Technological advances that impact on microsimulation modelling

This review covers technological advances that are beginning to impact on the state-of-the-art of road traffic microsimulation models. Three main areas are covered, reflecting the conventional division between software, hardware and data. The emphasis is on developments in modelling techniques, the increasing richness of data made available from intelligent transport systems and the rapid fall in the cost of computing hardware. These areas interact closely because more sophisticated tools are needed to cope with the huge data sets now available. Applications are also increasingly expected to run in realtime rather than off-line, with consequent increases in demand for computing power and functionality. To the non-specialist user, this increasing diversity can cause difficulties. The literature is often full of jargon or mathematics and it can be hard to decide which developments are important for different end-user applications. This paper, therefore, aims to explain in simple terms what these technologies are and how they affect modelling practice. It is hoped this will help end users in several ways; to choose appropriate tools, to better understand the models they use and to be aware of likely data sources that will improve modelling accuracy.