Kevin Riehl [ETH Zürich, Institute for Transportation Planning and Systems IVT, Traffic Engineering Group SVT]
Welcome to the GitHub repository of the course "Microscopic Modelling and Simulation of Traffic Operations" lectured by Kevin Riehl (ETH Zürich).
In this repository you will find examples and templates to work with the traffic microsimulation software SUMO, TRACI, and Python.
Microscopic traffic simulation is a powerful tool that is revolutionizing the way we analyze and understand traffic dynamics. By simulating individual vehicle movements in a highly detailed, realistic environment, traffic microsimulation allows us to predict, analyze, and evaluate traffic patterns without the need for large-scale real-world experiments. This not only saves time and resources but also provides valuable insights that help in decision-making, from optimizing traffic flow to designing smarter road networks.
One of the key advantages of microsimulation is its ability to model complex interactions between vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure. Whether evaluating the impact of new traffic policies, planning urban infrastructure, or improving traffic safety, microsimulation enables us to test scenarios in a virtual environment before implementing costly changes on the ground. Moreover, it is possible to predict traffic conditions in real-time on an ongoing basis, which is crucial for traffic control centers, and could not be done otherwise.
However, like all models, traffic microsimulation has its limitations. It requires accurate input data to be effective, callibration to be accurate, and it can be computationally intensive when modeling large networks. Understanding its constraints will help us make the most of its potential throughout the course.
The course introduces basics of microscopic modelling and simulation of traffic operations, including model design and development, calibration, validation, data analysis, identification of strategies for improving traffic flow performance, and evaluation of such strategies.
Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand the basic models used in microsimulation software (car-following, lane changing, gap acceptance, give ways, on/off-ramps, etc.).
- Design a road transport network inside the simulation software.
- Understand the basics behind modeling traffic demand and supply, vehicle dynam-ics, performance indicators for evaluation and network design for a realistic road transport network.
- Understand how to design a complete study, implement and validate it for planning purposes, e.g. creating a new road infrastructure.
- Make valid and concrete engineering proposals based on the simulation model and alternative scenarios.
- Lecture 01: Introduction, General Information, Installing SUMO
- Lecture 02: Components of Microsimulations & SUMO Introduction
- Lecture 03: Create Network & Demand Models
- Lecture 04: Signals, Sensors, Public transport, Calibration
- Lecture 05: TRACI: Manipulate & Sense Simulation in Real-Time
- Lecture 06: Environmental Impact Assessment
- Lecture 07: Interim Student-Project Presentations
- Lecture 08: Visualization, Animation & Design – SUMO & Matplotlib
- Lecture 09: Guest Lectures
- Lecture 10: Connected, Autonomous Vehicles & Rerouting
- Lecture 11: Final Student-Project Presentations
Please go to this article.