Investigation of the Extent of Field Data Required for Reliable Calibration and Validation of Large Scale Traffic Simulation Models: A Case Study

Author(s):  
B Bartin ◽  
K Ozbay ◽  
J Gao ◽  
A Kurkcu
Author(s):  
Byungkyu (Brian) Park ◽  
Hongtu (Maggie) Qi

Microscopic traffic simulation models have been playing an important role in the evaluation of transportation engineering and planning practices for the past few decades, particularly in cases in which field implementation is difficult or expensive to conduct. To achieve high fidelity and credibility for a traffic simulation model, model calibration and validation are of utmost importance. Most calibration efforts reported in the literature have focused on the informal practice, and they have seldom proposed a systematic procedure or guideline for the calibration and validation of simulation models. This paper proposes a procedure for microscopic simulation model calibration. The validity of the proposed procedure was demonstrated by use of a case study of an actuated signalized intersection by using a widely used microscopic traffic simulation model, Verkehr in Staedten Simulation (VISSIM). The simulation results were compared with multiple days of field data to determine the performance of the calibrated model. It was found that the calibrated parameters obtained by the proposed procedure generated performance measures that were representative of the field conditions, while the simulation results obtained with the default and best-guess parameters were significantly different from the field data.


2018 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 844-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bekir Bartin ◽  
Kaan Ozbay ◽  
Jingqin Gao ◽  
Abdullah Kurkcu

Author(s):  
Tomer Toledo ◽  
Haris N. Koutsopoulos ◽  
Angus Davol ◽  
Moshe E. Ben-Akiva ◽  
Wilco Burghout ◽  
...  

The calibration and validation approach and results from a case study applying the microscopic traffic simulation tool MITSIMLab to a mixed urban-freeway network in the Brunnsviken area in the north of Stockholm, Sweden, under congested traffic conditions are described. Two important components of the simulator were calibrated: driving behavior models and travel behavior components, including origin–destination flows and the route choice model. In the absence of detailed data, only aggregate data (i.e., speed and flow measurements at sensor locations) were available for calibration. Aggregate calibration uses simulation output, which is a result of the interaction among all components of the simulator. Therefore, it is, in general, impossible to identify the effect of individual models on traffic flow when using aggregate data. The calibration approach used takes these interactions into account by iteratively calibrating the different components to minimize the deviation between observed and simulated measurements. The calibrated MITSIMLab model was validated by comparing observed and simulated measurements: traffic flows at sensor locations, point-to-point travel times, and queue lengths. A second set of measurements, taken a year after the ones used for calibration, was used at this stage. Results of the validation are presented. Practical difficulties and limitations that may arise with application of the calibration and validation approach are discussed.


Author(s):  
Iisakki Kosonen ◽  

The microscopic simulation is getting increasingly common in traffic planning and research because of the detailed analysis it can provide. The drawback of this development is that the calibration and validation of such a detailed simulation model can be very tedious. This paper summarizes the research on automatic calibration of a high-fidelity micro-simulation (HUTSIM) at the Helsinki University of Technology (TKK). In this research we used ramp operation as the case study. The automatic calibration of a detailed model requires a systematic approach. A key issue is the error-function, which provides a numeric value to the distance between simulated and measured results. Here we define the distance as combination of three distributions namely the speed distribution, gap distribution and lane distribution. We developed an automated environment that handles all the necessary operations. The system organizes the files, executes the simulations, evaluates the error and generates new parameter combinations. For searching of the parameter space we used a genetic algorithm (GA). The overall results of the research were good demonstrating the potential of using automatic processes in both calibration and validation of simulation models.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-Lin Soo ◽  
Teck-Yee Ling ◽  
Lee Nyanti

Application of the Dynamic Estuary Model (DYNHYD5) in a tropical tidal river is limited. The successfully calibrated and validated hydrodynamic model is valuable in subsequent water quality simulation for environmental management. Hence, a hydrodynamic modeling approach using the DYNHYD5 was conducted in a tropical tidal river in Malaysia. Samplings were conducted in the Sibu Laut River to collect the hydrology data for model simulation. The model was calibrated and validated by comparing the simulated flow and mean depth with the field data at different simulation periods of time. The results showed that the model DYNHYD5 was successfully calibrated with channel flows and mean depths and then reproduced with good agreement in validation. The observed and simulated data were linearly correlated (R2 > 0.8) with values of slope γ ranging from 0.891 to 1.204 in both calibration and validation. The Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency (NSE) of more than 0.7 in both calibration and validation also indicated satisfactory comparison between the observed and simulated data. The result indicated that the application of the DYNHYD5 is feasible in a tropical tidal river in Malaysia.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junia Valente ◽  
Frederico Araujo ◽  
Rym Z. Wenkstern

The advances in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) call for a new generation of traffic simulation models that support connectivity and collaboration among simulated vehicles and traffic infrastructure. In this paper we introduce MATISSE, a complex, large scale agent-based framework for the modeling and simulation of ITS and discuss how Alloy, a modeling language based on set theory and first order logic, was used to specify, verify, and analyze MATISSE’s traffic models.


2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rinaldo ◽  
G. Botter ◽  
E. Bertuzzo ◽  
A. Uccelli ◽  
T. Settin ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this paper, the second of a series, we apply the models discussed in Part 1 to a significant case study. The nature of the catchment under study, the transport phenomena investigated (i.e. nitrates moving as solutes within runoff waters) and the scales involved in space and time, provide an elaborate test for theory and applications. Comparison of modeling predictions with field data (i.e. fluxes of carrier flow and solute nitrates) suggests that the framework proposed for geomorphic transport models is capable to describe well large-scale transport phenomena driven and/or controlled by spatially distributed hydrologic fields (e.g. rainfall patterns in space and time, drainage pathways, soil coverage and type, matter stored in immobile phases). A sample MonteCarlo mode of application of the model is also discussed where hydrologic forcings and external nitrate applications (through fertilization) are treated as random processes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document