Methodology for an integrated modelling of macro and microscopic processes in urban transport demand

The paper presents the theoretical formulation and the underlying assumptions for an activity-based approach of transport demand modelling. Starting with the definition of a time hierarchy of decision-making in the urban environment, rules are formulated that dictate the general hierarchic structure of individuals’ choices in the urban system. The temporal scale defines decisions for activities and their daily sequence, the geographical scale decisions associated to destination choice processes. We build activity plans (number and daily sequence of activities) from an empirical data set and calculate trip paths (time-spatial trajectories including transport modes and travel destinations) assuming consumers to maximize their utility in the decision-making process. First results of the translation of the theoretical model into a real-world application are shown for the city of Santiago, Chile

Modelling public transport accessibility with Monte Carlo stochastic simulations: A case study of Ostrava

Activity-based micro-scale simulation models for transport modelling provide better evaluations of public transport accessibility, enabling researchers to overcome the shortage of reliable real-world data. Current simulation systems face simplifications of personal behaviour, zonal patterns, non-optimisation of public transport trips (choice of the fastest option only), and do not work with real targets and their characteristics. The new TRAMsim system uses a Monte Carlo approach, which evaluates all possible public transport and walking origin-destination (O-D) trips for k-nearest stops within a given time interval, and selects appropriate variants according to the expected scenarios and parameters derived from local surveys. For the city of Ostrava, Czechia, two commuting models were compared based on simulated movements to reach (a) randomly selected large employers and (b) proportionally selected employers using an appropriate distance-decay impedance function derived from various combinations of conditions. The validation of these models confirms the relevance of the proportional gravity-based model. Multidimensional evaluation of the potential accessibility of employers elucidates issues in several localities, including a high number of transfers, high total commuting time, low variety of accessible employers and high pedestrian mode usage. The transport accessibility evaluation based on synthetic trips offers an improved understanding of local situations and helps to assess the impact of planned changes.Web of Science1124art. no. 709

Multi-Agent Systems

This Special Issue ""Multi-Agent Systems"" gathers original research articles reporting results on the steadily growing area of agent-oriented computing and multi-agent systems technologies. After more than 20 years of academic research on multi-agent systems (MASs), in fact, agent-oriented models and technologies have been promoted as the most suitable candidates for the design and development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments. With respect to both their quality and range, the papers in this Special Issue already represent a meaningful sample of the most recent advancements in the field of agent-oriented models and technologies. In particular, the 17 contributions cover agent-based modeling and simulation, situated multi-agent systems, socio-technical multi-agent systems, and semantic technologies applied to multi-agent systems. In fact, it is surprising to witness how such a limited portion of MAS research already highlights the most relevant usage of agent-based models and technologies, as well as their most appreciated characteristics. We are thus confident that the readers of Applied Sciences will be able to appreciate the growing role that MASs will play in the design and development of the next generation of complex intelligent systems. This Special Issue has been converted into a yearly series, for which a new call for papers is already available at the Applied Sciences journal’s website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Multi-Agent_Systems_2019

An overview of agent-based traffic simulators

Individual traffic significantly contributes to climate change and environmental degradation. Therefore, innovation in sustainable mobility is gaining importance as it helps to reduce environmental pollution. However, effects of new ideas in mobility are difficult to estimate in advance and strongly depend on the individual traffic participants. The application of agent technology is particularly promising as it focuses on modelling heterogeneous individual preferences and behaviours. In this paper, we show how agent-based models are particularly suitable to address three pressing research topics in mobility: 1. Social dilemmas in resource utilisation; 2. Digital connectivity; and 3. New forms of mobility. We then explain how the features of several agent-based simulators are suitable for addressing these topics. We assess the capability of simulators to model individual travel behaviour, discussing implemented features and identifying gaps in functionality that we consider important