Object-oriented programming has been referred to as a new style of computer programming that differs from conventional structured programming in that solutions to problems are obtained as a more "natural" activity. Current implementations of traffic simulation models lack explicit representations of the assumptions made about the real world. Thus, they have become increasingly more difficult to understand as new changes are added or new modifications are made. An object-oriented approach to traffic simulation modeling will overcome some of these problems, and promises to offer a new alternative solution. This paper introduces the concepts of object-oriented programming and provides some starting considerations necessary, by means of examples, to develop a general framework for building a traffic simulation tool based on the object-oriented paradigm of computer problem solving. (A)
Abstract