An integrated GIS and micro-simulation system for dynamic routing

Traditionally, GIS can only perform route analysis in a static transportation network. This is probably due to the lack of real-time traffic information and corresponding simulation functionalities. The introduction of a traffic simulation environment, however, provides an opportunity for GIS to sort out this problem. This paper explores how to conduct route analyses in dynamic transportation networks by coupling a microscopic traffic simulation engine (i.e. PARAMICS) with a GIS environment (i.e. MapObjects). An interface for such coupling has been developed, in which PARAMICS simulates the traffic conditions with consideration of incidents and feeds in the dynamic link travel time to the system. With the aid of dynamic path finding algorithms the integrated system can implement routing according to users' requirement. It shows that the integration of traffic simulation system with GIS offers a powerful tool for traffic data management, dynamic analysis and presentation, which in turn supports intelligent transportation planning and management effectively.