CEEn 662

Lab #1

Using SimTraffic to Simulate the 900E Signal System Model
(Goal: Learn the steps of simulation analysis)

1. Carefully examine the data you created / Compare your Synchro model of the 900E signal system model with those of your classmates to make sure your data are correct. You have two files: “Current” and “Optimized” from CEEn 562.
2. Examine the Interval & Volume option from the Options menu / In the Intervals tab window pay attention to the Seeding and Recording parameter values. You must have enough seeding time to fill up the system with vehicles for correct simulation, say 5 min to 10 min depending on the size of the network. Recording interval should be at minimum 15 minutes.
3. Run SimTraffic on both the “current” and “optimized” file. / SimTraffic will allow you to make multiple runs by a single command, but first make only one run to make sure you entered data correctly.
Make 5 runs in this lab (ideally more than this as you learned from reading “How many runs needed?”). Read page 25-4 and 26-2 of the Synchro Studio 9 manual that tells you how to make multiple simulation runs by a single command. This method will let you see the results as many times as you want. We will learn how to get a report out of SimTraffic during the lab. Get the average and standard deviation values of MOEs like delay, LOS, number of stops, etc. for each approach, intersection as a whole, and along the arterial (900E).
·  Check what kind of report you get. Do you see results of 5 runs? What’s your reaction?
·  When comparing MOEs, are average values good enough?
·  Look at the results of each run and compare some MOEs. Are they reasonable or off the norm?
4. Compare MOEs of the “current” and “optimized” file. / Make necessary tables and charts for comparison.
5. Prepare a lab report / Compare the results of the two cases and summarize your findings. The max number of pages of the body of the report is 3 pages. You may add other pertinent data, outputs, plots, etc. in the Appendix section. Appendices are for your record only. There is no max page restriction to the appendices. However, your appendices must have a number (like, Appendix I or Appendix A) and a caption (like, Output from SimTraffic 9). Also, anything that you include in the appendices must be referenced in the main text, like “Appendix A contains xxxx.”