Application of Microscopic Simulation Model Calibration and Validation – Case Study of a Coordinated Actuated Signal System

Byungkyu (Brian) Park, Jongsun Won, and Ilsoo Yun (University of Virginia)

Microscopic traffic simulation models have been widely applied to the evaluation of transportation engineering and planning practices for the past few decades, particularly in cases where field implementation is difficult or expensive to conduct. To achieve high fidelity and credibility of a traffic simulation model, model calibration and validation are of utmost importance. Based on a previously developed model calibration and validation procedure, this research focuses on application of the procedure at a sizeable real arterial network consisted of 12 signalized intersections on Route 50 in Northern Virginia. The study results showed that the procedure can adequately represent the field conditions while default parameters were not.