and OSPT Alliance; what does this mean for me?

The collaboration program provides new opportunities for all members to participate in shaping the evolution and direction of common work items to ensure their needs are reflected.

Today, all the existing benefits of CNA and OSPT Alliance membership will continue. View the member benefits page for details.

TECHNICAL

7.   What work items will the Technical Working Group focus on?

The group will focus on developing:

– A new set of convergence specifications, for Cards and SAM, that not only include and enhance the existing features of both standards, but also add innovative functionalities enabling the evolution of infrastructures towards new beneficial features for stakeholders. These new specifications will support the delivery of backwards compatible products to respect existing deployments and guarantee to all stakeholders the sustainability of their investments

–  A roadmap for migration to the new specification ensuring that during the migration phase, already rolled out products can coexist with new convergence products. This is done by leveraging the benefits of Eclipse Keyple that allows for the integration of multiple technologies, current and new ones, based on the plugins and different layers that address each technology.

8.   How will the collaboration impact existing deployments of CALYPSO/CIPURSE ?

CNA and OSPT Alliance will continue to maintain the existing specifications and tools. Any long-term developments will consider backwards compatibility and the compatibility of existing systems. Both associations will develop migration scenarios, detailing step by step how to transfer from an existing CALYPSO or CIPURSE implementation to a future joint specification; these will be developed in close cooperation with users / operators and shall be described in according migration white papers.

9.   I specifically chose CALYPSO/CIPURSE for my deployment. What are my next steps?

As a CALYPSO user, you don’t need to do anything, your deployment is fully sustainable. CNA and OSPT Alliance will continue to support their existing respective specifications.

10.  I am considering CALYPSO/CIPURSE for my next project. What should I do now that the two associations are collaborating?

You should continue with your specification choice. Both CALYPSO and CIPURSE will continue to be supported and both provide the benefits of open standards that will help stakeholders to succeed in the marketplace.

For further information, read the press release or watch the launch video