Wide-area traffic simulation based on driving behavior model

Abstract

Multiagent-based simulations are a key part of several research fields. Multiagent-based simulations yield multiagent societies that well reproduce human societies, and so are seen as an excellent tool for analyzing the real world. A multiagent-based simulation allows crowd behavior to emerge through interactions among agents where each agent is affected by the emerging crowd behavior. The interaction between microscopic and macroscopic behaviors has long been considered an important issue, termed the "micro-macro problem", in the field of sociology, but research on the issue is still premature in the engineering domain. We are focusing on citywide traffic as a target problem and are attempting to realize mega-scale multiagent-based traffic simulations. While macro-level simulations are popular in the traffic domain, it has been recognized that micro-level analysis is also beneficial. However, there is no software platform that can realize analyses based on both micro and macro viewpoints due to implementation difficulties. In this paper, we propose a traffic simulation platform that can execute citywide traffic simulations that include driving behavior models. Our simulation platform enables the introduction of individual behavior models while still retaining scalability. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.