Simulation Program Aims to Model Traffic within Entire Cities

摘要

For any transportation planner or engineer who has ever wanted to know in advance how changes in traffic patterns or mass transit use would affect congestion in an urban environment, help may soon be on the way. Researchers in Japan recently announced the development of a simulation program that they claim can be used to model traffic patterns on the scale of a major city. Jointly developed by researchers at ibm's Tokyo Research Laboratory and Kyoto University, the simulator is known as the Large-Scale Multi-Agent Traffic Simulation System. Considered the first of its kind, the system was created with the goal of simulating the driving behavior of individuals to an unprecedented degree.