Aimsun is an integrated transport modelling software, developed and marketed by TSS - Transport Simulation Systems

TSS - Transport Simulation Systems

TSS – Transport Simulation Systems is a privately held company based in Barcelona, Spain with a branch office in New York City, USA. TSS develops and distributes the transport modelling software Aimsun and Aimsun Online....

 based in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

.

Aimsun software is used by government agencies, municipalities, universities and consultants worldwide for traffic engineering

Traffic engineering

Traffic engineering can mean:* traffic engineering , a branch of civil engineering* teletraffic engineering, a field of statistical techniques used in telecommunications...

, traffic simulation

Traffic Simulation

Traffic simulation or the simulation of transportation systems is the mathematical modeling of transportation systems through the application of computer software to better help plan, design and operate transportation systems...

, transportation planning

Transportation planning

Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...

 and emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...

 studies. It is used to improve road infrastructure, reduce emissions, cut congestion and design urban environments for vehicles and pedestrians.

The latest version of Aimsun (6.1.3) was released on 24th December 2010.

Aimsun is currently one of the market leaders in transport simulation software with nearly 2,000 licensed users in over 60 countries. It is also used for real-time, online traffic forecasting as Aimsun Online

Aimsun Online

Aimsun Online is a real-time traffic forecasting solution, developed and marketed by TSS - Transport Simulation Systems based in Barcelona, Spain....

.

Product features

Aimsun 6.1.3 integrates three types of transport models (macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic) into one software application. This allows for the 2D and 3D visualisation of transport scenarios in major world cities at detailed and high levels.

Macroscopic static traffic assignment

Capabilities include assigning traffic onto a network at a macroscopic level, adjusting Origin-Destination (OD) matrices to reflect real-world data, and the evaluation and recommendation of detector layout and locations.

Mesoscopic simulation

Used by practitioners to model dynamic aspects of very large networks. Aimsun software combines simplified car-following and lane changing for quicker simulation with detailed microscopic modelling of key events and sections.

Microscopic simulation

Features include detailed car-following and lane changing models, real-world calibrated parameters and scalable simulation.

Dynamic traffic assignment

Two different schemes can be used for mesoscopic or microscopic simulation based on statistical distribution or driver selected routes.

Vehicle-pedestrian simulation

Aimsun has formed a partnership with Legion to form Legion for Aimsun, a pedestrian simulation application that is fully integrated inside Aimsun software as a plug-in. It enables traffic engineers and planners to model how vehicles and pedestrians interact with each other in any urban environment.

Other features

Other features include:

• Creation of vehicle actuated signals
• Introduction public transport priority schemes
• Definition of traffic management strategies using triggers and actions
• Import, editing and manipulation of OD data
• Management of scenarios, iterations and replications
• Production of outputs as images videos, tables or raw data

Compatibility

Aimsun can exchange data with CAD, GIS, transport modelling, signal optimisation and adaptive control software tools (DWG, DXF, DGN

DGN

DGN is the name used for CAD file formats supported by Bentley Systems' MicroStation and Intergraph's Interactive Graphics Design System CAD programs.There are two versions of DGN:...

, GIS, Emme

Emme

Emme may refer to:*Rivers in Switzerland:**Emme , flowing through Emmental, Canton of Berne**Kleine Emme, flowing through Entlebuch, Canton of Lucerne*Emme Emme Aronson, a plus-size model...

, CONTRAM, Saturn, CUBE, VISUM, VISSIM

VISSIM

VISSIM is a microscopic multi-modal traffic flow simulation software. It is developed by PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG in Karlsruhe, Germany. The name is derived from “Verkehr In Städten - SIMulationsmodell”...

, Paramics, TRANSYT

Transyt

TRANSYT is a software package developed in the UK by the Transport Research Laboratory. TRANSYT is the acronym for TRAffic Network StudY Tool.It is used to assess and optimise the performance of networks of road junctions by assigning costs to vehicle stops and delays...

, SYNCHRO, VS-PLUS

VS-PLUS

VS-PLUS is a control method for road intersection controlled by traffic lights. The traffic lights are connected to a controller where VS-PLUS runs as a separate process....

, UTOPIA, SCATS), SCOOT, ETRA, SICE, Telent, Telvent and ZGZ Prio.

Programming

Aimsun can be customised using Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

, Qt

Qt (toolkit)

Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers...

 and C++

C++

C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...

.

Licensing

Aimsun 6.1.3 is available in four editions: Small, Standard, Professional and Advanced.

Practical uses

• Impact analysis of infrastructure design
• Environmental studies
  Environmental studies
  Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
  
   and creation of green zones
• Toll, road pricing and congestion charging
• Control plan and signal optimisation
• Urban and interurban traffic demand management
• Support system for public transport management
• Safety analysis and emergency evacuation planning

External links

• Aimsun official website
• Aimsun user forum
• Aimsun YouTube channel
• Aimsun YouTube demonstration
• Legion for Aimsun

Literature

• The role of simulation in advanced traffic management systems, in: Proc. of the 7th World Conf. on ITS, Torino, Barceló, J.: 2000.
• GETRAM/AIMSUN: A software environment for microscopic traffic analysis, in: Proc. of the Workshop on Next Generation Models for Traffic Analysis, Monitoring and Management, Tucson, AZ, September, Barceló, J.: 2001.
• The use of neural networks for short-term prediction of traffic demand, in: A. Zeder (ed.), Transportation and Traffic Theory, Pergamon, Barceló, J. and Casas, J.: 1999.
• Dynamic network simulation with AIMSUN, Preprints of the Proc. of the Internat. Symposium on Transport Simulation, Yokohama, Kluwer, in press, Barceló, J. and Casas, J.: 2003.
• Analysis of dynamic guidance systems by microsimulation with AIMSUN2, in: Proc. of the 6th World Conf. on ITS, Toronto, Barceló, J., Casas, J., and Ferrer, J. L.: 1999a.
• Modeling advanced transport telematic applications with microscopic simulators: The case of AIMSUN2, in: W. Brilon, F. Huber, M. Schreckenberg and H. Wallentowitz (eds), Traffic and Mobility, Simulation, Economics, Environment, Springer, Berlin, Barceló, J., Casas, J., Ferrer, J. L., and García, D.: 1999b.