Stable release PTV Vissim 8 (2015) | Operating system | |
Developer(s) PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG Type Multi-modal micro-/mesoscopic traffic flow simulation License Software license agreement |
PTV Vissim is a microscopic multi-modal traffic flow simulation software package developed by PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG in Karlsruhe, Germany. The name is derived from "Verkehr In Städten - SIMulationsmodell" (German for "Traffic in cities - simulation model"). PTV Vissim was first developed in 1992 and is today a global market leader.
Contents
- Microscopic simulation
- Multi modality
- Scope of application
- Scientific foundations
- Scientific award
- Literature
- References
PTV Vissim is part of the PTV Vision Traffic Suite which also includes PTV Visum (traffic analysis and forecasting) and PTV Vistro (signal optimisation and traffic impact).
Microscopic simulation
"Microscopic simulation", sometimes called microsimulation, means each entity (car, train, person) of reality is simulated individually, i.e. it is represented by a corresponding entity in the simulation, thereby considering all relevant properties. The same holds for the interactions between the entities. The opposite would be a "macroscopic simulation", in which the description of reality is shifted from individuals to "averaged" variables like flow and density. The corresponding product from the same manufacturer is called Visum.
Multi-modality
"Multi-modal simulation" describes the ability to simulate more than one type of traffic. All these types can interact mutually. In Vissim the following types of traffic can be simulated
Scope of application
The scope of application ranges from various issues of traffic engineering (transport engineering, transportation planning, signal timing), public transport, urban planning over fire protection (evacuation simulation) to 3d visualization (computer animation, architectural animation) for illustrative purpose and communication to the general public.
Scientific foundations
The basic traffic model ruling the movement of vehicles was developed by Rainer Wiedemann in 1974 at Karlsruhe University. It is a car-following model that considers physical and psychological aspects of the drivers.
The model underlying pedestrian dynamics is the Social Force Model by Dirk Helbing et al. from 1995.
Scientific award
PTV AG has founded a bi-annual scientific award for scientific work related to PTV Vissim and other PTV products. Participation is open for any researcher.