Multi-Resolution Model Integration

Advances in traffic assignment methodologies are changing the way researchers and practitioners model regional and localized networks. However, transportation researchers are realizing the limitations of using certain specific model resolutions (microscopic, macroscopic, and mesoscopic) for multiple project applications. Multi-resolution modeling (MRM) integrates macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic models by enabling data sharing across modeling platforms to analyze transportation projects at different levels of detail. This report gives the benefits of MRM, notably its ability to more accurately present traffic conditions spatially and temporally. MRM could save time and resources, allowing planners to address the transportation issues that decision makers raise. The project's goal was to develop two conversion tools: DynusT-VISSIM Converter (DVC) and VISUM-DynusT Converter (VDC). The ultimate goal is to make these tools commercially viable by integrating them into the PTV America software or as standalone products. The DVC tool, a joint effort between the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and PTV America, was used successfully in several collaborative projects with the Texas Department of Transportation, Colorado Department of Transportation, and City of El Paso.