In an effort to develop a standard platform, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has commissioned the continued development of the Traffic Software Integrated System (TSIS). The major goals of the TSIS initiative are to provide both a user interface that is intuitive and a platform for integrating transportation models. This will make FHWA's TRAF tools available to many more traffic engineers by reducing the time required to: (1) create traffic networks by reducing the labor-intensive, error-prone means presently available, and (2) learn how to operate the models and interpret their cryptic results. TSIS integrates a number of widely utilized traffic engineering packages including (1) FHWA's new microscopic traffic simulator, (2) a graphical input processor, (3) the traffic visualization package, and (4) signal optimization software. TSIS also improves the operability of CORSIM. This gives traffic engineers new opportunities to test scenarios to relieve traffic congestion, determine the effects of integrating freeway and corridor traffic by coordinating ramp meters and signal control strategies, and test and demonstrate the utility of adaptive signal control. Until recently, demonstrating the integration of these systems to reduce congestion was limited to either research performed in field tests or through traffic flow theory. For the first time, these models are becoming user-friendly and powerful enough to demonstrate these advancements in a laboratory-like, controlled environment. (A)
Samenvatting