Microsimulation Services

TRL are the design authority for both MOVA and SCOOT®, which are clear success stories in the UK with MOVA installed at more than 3000 UK junctions and it is being installed at a rate approaching 300 per year. SCOOT® is also used extensively with more than 250 towns and cities currently using it worldwide.

TRL have produced PCMOVA which allows MOVA to be linked to either S-Paramics or VISSIM. With the increasing use of microsimulation to model wider areas, many models will include junctions that are MOVA controlled in reality. Without being able to model these junctions under MOVA control, the models were proving unrealistic. With PCMOVA, the models can now give realistic results, allowing planners to carry out their task effectively.

PCMOVA allows engineers and modellers alike to ‘try before you buy’. So, especially for more complex junctions and linked-MOVA situations, it is possible to see the potential benefits of using MOVA before installation. In many simple cases it isn’t really necessary to assess the benefits, as just going ahead and installing MOVA could cost less than carrying out an assessment!

For more complex cases, it may well be worth showing the benefits and justifying the cost of installing MOVA. Also, just as importantly, junction operation and layout can be optimised within the model, both to maximise the benefits of fitting MOVA and possibly to reduce the amount of time spent during on-street validation. It also means that any mistakes made will not have the impact that they could have if they occurred on-street.

An important aspect of using PCMOVA is the need to understand MOVA itself. Like many aspects of traffic signal control, understanding MOVA may be demanding, and is not something that can necessarily be achieved within the time-scales of most normal assessment projects. With detailed knowledge of MOVA, TRL are able to help particularly with MOVA design and implementation issues, and can provide validation of both MOVA and the S-Paramics or VISSIM model as well.

TRL has the ability to link SCOOT® to VISSIM.  If you would like to compare MOVA (linked or otherwise) with SCOOT® for a particular network, or even individual junctions, TRL can carry out the work. Comparisons do not need to include MOVA: SCOOT® can also be compared to fixed time or VA within VISSIM as well.

To be able to model MOVA or SCOOT® within a microsimulation model, detailed knowledge is required not only of how to set up the control strategies in the first place, but also what peculiarities need to be taken into account when modelling in microsimulations, as opposed to implementing on street. We have expertise not only in MOVA and SCOOT®, but also in using VISSIM and S-Paramics, and can provide an excellent service to clients who need to include MOVA and/or SCOOT® within their models. TRL can create models from scratch, naturally, and can apply our expertise to give the client an impartial assessment of their junction or network. Furthermore, with a thorough background knowledge of MOVA and SCOOT®, the solution provided will be optimum. The solution can also include optimisation of the junction layout and the signal phasing to best suit the strengths of MOVA, further improving the solution. Linking between junctions can also be optimised prior to on-street implementation, avoiding a potentially lengthy validation process on street.

If you are interested in our services please contact [email protected]. We will be more than happy to help.