A first look at bridging discrete choice modeling and agent-based microsimulation in MATSim

Abstract

The agent-based transport simulation framework MATSim allows for the simulation of dynamic transport scenarios with agents, that adaptively make travel choices. Regarding mode choice, a heavily randomized process is used to date, which allows for very unrealistic mode decisions in the short run to arrive at consistent mode shares after a large number of iterations. The authors show that implementing a discrete mode choice model may drastically increase the convergence speed of the simulation, but point out that considerable future research is necessary to make travel decisions consistent and to back the process with a strong theoretical foundation.