MATSim in the Open Digital Twin Platform

Abstract

MATSim simulations play a crucial role for research, industry, and governance. However, simulating mobility systems within MATSim requires large-scale efforts of data and software preparation, data transformation, computing hardware and data visualization. Digital twin offers a novel paradigm on how to manage the data and infrastructure efficiently and make the simulation results available in a reproducible manner with a low barrier to entry. We introduce the first prototype of a digital twin integrating MATSim to enable a common baseline for transport research and beyond. The Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) generates specific digital twins dynamically using containerization, loose coupling, and micro-services. In our first iteration, the prototype provides simulations for Switzerland called “CH on the move” consisting of an easy-to-use version of the eqasim pipeline for MATSim. We make it possible to initiate simulations of Switzerland with one click. Future versions of ODTP-based digital twins aim to include a rich set of relevant data sources and analytical pipelines related to transport and mobility and make them easily accessible to research, industry, and governance.