Inventory of activity- and agent-based models
Commissioned by SIVMO - a partnership of several Dutch governments and infrastructure authorities - Panteia conducted research on the potential and practical application of activity- and agent-based models (AABMs) to draft mobility and transport policies.
The report "Inventory of activity- and agent-based transport models" was prepared by Jan Kiel, Servé Hermens, Mirco Hogetoorn, Janneke Janson-Goossens and Lucia Schlemmer of Panteia, and describes the opportunities and challenges of a transition from traditional transport models to the more advanced activity- and agent-based models.
Background
Traditional transport models have long served as the basis for transport planning and policymaking. However, these models often lack the flexibility and detail needed to design policies for modern transport systems. The changing mobility landscape, characterised by innovations such as autonomous vehicles, smart mobility solutions and increasing demands for social equity and inclusion, requires a more sophisticated approach.
Activity-based models (AcBMs) and agent-based models (AgBMs) provide a more detailed and realistic representation of travel behaviour and patterns. These models are particularly well suited to tackle complex problems, such as the integration of new mobility solutions and the equitable distribution of transport resources. Recognising these advances, SIVMO initiated this study to explore the potential and practical application of AABMs in improving transport systems.
Overview of the report
The report provides an inventory and analysis of AABMs, focusing on their ability to provide a more nuanced and accurate representation of travel behaviour. The main topics covered in the report are:
- Model definitions. Explanations of AcBMs and AgBMs, focusing on their characteristics and advantages over traditional models.
- Methods. Exploration of population syntheses, dealing with stochasticity and noise, and determining the appropriate geographical scope for these models.
- Data requirements. Guidance on the types of data needed, data access and ownership issues, and strategies for managing data quality and privacy.
- Organisational insights. Emphasis on the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, capacity building and education or training of different stakeholders.
- Practical experiences. Experiences from governments, academics and market players on the challenges and best practices in developing and implementing AABMs.
The report was produced through an extensive literature review, interviews with experts from governments, consultants and universities, and an international workshop discussing various aspects of AABMs. This approach provided a thorough exploration of the potential, challenges and practical applications of AABMs.
Results
The report concludes that AABMs allow these models to provide more accurate simulations of individual travel behaviour, providing valuable insights for policy and infrastructure planning. The report also describes the role of data, advanced computing resources and interdisciplinary collaboration in the development, implementation and application of these models.
The main findings are:
- Improved policy analysis. AABMs provide richer and more detailed results, enabling more targeted policy interventions.
- Improved simulation capabilities. The models offer better integration of new mobility trends, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and autonomous vehicles.
- Organisational recommendations. The report advocates the establishment of training programmes, interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of open-source software to avoid vendor lock-ins.
About SIVMO
SIVMO (Samenwerkingsverband en Innovatie Verkeersmodellen door Overheden) is a partnership of several Dutch governments and infrastructure authorities that focuses on researching and improving transport modelling techniques. The partnership includes Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, the provinces of North Brabant and Utrecht, the Transport Region of Amsterdam, the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam and The Hague and the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. SIVMO tackles the challenges of the changing mobility landscape with innovative and effective modelling techniques.
More information and download
Interested parties, including policymakers, researchers and practitioners, are invited to download this report. Download the full report here. For more detailed information on the report and findings, please contact Jan Kiel. Your feedback and questions are greatly appreciated as we continue to strive for advances in transport modelling and planning.
