Linking ATIS/ATMS and environmental plume dispersion models

Legislation, which links federal funding with the successful demonstration that emission standards will be met, has caused traffic engineers to become increasingly concerned with the monitoring, control and mitigation of air-borne pollutants produced by automobiles. In order to reduce the level of these emissions many traffic engineers are considering the application of a variety of ATIS/ATMS (advanced traveler information systems/advanced traffic management systems) strategies. Traffic engineers have also begun to search for appropriate methods for estimating changes in the generation and dispersion of pollutants as a result of different ATIS/ATMS strategies. The standard approach, to modelling emission dispersion, relies on the use of air quality standard (AQS) models. However, these models generally require as input a spatially correlated time series of the magnitude of the pollutant input sources. An accurate estimate of this input data stream, or of changes to this input stream due to the deployment of ATIS/ATMS, has been to date difficult to obtain. This paper describes the development and sample application of an extension to a standard traffic network modelling approach, that can be used to develop either the point, line or area source emissions that are required as inputs to AQS models. The application of this modelling approach is illustrated for a network representing Orlando, Florida to demonstrate its functional capabilities and its applicability to realistic sized urban centres.