Calibration of the vehicular performance model of highway traffic flow simulation models

• Grant number: 15/05426-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Transportation Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jose Reynaldo Anselmo Setti
• Grantee: Raquel França Carneiro
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this project is to recalibrate VISSIM's and CORSIM's heavy vehicle performance model using data on the instantaneous speed of a truck as it travels along a highway segment composed of several grades of different lengths and magnitudes. Truck speed data were collected using differential GPS. Model calibration will be achieved by means of a genetic algorithm already coded and tested. All data required for the project have already been collected. The tasks to achieve the proposed objective comprise: (1) learn to use the two simulation models; (2) study selected references on the calibration of highway traffic simulation models and on vehicular performance modelling; (3) create input files for the simulation models for the highway segment where truck speed data were collected; (4) create a database with truck characteristics and speeds along the travelled segment; (5) recalibrate the performance models for each truck individually and for each truck class (light, medium, heavy and extraheavy trucks); and (6) analyze the results and prepare the final report. The final product of the proposed research will be new sets of calibration parameters for CORSIM and VISSIM which will be made available for other researchers.