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Chapter 2: Literature Review
“The accuracy of a traffic-simulation system depends highly on the quality of the traffic-flow model at its core, with the two main critical components being the car-following and lanechanging models.”(Panwai and Dia, 2005). In this chapter, first, a description of five widely-used microscopic traffic simulation models (AIMSUN2, VISSIM, PARAMICS, CORSIM and INTEGRATION) studied in this thesis is presented. Second, the car-following models of the software are introduced given that in Chapter 3 the research focus is on the steady-state conditions of these car-following models. Third, as lane-changing logic is also a very important logic in simulation models, the lane-changing logic of the five models is discussed.
Introduction of Five Microscopic Traffic Simulation Software
AIMSUN
AIMSUN, which is short of Advanced Interactive Microscopic Simulator for Urban and NonUrban Networks, was developed by the Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Universitat Poletecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.(Xiao et al 2005). This microscopic traffic simulation software is capable of reproducing various real traffic networks and conditions on a computer platform. The driver behavior models inside AIMSUN such as car-following model, lane changing model and gap-acceptance model provide the behavior of each single vehicle of the entire simulation period. (TSS, 2006) As developed in the GETRAM simulation environment, AIMSUN has the Application Programming Interface (API), which enables it to communicate with some user-defined applications. The advantage of AIMSUN also includes the capability of modeling a traffic network in detail and producing a number of measures of effectives. The latest version of AIMSUN at the time of the study was Version 5.1.
VISSIM
VISSIM is a time step and behavior based microscopic traffic simulation model developed at the University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, in the early 1970s. PTV Transworld AG, a German company, began the commercial distribution of VISSIM from 1993 and continues to maintain the software up to this date. This traffic simulation software is developed to model urban traffic and public transit operations and it is composed of two main components: a traffic simulator and signal state generator. The traffic simulator is in charge of the movement of vehicles, while the signal state generator models the signal status decision from detector information of the traffic simulator and then passes the signal status back to the traffic simulator. (Bloomberg and Dale, 2000) The VISSIM model can produce almost all the commonly used measurements of effectiveness in the traffic engineering area. Also, it is capable of modeling different vehicle types for both freeways and arterials under different complex traffic control situations. (Moen et al, 2000). The latest version of VISSIM is Version 4.30.
PARAMICS
PARAMICS is a widely used microscopic traffic simulation tool initially developed at the University of Edinburgh in the early 1990’s and was introduced commercially in 1997 by SAIS Limited and Quadstone Limited in the UK. The advantages of PARAMICS include the real-time dynamic three-dimensional visible user interface, which is easy to operate and understand; capable of using a large number of functionalities to simulate a traffic network and to “evaluate various policies and control strategies and their effects on the transportation network such as vehicle delays and emissions”; similar to AIMSUN, the model allows for the overriding or extending the default models using API (Application Programming Interface) (Quadstone, 2003). The latest version of PARAMICS is Version V6.
CORSIM
CORSIM (CORidor SIMulation) is a microscopic simulation model developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in1996. It is one of the most commonly used microsimulation programs for modeling vehicle traffic operations including the analysis of freeways, urban streets, and corridors or networks. The model of CORSIM consists of two predecessor models: FRESIM and NETSIM. FRESIM is a freeway model that models uninterrupted facilities including grade separated expressways and interstate freeways; NETSIM is an arterial model that models arterials with at-grade intersections. Both FRESIM and NETSIM have longer history than CORSIM, but the advantage of CORSIM is that it has been applied to many projects (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2004). The latest version of CORSIM is Version 6.0.
INTEGRATION
The INTEGRATION 2.30, developed by the late Michel Van Aerde in 1983, is a trip-based microscopic traffic simulation model. Professor Hesham Rakha continues with the development of this model since 1999.The two most important features of the INTGERATION software are first, it is the first model to attempt to integrate both freeways and arterials; second, it integrates traffic assignment and microscopic simulation within the same model. The name INTEGRATION stems from this fact. The INTEGRATION model is capable of providing sufficient detailed driver behavior data by tracing individual vehicle movements from its origin to its destination at a level of resolution of one deci-second. Also, the model is capable of computing a number of measurements of effectiveness including vehicle delay, vehicle stops, emissions and fuel consumption as well as the crash risk for 14 crash types. (Van Aerde and Rakha, 2007).
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background Information
1.2 Problems Definition
1.3 Research Objectives and Contributions
1.4 Thesis Layout
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction of Five Microscopic Traffic Simulation Software
2.1.1 AIMSUN
2.1.2 VISSIM
2.1.3 PARAMICS
2.1.4 CORSIM
2.1.5 INTEGRATION:
2.2 Car-following logic of Five Microscopic Traffic Simulation Software
2.2.1 Car-following logic of AIMSUN
2.2.2 Car-following logic of VISSIM
2.2.3 Car-following logic of PRAMICS
2.2.4 Car-following logic of CORSIM
2.2.5 Car-following logic of INTEGRATION
2.3 Lane-changing logic of Five Microscopic Traffic Simulation Software
2.3.1 Lane-changing logic of AIMSUN
2.3.2 Lane-changing logic of VISSIM
2.3.3 Lane-changing logic of PARAMICS
2.3.4 Lane-changing logic of CORSIM
2.3.5 Lane-changing logic of INTEGRATION
Chapter 3: Calibration of Steady-state Car-following Models using Macroscopic Loop Detector Data
3.1 Abstract
3.2 Introduction
3.3 Traffic Simulation Car-Following Models
3.3.1 CORSIM Software
Table 2: Steady-State Model Calibration
3.3.2 AIMSUN2 Software
3.3.3 VISSIM Software.
3.3.4 Paramics Software
3.3.5 INTEGRATION Software
3.4 Traffic Stream Model Calibration
3.5 Conclusions.
3.6 Acknowledgement
Chapter 4: Comparison of VISSIM and INTEGRATION Software for Modeling a Signalized Approach
4.1 Abstract.
4.2 Introduction
4.3 Longitudinal Vehicle Motion Modeling
4.3.1 VISSIM Longitudinal Vehicle Motion Modeling
4.3.2 INTEGRATION Longitudinal Vehicle Motion Modeling
Steady-State Modeling
Vehicle Deceleration Behavior
Vehicle Acceleration Modeling
4.4 Modeling Driver and Vehicle Behavior
4.4.1 Driver Behavior in Response to Yellow Phase Transition
4.4.2 Vehicle Modeling
4.5 Estimation of Measures of Effectiveness
4.5.1 Estimation of Delay
4.5.2 Estimation of Vehicle Stops
4.5.3 Estimation of Vehicle Fuel Consumption and Emissions
4.6 Calibration of steady-state Car-following Model
4.7 Comparison of VISSIM and INTEGRATION Results
4.7.1 Network and Modeling Overview
4.7.2 Comparison of Driver Behavior in Response to Traffic Signal Indications
4.7.3 The Effects of the “Look-ahead Distance” on VISSIM Driver Behavior
4.7.4 Effect of Braking Ability on VISSIM Driver Behavior
4.7.5 Comparison Driver Behavior Depending on Facility Type
4.7.6 Comparison of Saturation Flow Rates and Discharge Headways
4.7.7 Comparison of Delay Estimates
4.7.8 Comparison of Fuel Consumption Estimates
4.8 Study Conclusions
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Study
5.1 Conclusion
5.1.1 Calibration and Comparison of Steady-state Car-following Models
5.1.2 Comparison of VISSIM and INTEGRATION Software
5.2 Recommendations
Bibliography
