Update on Cube Modeling Functions and Features

March 19, 2009 2

3

New Features - released

 Incorporation of more ESRI capabilities in Cube ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Read and write data to the geodatabase from batch process: 5.0 is personal geodatabase; 5.2 is enterprise (fall 2009) Integration of ESRI spatial functions within the model batch process (‘boxes’ in the flow chart) ▪ Examples: UNION, INTERSECT..

Can incorporate Python scripts within model flow Full support of ESRI-supported data formats including Microsoft Virtual Earth  Improvements in PT module ▪ ▪ PT Select Link PT User Benefit analysis New Features of Cube Voyager

PT User Benefits Analysis Features

 BESTPATHONLY ▪ Selects only path with least cost from enumerated routes ▪ Can be any mode  MUSTUSEMODE ▪ Selects mode combinations from enumerated routes ▪ Can use a single mode, group of single modes or mode combination to evaluate  Alternative methods available for headway calculation 4  New controls for route enumeration and evaluation processes New Features of Cube Voyager

5

New traffic assignment methods – now in beta/release late April

Cube Voyager, TP+, TRANPLAN and most other packages use link-based Frank-Wolf:    requires less memory relatively easy to implement but may experience low convergence speed at the vicinity of equilibrium solution New methods:

Conjugate and Bi-Conjugate Frank Wolf

.

Gradient Projection Algorithm

6

New traffic assignment methods

•

Stochastic Methods

– although a popular alternative methodology in uncongested networks for customers using TRIPS and Tranplan, a new stochastic methodology is being built for Voyager 5. Currently in beta test.

•

Route Choice

– As an advance from the basic stochastic methods, we are building discrete route choice algorithms (logit and profit functions) giving users the freedom of using any variables in their custom utility functions. Currently in beta test.

We are actively working with our customers, David Boyce, and other researchers to explore and other methodologies as well.

7

New traffic assignment methods

8

New activity model Inclusion of full-activity model within Cube Voyager script

•Based on methodology used in Sacramento and San Francisco County •Developed by Mark Bradley, Ken Vaughn and Victor Siu .

•Used directly for small and mid-sized urban areas •Increase segmentation in larger areas

9

New Modules

 Cube Avenue – extension to Cube Voyager providing mesoscopic dynamic traffic assignment  Cube Cluster – extension to Cube Base bringing distributed processing to Cube  Cube Land – new module for the modeling of land use New Features of Cube Voyager

10 New Features of Cube Voyager

Extension to Cube Voyager -- Cube Avenue

 Mesoscopic assignment (dynamic traffic assignment) ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ representing vehicles as discrete packets or individual vehicles assigning a specific time of departure routing the vehicles along multiple paths in response to dynamic traffic conditions representing queues and bottlenecks including ‘blocking back’ providing the ability to represent intersection geometrics and traffic control systems in detail.

Region-wide, corridor-level Evacuation modeling, greater analysis of geometrics, traffic control and ITS strategies

New Features of Cube Voyager

Extension for Cube Voyager -- Cube Cluster

 Brings very large time reductions in model runs  Provides 2 types of savings: ▪ Multi: take a three time period run and run the mode choice models on three processors simultaneously ▪ Intra: run one mode choice model over multiple processors.

 Time savings can be substantial ▪ Take a 10 hour run model and put across 10 pcs. Reduced to 1 hour and 10 minutes 11  Architecture: 1 desktop license plus multiple, low cost ‘node’ licenses

12 New Features of Cube Voyager

New Extension for Cube Voyager: Cube Cluster

Cube Cluster Time Tests St Louis Full Model Run Times

60:00 48:00 50:14 36:00 24:00 12:00 0:00 1 27:55 2 3 20:49 15:24 11:20 4 5 6

Number of Processing Nodes

7 8 9:20 9 8:08 10

Cube Land Background and Overview

 Cube Land is economic land-use modeling software designed especially for land-use and transport interaction models  Based upon the MUSSA II framework  Developed by Dr. Francisco Martinez and researchers at the University of Chile  Applied to studies of land-use and transportation policy in Santiago 13  Citilabs distributes Cube Land as a library coupled with the powerful Cube Base interface for modeling and GIS

General characteristics: economic principles

 Real estate market equilibrium between suppliers (developers) and consumers (households and firms)  Subject to bounds, constraints, restrictions, and policy assumptions ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Fixed development & institutional uses Limits on growth and re-development Taxes, subsidies, and zoning rules Vacant uses; undeveloped land 14  Clear behavioral logic ▪ Real estate properties are occupied by the household or firm willing to pay the most ▪ Developers maximize profits when deciding what type of buildings to provide

Input data requirements

 Households and firm totals by type ▪ Households stratified by size and income ▪ Firms stratified by size and industry  Zonal accessibility and attractiveness  Fixed or “base” real estate supply stock  Base zonal characteristics ▪ ▪ Total area by land use category Average household income 15  Real estate characteristics by zone ▪ Average lot size ▪ ▪ Average built area Average monthly cost (to supplier) From http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/files/PDS/planning%20and%20zoning/density_floorarearatio.pdf

16 

Output data

Households and employment by zone real estate property type  Built area by land use type in each zone  Average residential income by zone  Rents by real estate type and zone (simulated property prices)  Bids of each consumer type on each real estate property type and zone

17

Possible calibration data sets and uses

    Digitized parcel data ▪ Land use area totals by type and zone ▪ Real estate type characteristics by zone American Housing Survey (micro-data) ▪ Residential unit characteristics (e.g. lot size) ▪ Household characteristics (e.g. income, size) ▪ Commute information (journey-to-work) Zip Code Business Patterns ▪ Firms by industry and size (number of jobs) Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (micro-data) ▪ Block-level jobs by industry ▪ Tabulations of workers at residence

LED On the Map

18

Cube Cargo- Freight Forecasting

 Models Commodities ▪ ▪ ▪ Uses a 2 level zone system to represent data availability for generation and need to assign trucks Contains many default parameters for use when no local data is available Needed to understand what is ‘behind’ the truck flows  Urban service traffic ▪ Specific models to estimate and distribute truck trips of non-goods movement vehicles Key Methodologies in Cube

19 Key technologies in the ‘Labs

20 

Questions

Has PT (Public Transit Module) been fully adopted by FTA?

FTA does not 'adopt' models or software nor approve/disapprove commercial products. They expressed concern that the way they have defined the computation of user benefits in Summit as may not be compatible with the average skims produced by a multi path transit algorithm (PT). Citilabs worked closely with AECOM and FTA to implement changes in Voyager PT to add a new BESTPATHONLY capability as well as a MUSTUSEMODE capability such that PT can now operate as both a multi path algorithm or an all-or-nothing path algorithm which produces single path, single mode skims.

Citilabs has also contracted with AECOM to develop a PT training course for new starts analysis which provides guidance and instruction on using the new features of implemented in PT specifically to address new starts analysis. Citilabs has had several meetings with FTA staff and as far as we are aware they have no outstanding concerns regarding use of PT for new starts analysis if using the best path only option for path building

21

Questions

 Are there any successful new start applications done by PT?

We are not aware of any but neither are we aware of any unsuccessful new starts applications using PT.

22

Questions

Can Cube GIS integration meet our expectations? How do you plan to improve GIS functions in Cube?

As of the current v503 we have pretty much replicated all of the highway and transit network coding functionality that has always been available in Cube Graphics (Viper) in the new GIS window when editing a Cube GIS network. Almost all unique transportation graphics displays that have always been available in Cube Graphics are also now available in Cube GIS (multibandwidth displays, desire lines, transit boarding profiles, path file display etc.).

We are not aware of any functions desired by Florida users —but would welcome suggestions.

23 

Questions

ArcGIS script or user-written functions cannot be used in CUBE GIS environment.

ArcGIS script or user-written functions cannot be used in CUBE GIS environment, but you can certainly use/execute python (and nearly any other languages) as part of your applications either through command prompt execution or user programs. We believe there are very few limitations on user-written functions GIS or otherwise in Cube. We have now implemented a GEOPROCESSING module in Voyager to allow scripting of various geoprocessing commands. Currently in BETA —but for release with 5.1 (April). We have a good basic set of commands like UNION, INTERSECT, BUFFER, SELECT, PTACCESS, DISSOLVE etc. An example geoprocessing script is shown on the next page.

24

Example geoprocessing script

RUN PGM=GEOPROCESSING ; Select only stop nodes GPCOMMAND COMMAND=select_analysis, PARAMETER="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\Model_GeoData.mdb\AM_TNET_PRE_PTNode", "C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\PRE_PTStops.shp", "STOPNODE = 1" ; buffer based on pt stops BUFFER SHPI="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\PRE_PTStops.shp", SHPO="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\PRE_PTStopBuf1.shp", DISTANCE=1320, ; +' Unknown') ??

LINESIDE="FULL", ENDSTYLE="ROUND", DISSOLVE="ALL", DISSOLVEFIELDS="" BUFFER SHPI="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\PRE_PTStops.shp", SHPO="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\PRE_PTStopBuf2.shp", DISTANCE=2640, ; +' Unknown') ??

LINESIDE="FULL", ENDSTYLE="ROUND", DISSOLVE="ALL", DISSOLVEFIELDS="" ; buffer based on pt lines BUFFER SHPI="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\Model_GeoData.mdb\AM_TNET_BUS_PTLine", SHPO="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\BUS_PTLineBuf1.shp", DISTANCE=1320, ; +' Unknown') ??

LINESIDE="FULL", ENDSTYLE="ROUND", DISSOLVE="ALL", DISSOLVEFIELDS="" BUFFER SHPI="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\Model_GeoData.mdb\AM_TNET_BUS_PTLine", SHPO="C:\support\heejoo\Albuque_TEST\BUS_PTLineBuf2.shp", DISTANCE=2640, ; +' Unknown') ??

LINESIDE="FULL", ENDSTYLE="ROUND", DISSOLVE="ALL", DISSOLVEFIELDS="" ENDRUN

25

Questions

 Fully functional GIS tasks require ArcGIS 9.2 version or above.

That is correct. Cube will always maintain compatibility with the current version of ArcGIS.

 Have you thought about revising the license agreement with ESRI to include a full version of ArcGIS in the Cube package?

We are a full re-seller of ArcGIS and can include it within Cube. We will discuss with ESRI about a reduced package price.

26

Questions

 Can Cube Voyager run faster? Are there any major improvements on software to increase a Cube model running speed?

▪ Tranplan used fixed, compiled programs using integer-based calculations ▪ Voyager is an open working environment using real numbers ▪ Always a good idea to ‘audit’ a complex script to find areas to reduce run times. Assure shortest run times ▪ Example: calculate log sums only for OD’s with trips ▪ Review need to run the scripts for certain portions ▪ Example: iterate models for peak periods, but not for off-peak ▪ New methods for traffic assignment to be released which will reduce run times ▪ Use of Cube Cluster and high speed machines

27

Questions

 Cube script is 4 to 10 times slower than a user written program based in Fortran or C++ ▪ ▪ ▪ It will always be slower than Fortran or C++ Trade-off is openess of code versus run-times ▪ Easier to develop and maintain Researching compiling of Voyager script for privacy and run-time reduction  Cube Cluster is a good solution but needs fundamental improvements in Voyager. Has intrastep distributed processing of Cluster been improved to be applied in any modules such as matrix, PT etc.?

▪ ▪ Has always been available for Matrix and Highway Working on PT intrastep for release early next year. But make sure to use it in multi-step form now to reduce run times.