Aimsun
Aimsun is a microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic traffic simulation software platform developed by Aimsun SLU (formerly TSS-Transport Simulation Systems). It is used for traffic planning, operations, and real-time traffic management applications.
Aimsun allows users to model various aspects of transportation networks, including:
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Microscopic Simulation: Simulates the behavior of individual vehicles, allowing for detailed analysis of driver behavior and vehicle interactions.
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Mesoscopic Simulation: Uses aggregated flow models to simulate traffic behavior in larger networks while maintaining some level of individual vehicle representation.
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Macroscopic Simulation: Models traffic flow at a more aggregated level, using flow-density-speed relationships. It's suited for large-scale network analysis and strategic planning.
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Hybrid Simulation: Allows for different simulation levels to be combined within the same model, providing flexibility in representing different parts of a network at varying levels of detail.
Aimsun supports a variety of transportation modes, including:
- Private vehicles
- Public transport (buses, trams, trains)
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists
- Freight transport
Key features and capabilities of Aimsun typically include:
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Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA): Models how drivers choose routes in response to changing traffic conditions.
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Real-time Traffic Management: Can be integrated with real-time traffic data to simulate and evaluate the impact of traffic management strategies.
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Emission Modeling: Estimates vehicle emissions based on simulated traffic patterns.
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Integration with External Data: Allows importing and exporting data from various sources, such as GIS databases and traffic sensor data.
Aimsun is commonly used by transportation planners, engineers, and researchers for a range of applications, such as:
- Evaluating the impacts of new infrastructure projects
- Optimizing traffic signal timing
- Developing and testing intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
- Analyzing the effects of incidents and congestion
- Planning for special events