Technological advances that impact on microsimulation modelling

This review covers technological advances that are beginning to impact on t he state-of-the-art of road traffic microsimulation models. Three main area s are covered, reflecting the conventional division between software, hardw are and data. The emphasis is on developments in modelling techniques, the increasing richness of data made available from intelligent transport syste ms and the rapid fall in the cost of computing hardware. These areas intera ct closely because more sophisticated tools are needed to cope with the hug e data sets now available. Applications are also increasingly expected to r un in realtime rather than off-line, with consequent increases in demand fo r computing power and functionality. To the non-specialist user, this incre asing diversity can cause difficulties. The literature is often full of jar gon or mathematics and it can be hard to decide which developments are impo rtant for different end-user applications. This paper, therefore, aims to e xplain in simple terms what these technologies are and how they affect mode lling practice. It is hoped this will help end users in several ways; to ch oose appropriate tools, to better understand the models they use and to be aware of likely data sources that will improve modelling accuracy.