STATISTICALLY-BASED VALIDATION OF COMPUTER SIMULATION MODELS IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT

The process of validation is crucial for the use of computer simulation models in transportation policy, planning, and operations. This article lays out obstacles and issues involved in performing a validation. Described is a general process that emphasizes five essential ingredients for validation: context, data, uncertainty, feedback, and prediction. A test bed is used to generate specific and general questions as well as to give concrete form to answers and to methods used in providing them. The traffic simulation model CORSIM serves as the test bed; it is applied to assess signal timing plans on a street network of Chicago. The validation process applied in the test bed demonstrates how well CORSIM can reproduce field conditions, identifies flaws in the model, and shows how well CORSIM predicts performance under new (untried) signal conditions. The article finds that CORSIM, though imperfect, is effective with some restrictions in evaluating signal plans on urban networks.

• Record URL:
  http://www.bts.gov/publications/journal_of_transportation_statistics/volume_05_number_01/
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/37387952
• Corporate Authors:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sacks, J
  • Rouphail, N M
  • Park, B
  • Thakuriah, Piyushimita
  • Rilett, L R
  • Spiegelman, C H
  • Morris, M D
• Publication Date: 2002

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1-24
• Serial:
  • Journal of Transportation and Statistics
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Research and Innovative Technology Administration
  • ISSN: 1094-8848
  • Serial URL: http://www.bts.gov/publications/journal_of_transportation_and_statistics/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Context sensitive design; Operations; Simulation; Statistical analysis; Traffic control; Traffic safety; Transportation operations; Transportation planning; Transportation policy; Uncertainty; Validation
• Geographic Terms: Chicago (Illinois)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Policy; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00944073
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 27 2003 12:00AM