Run the Model

This section provides instructions for executing the travel model. For a description of the underlying computing environment, see Computing Environment; for a general description of the underlying system design, see System Design; for a description of the configuration files likely needing to be modified before executing the model, see Setup and Configuration.

Execute Entire Model Stream via Emme

One can run though the entire model stream from the CT-RAMP java-based models through assignment from within Emme. This starts the household manager, matrix manager, JPPF driver, builds skims, runs all model components, and performs highway and transit assignments. The current SANDAG implementation runs three full iterations of the models (i.e. the model starts with assignment of base-year trip tables, and speeds from previous assignments are fed back through the entire model stream).

The SANDAG travel demand model is executed via the Master run tool, which can be run from Emme Modeller. To access the Master run tool, start from a project configured as described under Setup and Configuration.

1. Open Emme Desktop using the emme_project/emme_project.emp file. Double click on the file, see figure below.

2. Highlight Scen. 100 (-- --): Empty Scenario and click OK.
3. Open the Emme Modeller window, from the icon in the toolbar, or from the menu under Tools -> Modeller. If the icon is greyed out, it’s likely due to unsuccessful creation of emmp_project due to invalid Emme license.
4. From the Modeller window, open the SANDAG toolbox in the left-hand pane, and double-click on the Master run tool as shown in the figure below.

5. The Master run tool operates the SANDAG travel demand model. To operate the model, configure the inputs by providing Scenario ID, Scenario title and Emmebank title, and keeping Number of Processors to default. Select main ABM directory will automatically be set to the current project directory and does not require change. The Master run tool UI is shown in in the figure below.

   • Main ABM directory: directory which contains the ABM scenario data, including this project. The default is the parent directory of the current Emme project.
   • Scenario ID: Scenario ID for the base imported network data. The result scenarios are indexed in the next five scenarios by time period.
   • Scenario title: title to use for the scenario.
   • Emmebank title: title to use for the Emmebank (Emme database)
   • Number of processors: the number of processors to use for traffic and transit assignments and skims, aggregate demand models (where required) and other parallelized procedures in Emme. Default is Max available – 1.
   • Properties (conf/sandag_abm.properties)
     • On opening the Master run tool the sandag_abm.properties file is read and the values cached and the inputs below are pre-set. When the Run button is clicked this file is written out with the values specified. Any manual changes to the file in-between opening the tool and clicking the Run button are overwritten.
     • Sample rate by iteration: three comma-separated values for the CTRAMP sample rates for each iteration
     • Start from iteration: start iteration for the model run
     • Skip steps: optional checkboxes to skip model steps.
   • Select link: add select link analyses for traffic.

6. Expand the Run model – skip steps drop down to make any custom changes. Usually the defaults should be sufficient although if you are using a new bike network, you should uncheck the Skip bike logsums and check the Skip copy of bikelogsum

7. Click Run to start the model run.
8. Occasionally check model run status. If successful, the model will finish in 2.5 to 3 days.
9. Close out of Emme windows and log off server if finished.

If the run is unsuccessful (there will be an error prompt from Emme), check Emme logbook and log files (under “logfiles”) for clues to where it stopped.

As the model runs, a full runtime trace of the model steps, inputs and reports is recorded in the Modeller Logbook. As each step completes, it will record an entry in the Logbook along with reports and other results. The Logbook can be opened from the icon in the upper right of the Modeller window. This icon can also be found in the toolbar in the Emme Desktop. If a Modeller tool is running, a window will pop-up over the Emme Desktop which includes a Show Logbook button (this window can be closed to use Desktop worksheets and tables while any tool is running). Click on the Refresh button to update the logbook view with the latest status.

The Logbook provides a real time, automated documentation of the model execution. The overall structure of the model is represented at the top level, with the occurrence, sequence and repetition of the steps involved in the model process. Nested Logbook entries may be collapsed or expanded to see detail. For the Emme assignment procedures, interactive charts are recorded. The statistical summaries of the impedance matrices are recorded for each time period following the assignment. These summary tables provide an easy way to check for skims with obvious outlier values.

• Create bike and walk logsums using runSandagWalkLogsums.cmd and runSandagBikeLogsums.cmd. These two batch files create walk and bike impedances between MGRA to MGRA pairs, MGRA to TAP pairs, and TAZ to TAZ pairs.
• Create highway network. This is to create highway network from the input highway coverage file.
• Create transit network. This is to create transit network from the input transit coverage file.
• Start matrix manager using runMtxMgr.cmd.
• Start JPPF driver using runDriver.cmd.
• Start household manager and nodes using StartHHAndNodes.cmd.
• Run highway assignment
• Create highway skims
• Create transit skims
• Run San Diego resident model using runSandagAbm_SDRM.cmd. It contains a list of MS-DOS instructions that control model flow of San Diego resident models, including the core model which models San Diego resident trips contained within the region and the internal external trip model that models San Diego resident trips with trip ends outside the region.
• Run special market model using runSandagAbm_SMM.cmd. It contains a list of MS-DOS instructions that control model flow of special market models, including airport, cross border, and visitor models. The special event model is not in a standard model flow.
• Run commercial travel model
• Run external-internal model
• Run truck model
• Create trip tables with combined demand from all model components above
• Run final highway assignment
• Run final highway skimming
• Run final transit assignment
• Run final transit skimming
• Export output data to csv files
• Send data loading request using DataLoadRequest.bat to load flat output files into SQL database.

An additional step RunEMFAC2011 needs to be run from DOD command line to create EMFAC2011 input files. This step is not included as part of the standard model flow as it relies on a successful loading of output files in the database.

ERUN Only CT-RAMP Components

The CT-RAMP model components can be run without Emme if the highway and transit skims have already been created. This method of running the model is useful for calibrating certain components of the model. It can be run for any iteration, and at any sample rate. It is useful to run these models at a sample rate of 20 to 25% for calibration since the model runs for only one to two hours.

Prior to executing the CT-RAMP model, the user must call these DOS commands from the main computer. To do this, first navigate to scenario-specific directory on the computer from which you want to run the Household Manager, Matrix Manager and JPPF driver.

• To run the matrix manager, type this at the prompt: runMtxMgr.cmd <<drive letter:>><<space>> <<path of scenario directory>> Example: runMtxMgr.cmd d: \projects\sandag\series12\base2008_5_period (Note the backslashes).
• To run the JPPF driver, type this at the prompt after running the matrix manager: runDriver.cmd <<drive letter:>><<space>> <<path of scenario directory>> Example: runDriver.cmd d: \projects\sandag\series12\base2008_5_period (Note the backslashes).
• To start the household manager, type this after the prompt after running the matrix manager and the JPPF driver: StartHHandNodes.cmd <<drive letter:>><<space>> <<path of scenario directory>> Example: StartHHandNodes.cmd d: \projects\sandag\series12\base2008_5_period (Note the backslashes).
• Finally with the Household Manager, Matrix Manager, and JPPF Driver started and standing by on the main machine and JPPF nodes standing by on each of the satellite machines, the travel model can be executed by typing this after the prompt: runSandagAbm_SDRM.cmd<<<<drive letter:>><<space>> <<path of scenario directory>><<sample rate>><<space>><<iteration>> Example: runSandagAbm_SDRM.cmd d: /projects/sandag/series12/base2008_5_period 0.25 1 (Note the forward slashes for running the model)

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