01372954

Component

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is currently participating in several related efforts to improve access to forecasting tools for non-motorized travel modes. In addition to research, reports and documentation of techniques that support improved non-motorized forecasting, an innovative element among these efforts is the development of a non-motorized forecasting software framework in which planners have simple access to a range of available modeling strategies based on their own local data and planning needs. This paper describes that framework and its capabilities, and presents plans for its future development. The framework is an open-source software tool that is deployed as a web application. It can run either locally or on a public server. Within the framework, planners can establish a study area, import data in a variety of popular formats, conduct analyses, and retrieve results. The framework is designed to be readily extended as alternate modeling approaches become available, with minimal effort on the part of researchers or developers. It initially supports several geographic information system (GIS) based non-motorized modeling techniques that are under development in existing research projects sponsored by FHWA and others. In addition to providing a practical tool for planners, the framework is also available as a means by which research results in non-motorized travel forecasting may be shared, applied in new study areas, and put into practical application. At present, the framework exists as a prototype application, with a formal release planned for 2012.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB50 Transportation Planning Applications

01362476

12-3440

English

11p

2012

Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References

Computer models; Geographic information systems; Nonmotorized transportation; Traffic forecasting

Federal Aid Program Administration (Federal Highway Administration)

Data and Information Technology; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Paper #12-3440

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2012 5:16PM