FAQs
Please review Regional Modeling for Long Range Transportation Plans. Additional resources are available at the bottom of this document and on our Resources page.
Florida's eight regional travel demand models are available for download. For the statewide Florida Turnpike Enterprise travel demand model, please contact Cesar Segovia.
The system requirements for each of Florida's regional travel demand models are listed here.
FDOT supports licenses for PTV Visum and Caliper TransCAD for use by FDOT and local government agencies. If you need a software license, please email Vladimir Majano.
Bentley, who owns CUBE, prohibits transferring or reinstalling CUBE software. CUBE licenses on existing computers may continue to be used, but new, transferred, or reinstalled licenses are not available. We no longer have a licensing agreement for CUBE.
The Model Task Force is now the Transportation Forecasting Forum. Upcoming events, committee activities, and prior Model Task Force materials are available here.
Currently, Florida based models do not forecast non-motorized travel. This is primarily due to data constraints considering counts, trip purpose, and distribution. Emerging modes, such as micromobility, may eventually compete for facility investments. As such, there is a need to expand the capabilities of our models to track non-motorized trips more accurately.
All Florida models are capable of representing tolling and HOV lanes. Typically, regional models use a broad approach to represent these facilities which provide a generalized concept of the impacts to travel behavior. Specific targeted studies are necessary for more detailed analyses.
Developing a travel demand model is a complex process that require three major steps:
1. Acquire Data - Models require a lot of data. These data include information on the population, economy, transportation system (roads, buses, etc.), and travel behavior. Collecting data can take a long time depending on what kind of data is needed. Once acquired, the data need to be reviewed for accuracy and placed into a form that can be used by the model.
2. Program the Model - A model makes use of many software programs. The programs need to be customized for each model. The more complicated the model, the more customization is required. Some models may be very complicated depending on the kinds of questions that a model needs to answer.
3. Test the Model - A model needs to be tested to make sure that it can be used in making decisions. This testing process is called calibration and validation. The model results are compared to data about the real world. Adjustments are then made to the model to get the results to closely match real world conditions. The types of adjustments needed to correct the model are not always obvious, and so many different tests are required before the model is ready for use.
These steps may take over a year to complete depending on the complexity of the model.
Before a model can be used, it needs to be tested to make sure that the results are acceptable for making decisions. This testing process is called calibration and validation.
Model calibration makes adjustments to the equations used by a model. While most models use similar equations, these equations need to be adjusted to better reflect the unique circumstances of the area being modeled.
Model validation is the process of determining whether the results of the model can be used for decision making. This is done by comparing the estimates made by the model to real world traffic counts and transit ridership. A model is not expected to be perfect and validation guidelines are used to determine when the results show that the model is ready to support decision making.
