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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation
OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE TURNER-FAIRBANK HIGHWAY RESEARCH CENTER

Verification and Calibration of Microscopic Traffic Simulation using Driver Behavior and Car Following Metrics for Freeway Segments

Project Information

Project ID:
FHWA-PROJ-19-0088
Project Abstract:

Typically, the validity of microscopic simulation scenarios is evaluated based on macroscopic measures such as travel time, delay, and queues. This is in part due to limitations or inability to collect field data at a microscopic scale (i.e., for an individual vehicle). The main objective of the proposed research is to leverage microscopic driving behavior and car-following metrics directly derived from Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) datasets to develop guidelines to assist and enhance the calibration and verification of microscopic traffic simulation.

This project is intended to provide practitioners and researchers with new criteria to evaluate simulation from a microscopic point of view, complementing typical calibration efforts for macroscopic performance measures. The proposed systematic extraction of NDS driver behavior (such as free flow speed, acceleration, and deceleration rates) and car-following metrics (such as vehicle spacing and following speed), will provide unique ground truth data to better understand and characterize how drivers respond to different traffic conditions in freeway segments. The project team will use these metrics to calibrate simulated scenarios to enhance the simulation’s ability to reproduce traffic conditions and scenarios for planning, operational, and safety analysis.

Project Status:
Active
Project Funding Amount (Contract Award Amount):
$347,813.00
Start Date:
End Date:
Public Access Plan:
Yes
Laboratory:
Grant/Contract ID:
  • 693JJ320F000021
FHWA Program Area:
  • Safety
Fiscal Year / AMRP Program / AMRP Activity:
FY 2002-2022 / Safety / Safety Data and Analysis
FHWA Activity:
  • Naturalistic Driving Study Pooled Fund

Contact Information

First Name:
Charles
Last Name:
Fay
Phone Number:
(202) 493-3336
Email Address:
Team:
Safety Data and Analysis Team
Office:
Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development
Office Code:
HRSO-20

Management Organizations

Sponsor Organization

Organization Role:
Sponsor Organization
Organization:
Federal Highway Administration: Office of Research, Development and Technology - Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development

Performing Organization

Organization Role:
Performing Organization
Organization:
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.