Introducing rubber-banding for transport planning

Software and consulting group PTV has launched a new version of its transport planning software, Visum 14, with major new functionality, including what the company calls ‘rubber-banding’, which enables users to realistically model spontaneous detours. "With rubber-banding, starting point and main activity as well as intermediate stops are connected with, metaphorically speaking, a rubber band," explains Dr.-Ing. Johannes Schlaich, director of PTV Visum Product Management and Services. "The stronger the r
August 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Software and consulting group 3264 PTV has launched a new version of its transport planning software, Visum 14, with major new functionality, including what the company calls ‘rubber-banding’, which enables users to realistically model spontaneous detours.

"With rubber-banding, starting point and main activity as well as intermediate stops are connected with, metaphorically speaking, a rubber band," explains Dr.-Ing. Johannes Schlaich, director of PTV Visum Product Management and Services. "The stronger the rubber band, the more likely it is for example, that the shops in the activity chain Home-Work-Shopping-Home are situated on the route between home and work."

Other features include distributed computing which allows users to distribute scenarios across multiple computers in order to calculate them in parallel with one another. PTV Visum 14 makes it possible to use distributed computing outside the scenario management. Selected procedures such as private and public transport assignments and Visum calculations of different demand strata can now be calculated on different computers in parallel. Once completed, the results from the different computation nodes are automatically merged.

PTV Visum 14's public transport (PuT) timetable editor has been completely updated and now includes several requested functions, such as the ability to freely edit the stop sequence using a graphical editor. In addition, the new incremental PuT-importer ensures rapid importing and updating of PuT supply from one file version to another.

"The new PuT-importer does not only allow the transfer of PuT supply completely into a street and rail network, but also replaces or supplements existing elements of an existing PuT network," explains Schlaich. "This represents a huge reduction in the modeller's workload, particularly when it comes to regular timetable updates."

GIS/ Mapping & Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Coded exchanges
    July 24, 2012
    For many, Ethernet- and IP-based networks are the cast-iron solution to ITS's communications needs. However, there remain issues from manufacturer to manufacturer with interpretation of what are supposed to be common standards The 'promise' of Ethernet was that different devices such as IP video cameras and traffic signals could be easily integrated into communications networks, simplifying the process of transporting data over copper, fibre or wirelessly. However, although Ethernet devices have come to pre
    Read More
  • Pricing practise for HOT lane operation
    May 11, 2017
    Timothy Compston weighs up the critical elements that keep the wheels of dynamic pricing schemes turning in today's high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. In the drive towards smarter tolling it is perhaps not surprising that sophisticated pricing algorithms are being rolled out to better reflect supply and demand on the roadway. This is the case with high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes which a growing number of DoTs are seeing as a way of smoothing the operation of their existing, and planned, freeway infrastructure
    Read More
  • LiDAR sets its sights on future problems
    February 23, 2017
    AAdvances in LiDAR are helping transport authorities improve services and identify potential problem areas, as geospatial technology expert Dr Neil Slatcher explains. The effects of climate change on the transport infrastructure have long been a cause of concern within the transportation sector - and not only on the structures themselves but also on the surrounding areas. This year, those concerns have become reality with landslides, structural collapses and surfacing issues impacting services across the wo
    Read More
  • Tech advances create MaaS without compromise
    August 29, 2019
    Advances in technology make it possible for authorities to compile and maintain MaaS platforms cheaply - and without relinquishing control to third parties. Colin Sowman finds out more… It is increasingly clear that local authorities’ reluctance to implement Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is based on politics and finance. However, the technology underpinning MaaS is evolving rapidly and is presenting new solutions. At its heart, the political resistance comes down to the divide between the ethos of public
    Read More

Highlighted Content