The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	Introduction of an information feedback loop to enhance the urban transportation modeling system
Author:	Winslow, Kyle B.
View Online:	njit-etd1994-141 (xi, 83 pages ~ 2.7 MB pdf)
Department:	Executive Committee for the Interdisciplinary Program in Transportation
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Transportation
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Spasovic, Lazar (Committee chair) Pignataro, Louis J. (Committee member) Bladikas, Athanassios K. (Committee member)
Date:	1994-10
Keywords:	Traffic estimation. Urban transportation.
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	The Urban Transportation Modeling System (UTMS) is a methodology used to estimate urban travel demand. This demand is measured as the volume of traffic that flows through a system of streets and highways. Through the use of traffic assignment software, parts of UTMS have become automated. One of the newest automated processes is the extraction of a subarea from a larger model. This extraction process is important to the local planner because it maintains a linkage from the regional model to the local model and it allows the user to extract an already distributed trip table rather than building one from scratch. This subarea process as practiced, is a one way information flow. The larger model is calibrated and its information is then passed down to the subarea model. The author proposes that an "information feedback loop" should be inserted into the process. This information channel is created by the subarea modeler using his calibration information and extra data collected specifically for the subarea model. This information is "looped" back to the regional model where it is used in recalibrating the larger model. The results of the test case in this thesis are used to develop general conclusions regarding the applicability of the feedback process, as well as areas of future improvement and research.