ODU CITS Microscopic Model of City of Portsmouth Transportation Network
The City of Portsmouth recently reached agreement with Old Dominion University to complete a research and development project that will make Portsmouth the second city in the Commonwealth of Virginia to be completely modeled using a microscopic transportation simulation. The work will be completed by ODU’s Center for Innovative Transportation Systems (CITS), led by Dr. Mike Robinson. Called “microscopic” because of its ability to look at individual cars and driver characteristics, the city-wide model will include highways, interstates, and major roads throughout the city, with additional detail around the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and Jordan Bridge. Using TransModeler®, a transportation software package developed by Caliper®Corporation, the simulation will incorporate available City data on traffic volume and will exactly match the timing used in real-world signal lights. This cutting-edge model also accounts for individual cars that obey signal lights, observe right-of-way, and naturally change lanes as they make their way to their final destinations. The simulation also includes varying driver behavior. In the model, some cars change lanes frequently and drive at faster speeds, while others behave more conservatively.
With a model of this level of detail, the City can evaluate recurrent and incident-induced congestion, improve planning for evacuations, and inform decision-making processes about future road and construction projects. This gives the City a tool to assess potential rising sea levels affecting low-lying areas and intelligently adapt traffic flows to maintain access and commercial viability. As a host of several major government facilities, the model also provides a realistic view of the effects of road closures and use of alternate routes around the gates of the Naval Hospital and Shipyard. The model development phase of this project is expected to be complete by mid-2015. The first phase of this project will cost approximately $145,000. Future developments will include calibrating the model to field observed traffic counts throughout the city and adding the ability to simulate accidents and incidents and their impacts, an aspect of city planning that is important to Portsmouth.
The TransModeler software has the ability to view simulations in 3D, giving City Planners a unique perspective when evaluating traffic in the area. This feature allows one to ride around “inside” a vehicle, viewing the road and traffic volume though the windshield of the virtual car. This inside view gives planners a realistic sense of wait times in congested areas and helps them to develop clear, compelling evidence for City decision-makers.
CITS, a research focus group of the internationally known Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC) emphasizes the use of advanced computer modeling and simulation methods to improve transportation network efficiency and effectiveness.