| Developer(s) | Caliper Corporation |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.5 / June 1, 2007 |
| Operating system | Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista |
| Type | Transportation, Mapping Software |
| Website | Caliper TransModeler Home |
TransModeler is the name of a traffic simulation product for doing wide-area traffic planning, traffic management, and emergency evacuation studies. It can animate the behavior of multi-modal traffic systems to show the flow of vehicles, the operation of traffic signals, and the overall performance of the transportation network.[1]
TransModeler is a powerful and versatile traffic simulation package applicable to a wide array of traffic planning and modeling tasks. TransModeler can simulate all kinds of road networks, from freeways to downtown areas, and can analyze wide area multimodal networks in great detail and with high fidelity. You can model and visualize the behavior of complex traffic systems in a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional GIS environment to illustrate and evaluate traffic flow dynamics, traffic signal and ITS operations, and overall network performance.
TransModeler breaks new ground in ease-of-use for complex simulation applications and integrates with TransCAD, the most popular travel demand forecasting software in the U.S., to provide a complete solution for evaluating the traffic impacts of future planning scenarios. Moreover, the TransModeler mapping, simulation, and animation tools allow you to present study findings to decision-makers in a clear and compelling fashion.
Based upon the latest research, TransModeler employs advanced methodological techniques and software technology to bring traffic simulation into a new era. TransModeler models the dynamic route choices of drivers based upon historical or simulated time dependent travel times, and also models trips based on origin-destination trip tables or turning movement volumes at intersections. It simulates public transportation as well as car and truck traffic, and handles a wide variety of ITS features such as electronic toll collection, route guidance, and [[traffic detection] and surveillance. TransModeler works with travel demand forecasting software to provide an integrated capability to perform operational analysis of transportation projects and plans. Traffic simulation results can also be fed back for use in travel demand forecasting.
Caliper Corporation, a worldwide leader in transportation and GIS software, designed TransModeler for ease-of-use by traffic engineers and planners. TransModeler has an intuitive user interface and is the only simulation software that fully supports Windows standards. TransModeler lets you create and manage multiple projects, networks, demand profiles, and traffic signal control strategies for alternatives analysis. With TransModeler you can:
Import simulation data from Corsim and SimTraffic Manage a variety of input files for multiple scenarios Share project databases, traffic signal timing plans, and other input data between multiple projects Export subareas of larger networks to simulate traffic operations on a more localized scale Compare output results from multiple simulation runs Generate nicely formatted reports, maps, and charts for inclusion in reports and presentation slides
Caliper Corporation has developed a TransModeler traffic simulation of the forthcoming High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Virginia with Transurban, a leading toll road owner and operator in Australia and North America. The Capital Beltway HOT Lanes project is a nearly two billion dollar public-private partnership that is intended to be an innovative solution to traffic congestion through dynamic, open-road tolling. Sensors will monitor traffic levels continuously, and a tolling algorithm designed to maintain a target level of service in the HOT lanes will adjust the price dynamically. Drivers who choose to use the HOT lanes will pay a toll conveyed to them via dynamic message signs. Carpools with three or more persons, buses, and emergency vehicles will be able to use the HOT lanes without charge.
Caliper Corporation developed a pilot TransModeler micro-simulation model for the I-270 corridor in Montgomery County, MD. This work was conducted for the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (CATT) and Maryland’s State Highway Administration (SHA). The objective of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of TransModeler in supporting large-scale corridor analyses such as the Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) initiative by the US DOT. The ICM initiative aims to demonstrate the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to plan and manage congested traffic corridors by assisting decision-makers in identifying gaps, evaluating strategies, and investing in the best combination of strategies that would minimize congestion and improve safety. The I-270 corridor in Maryland is one of eight test sites selected by the US DOT.
Caliper is presently developing a micro-simulation model of the Greater Eureka Area (GEA) in Northern California for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Humboldt County. The simulation in TransModeler will be integrated with the GEA travel model in TransCAD and will include a number of base year and future scenarios. Ultimately, the simulation model and the GEA travel model will together provide a comprehensive travel demand and traffic simulation platform with which Caltrans, county, and city staff can evaluate projects now and in the future.
The Poughkeepsie-Dutchess County Transportation Council (PDCTC) is working with Wilbur Smith Associates to develop a Corridor Management Plan that identifies and recommends policy and project actions to improve vehicular and non-vehicular movement along CR 93 in the Town of Wappinger, New York. The Town of Wappinger sits in the southern part of Dutchess County, which has experienced a large increase in population over the past ten years. This increase in population has contributed to increased traffic volumes on the CR 93 corridor and, in turn, resulted in poor levels of service during peak periods. Dutchess County and the Town of Wappinger expect future population growth and the continued appeal of CR 93 to intensify already poor traffic conditions. The CR 93 Corridor Management Plan will inform decision-makers, the public, local agencies, and other stakeholders about the causes of traffic congestion on CR 93 and recommend potential solutions. As part of the analysis, Wilbur Smith Associates will use TransModeler to prepare micro-simulations of the corridor, including current year and future year base scenarios as well as several future year alternatives implementing various land use and transportation strategies. The TransModeler micro-simulations will allow the PDCTC, the project’s Advisory Committee and the public to visualize alternatives for the corridor and understand trade-offs between the alternative scenarios.
CLR Analytics is developing, calibrating, and validating a traffic microsimulation model for the State Route 91 (SR-91) Corridor System Management Plan (CSMP) study in Orange County, CA. The calibrated model will be used as the base model for testing alternative build scenarios under future conditions. The Orange County section of the SR-91 is 25 miles long from the Los Angeles County line to the Riverside County line and includes interchanges with 5 different freeways. SR-91 contains both HOV, Toll, and mixed use lane facilities. All freeway facilities as well as most major arterials and their signalized intersections are included in the model. This model focuses on both the morning and afternoon rush hours from 6:00 to 10:00 AM and 2:00 to 8:00 PM, respectively, in order to cover all periods of congested travel.
ENTRAN, PLC is evaluating the impacts of the Downtown Owensboro Master Plan, a comprehensive set of recommendations that will change and revitalize the face of downtown in this western Kentucky city. The recommendation to convert downtown streets from one-way flow to two-way operation is a keystone of the entire plan. The simulation model in TransModeler will be integrated with the TransCAD county-wide travel demand model to predict changes in travel patterns that would result from the conversion and to evaluate the associated operational impacts. From the analyses, improvements to the street system, including the addition of turn lanes and modifications to traffic signals, will be identified. The study also will involve a complete street analysis using methods from the recently completed National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 616, Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets. The methods predict level of service from the perspective of the traveler for the four modes most commonly found on urban streets – autos, buses, bicycles and pedestrians. Finally, the project includes a parking inventory and analysis that will be used to develop a downtown parking management plan.
TransModeler was first released in December 2005. Version 1.1 was released on October 23, 2006. TransModeler 2.6, the current version, was released on June 28, 2010.