Center for Activity Systems Analysis

This paper describes the development of SIMAP, an activity-based microsimulation model for travel demand forecasting. The model is part of a larger research effort aimed at the development of innovative transportation planning methodologies that address contemporary legislative and judicial mandates. The model builds upon existing research that demonstrates that travel behavior should be viewed holistically using activity-travel patterns, a time-dependent representation of the activities in which an individual engages. A microsimulation approach integrated with a geographic information system is advanced to synthesize individual 24-hour activity-travel patterns for households that reflect the existing transportation/land use system. By using activity-travel patterns as the basis of the SIMAP, the timing, sequencing and connections between activities are explicitly included in the model. The final product of this research is a prototype modeling system that has the potential to replace some or all aspects of the traditional 'four-step' modeling process.