Refinement of the virtual intermodal transportation system (VITS) and adoption for metropolitan area traffic simulation

Abstract

This paper motivates the requirement for traffic simulation in a metropolitan area presenting the example of Hamburg, Germany, with focus on the traffic induced by its major sea port. As candidate for such a traffic simulator, the Virtual Inter-modal Transportation System (VITS) approach to traffic simulation is summarized, followed by a discussion of its adaptability to an urban city area instead of an US state like Mississippi or Alabama. With respect on its disadvantages, the VITS model is re-implemented in Java with the assumption of constant vehicles' speeds in-between the traffic nodes no longer necessary. The consequences of this change are analyzed by some scenario experiments.