Crowd Flow Modeling of Athletes in Mass Sports Events -- a Macroscopic Approach

We propose a macroscopic model in form of a dispersion-transport equation for non-congested flow of the athletes which is coupled to a kinematic-wave model for congested flow. The model takes into account the performance (i.e., free-flow speed distributions) of the athletes in the different starting groups. The model is calibrated and validated on data of the German $\textit{Rennsteig Half Marathon 2012}$ and the Swedish $\textit{Vasaloppet 2012}$ cross-country ski race. Simulations of the model allow the event managers to improve the organization by determining the optimum number of starting groups, the maximum size of each group, whether a wave start with a certain starting delay between the groups is necessary, or what will be the effects of changing the course. We apply the model to simulate a planned course change for the Rennsteig Half Marathon 2013, and determine whether critical congestions are likely to occur.Comment: Presented at the Conference Traffic and Graranular Flow '13 (Juelich). Will appear in the proceedings (Springer

Reconstructing the Traffic State by Fusion of Heterogeneous Data

We present an advanced interpolation method for estimating smooth spatiotemporal profiles for local highway traffic variables such as flow, speed and density. The method is based on stationary detector data as typically collected by traffic control centres, and may be augmented by floating car data or other traffic information. The resulting profiles display transitions between free and congested traffic in great detail, as well as fine structures such as stop-and-go waves. We establish the accuracy and robustness of the method and demonstrate three potential applications: 1. compensation for gaps in data caused by detector failure; 2. separation of noise from dynamic traffic information; and 3. the fusion of floating car data with stationary detector data.Comment: For more information see http://www.mtreiber.de or http://www.akesting.d

An Open-Source Microscopic Traffic Simulator

We present the interactive Java-based open-source traffic simulator available at www.traffic-simulation.de. In contrast to most closed-source commercial simulators, the focus is on investigating fundamental issues of traffic dynamics rather than simulating specific road networks. This includes testing theories for the spatiotemporal evolution of traffic jams, comparing and testing different microscopic traffic models, modeling the effects of driving styles and traffic rules on the efficiency and stability of traffic flow, and investigating novel ITS technologies such as adaptive cruise control, inter-vehicle and vehicle-infrastructure communication