Highlighted Resources
Have you ever wished that someone could provide you with some guide on what to read to learn about travel modeling and analysis? TMIP maintains a recommended reading as a general guide. In this section you will find some of the books and articles that the community has identified as excellent readings regarding travel analysis techniques. If you have any books or articles that you would like to recommend please submit your list here.
Land Use Modeling
Trip-Based Travel Modeling
- Introduction to Travel Demand Forecasting Self Instructional (CD-ROM ISO File, 59MB, 2001) - TMIP has created a self-instructional CD-ROM to help those who are just starting out in travel demand forecasting to understand the basic concepts. This file must be burned to a CD. For more information or to request a complete CD, contact Sarah Sun.
- Travel Estimation Techniques for Urban Planning, NCHRP 365 (PDF, 11.7MB, 1998) - This report updates NCHRP Report 187, "Quick-Response Urban Travel Estimation Techniques and Transferable Parameters" (1978). It provides a thorough review of the four-step travel demand process and transferable parameters that can be used in simple planning analyses.
- Metropolitan Travel Forecasting Current Practice and Future Direction, SR288 (PDF, 2.6MB, 2007) - The TRB special report tasked with assessing the state of the practice in travel demand forecasting and identifying shortcomings in travel forecasting models, obstacles to better practice, and actions needed to ensure the use of appropriate technical approaches.
- Travel Model Validation and Reasonableness Checking Manual Second Edition (PDF & HTML, 1.7MB, 2010) - This manual focuses on both existing trip-based and emerging activity- and tour-based modeling processes. While it is impossible to specify the checks needed to validate every possible model, this manual describes families of checks and provides concrete examples of their application.
Activity-Based Travel Modeling
- Implementing Activity-Based Models in Virginia (PDF, 391KB, 2009) - This report, prepared by Virginia DOT travel modeling staff, analyzes the feasibility and desirability of implementing activity-based models in Virginia, compared to implementing other advanced trip-based modeling strategies.
Simulation & Dynamic Traffic Assignment
- A Primer for Dynamic Traffic Assignment (PDF, 155KB, 2010) - The motivation to develop this primer was to provide neutral and factual information about DTA in order to facilitate informed decision-making by practitioners in planning or managing a DTA modeling activity, and to engage practitioners with educational material about modeling exercises and result interpretations related to DTA.
- FHWA Office of Operations Traffic Analysis Tools - The Program was formulated by FHWA in an attempt to strike a balance between efforts to develop new, improved tools in support of traffic operations analysis and efforts to facilitate the deployment and use of existing tools.
Freight & Commercial Vehicle Modeling
- Quick Response Freight Manual II (PDF & HTML, 2.2MB, 2007) - This manual is designed to provide background information on the freight transportation system and factors affecting freight demand to planners who may be relatively new to this area; to provide simple techniques and transferable parameters that can be used to develop freight vehicle trip tables.
- Accounting for Commercial Vehicles in Urban Transportation Models (PDF & HMTL, 2004) - This research was designed to look at all travel that is not adequately represented by the current state-of-the-practice for urban transportation planning models. Improved methods for estimating commercial vehicle trips will provide capabilities that allow for more accurate analysis of many additional transportation planning functions and development of transportation policies.
- Forecasting Statewide Freight Toolkit, NCHRP 606 (PDF, 6.4MB, 2008) - This Toolkit is designed to provide transportation planners with the information they need to prepare forecasts of freight transportation by highlighting techniques successfully developed by state agencies across the country.
- Other FHWA freight planning publications
Air Emissions Modeling
- Verifying the Accuracy of Regional Models Used in Transportation and Air Quality Planning (HMTL, 2004) - This research was designed to look at all travel that is not adequately represented by the current state-of-the-practice for urban transportation planning models. Improved methods for estimating commercial vehicle trips will provide capabilities that allow for more accurate analysis of many additional transportation planning functions and development of transportation policies.
- Transportation and Climate Change Clearinghouse - The Transportation and Climate Change Clearinghouse is designed as a one-stop source of information on transportation and climate change issues. It includes information on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, analytic methods and tools, GHG reduction strategies, potential impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure, and approaches for integrating climate change considerations into transportation decision making.
- MOVES - EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) has developed the MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES). This emission modeling system estimates emissions for mobile sources covering a broad range of pollutants and allows multiple scale analysis. MOVES currently estimates emissions from cars, trucks & motorcycles. We plan to add the capability to model non-highway mobile sources in future releases.
- Other FHWA air quality planning publications
