TAT Volume III: Guidelines for Applying Traffic Microsimulation Modeling Software 2019 Update to the 2004 Version

Microsimulation is the modeling of individual vehicle movements on a second or sub-second basis for the purpose of assessing the traffic performance of highway and street systems, transit, and pedestrians. Microsimulation analyses are increasingly visible and important – fostered both by the continued evolution of microsimulation software capability and increasing application within transportation engineering and planning practices. These guidelines provide practitioners with guidance on the appropriate application of microsimulation models to traffic analysis problems, with an overarching focus on existing and future alternatives analysis. This 2019 Update of the original 2004 guide [1] includes significantly enhanced and detailed technical guidance dealing with data collection and analysis (Chapter 2), model calibration (Chapter 5), and alternatives analysis (Chapter 6). A more complex corridor-based example problem is used to illustrate application of the updated guidance. Finally, a complete end-to-end case study using a large microsimulation model for a hypothetical work zone alternatives analysis is included in an appendix. This case study illustrates the application of the detailed guidance on data collection and analysis, calibration and alternatives analysis. The goals of this update are to: (1) Encourage comprehensive experimental design based a range of varying travel conditions, rather than a normative “average” day. (2) Focus calibration and alternatives analysis on the representation of time-dynamic system performance measures including bottleneck formation and dissipation. (3) Eliminate all subjective criteria, replace with criteria that are statistically valid and derived from observed data. (4) Develop a calibration process that is data-driven, repeatable, and potentially automatable.

• Record URL:
  https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18036/fhwahop18036.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43570
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Cover title: Traffic Analysis Toolbox Volume III: Guidelines for Applying Traffic Microsimulation Modeling Software 2019 Update to the 2004 Version.
• Corporate Authors:

  Noblis

  Washington, DC  United States 

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Wunderlich, Karl
  • Vasudevan, Meenakshy
  • Wang, Peiwei
  • Dowling, Richard
  • Skabardonis, Alexander
  • Alexiadis, Vassili
• Publication Date: 2019-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Glossary; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 130p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Calibration; Case studies; Data analysis; Data collection; Guidelines; Microsimulation; Performance measurement; Software; Traffic simulation
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01707657
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-HOP-18-036
• Contract Numbers: DTFH61-16-D-00036
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 7 2019 3:12PM