Transport model validation**

Black Arcs(TBA)生产用于模拟和可视化社区内的家庭活动的软件。该软件使利益相关者能够了解规划选择(例如学校选址)对道路和交通等交通服务的影响。由于这些模拟可能会影响规划，因此它们尽可能可靠是很重要的。该项目将开发数学和软件工具，帮助TBA验证活动模拟的最后阶段，即运输方式和路线选择。*由David Bremner博士领导的UNB研究小组确定了两个主要研究目标。首先，开发一种相异度量来比较两个交通模型的输出(例如，网络上的模拟交通速率)。这将通过图论技术和领域专家咨询的组合来实现。在给定不同度量的情况下，验证过程需要一种高置信度地对交通网络负载(即交通)进行建模的方法。我们计划将交通建模最佳实践与数学优化中的先进技术相结合。*该项目将通过评估交通和模式选择部分的技术报告，增强人们对TBA模拟产品的信心。它还将通过提供一个独立的模型来比较结果以及进行比较的方法和软件，从而促进TBA的模拟软件的改进。区域交通研究界将从收集和管理交通使用数据数据库中受益。加拿大将受益于两名博士生的实践培训和加强战略环境服务部门。合作伙伴期待进一步合作，以验证TBA模拟的其余阶段。**

The Black Arcs (TBA) produces software for the simulation and visualization of household activities within a community. The software allows stakeholders to understand the impact of planning choices (e.g. school locations) on transportation services like roads and transit. Because these simulations may impact planning, it is important that they be as reliable as possible. This project will develop mathematical and software tools to help TBA validate the final stage of the activity simulation, namely transportation mode and route choice.****The UNB research team led by Dr. David Bremner has identified two main research objectives. First, to develop a dissimilarity measure to compare the output (e.g. simulated traffic rates on a network) from two transportation models. This will be approached via a combination of graph theoretic techniques with domain expert consultation. Given a dissimilarity measure, the validation process requires a way to model transportation network loading (i.e. traffic) with high confidence. We plan to apply a combination of transportation modelling best practices with advanced techniques from mathematical optimization.****The project will enhance confidence in TBA's simulation product via a technical report evaluating the transportation and mode choice component. It will also faciliate improvement of TBA's simulation software by providing an independent model to compare the results against and a methodology and software to do that comparison. The regional transportation research community will benefit from the collection and curation of a database of transportation usage data. Canada will benefit from the hands-on training of two doctoral students and from strengthening the strategic environmental services sector. The partners anticipate further collaboration to validate the remaining stages of TBA's simulation.**