01566119

Component

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/172506.aspx

Real-world data are the essential elements in the validation and calibration of microscopic traffic simulation models. Availability, accuracy and relevance of real-world data can seriously affect the reliability of the models’ predictions. Traditional sources of traffic data are either limited to a limited number of typical conditions or may not be reliable enough. With the advent of new technologies, information is on the fingertips of users by means of smartphones, GPS-equipped devices, and radio frequency identification (RFID) readers. The rapid rise in information technology has also resulted in innovative ways to obtain space- and time-sensitive information in real time. This, in turn, has led to massive amount of passively collected location and event data for various time periods, also called “Big Data.” With the availability of Big Data there is an opportunity to validate and calibrate traffic simulation models in a way that has never been possible in the past. In this paper, the authors examine the current practice of calibration of traffic simulation models with an emphasis on data needs. They also describe the various sources of Big Data that might be available to the traffic simulation community now being collected through in-vehicle and infrastructure-based technologies. Various real-world case studies are presented to illustrate the importance and future of Big Data in the calibration of traffic simulation models. Future applications of Big Data are also discussed in detail.

01566122

English

pp 92-122

2015-4

Transportation Research Circular

Web

Figures; References; Tables

Calibration; Microsimulation; Traffic data; Traffic models; Traffic simulation; Validation

Big data

Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I71: Traffic Theory

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jun 10 2015 11:51AM

• Brief History of Traffic Simulation
• Evolution of SUMO’s Simulation Model
• Evolution of the TEXAS Model for Intersection Traffic Simulation Animation and Traffic Flow Theory Milestones
• History of VISSIM’s Development
• Looking Forward, Looking Back on Computer Simulation Models of Safety
• Some Thoughts on Future Directions for Managing Uncertainty in Stochastic Traffic Models
• Traffic Flow Modeling: Genealogy