Transportation modeling[edit]

Main article:Transport model

Thetransport modelingtransport modeling allows for situation planning

current and future urban transport. The concept of 'model' should be understood as
a necessarily simplified representation of any phenomenon, process, institution
and, in general, of any 'system'. It is a tool of great importance for the
planner, as it allows simulating various action and time scenarios that help
to evaluate alternatives and make a future diagnosis.

The classic scheme ofmodelingit is the four stages or four steps.

Step 1: Models ofgeneration of travelsto evaluate produced and attracted trips

for each transportation zone in different scenarios.

Step 2: Models ofdistribution, to estimate future origin-destination (O/D) matrices.

Step 3: Mode selection models, to determine the uptake of each mode

among the different O/D relationships, for the reasons that are calibrated.

Step 4: Route selection or assignment models that allow determining the

chosen paths or routes for each relationship and the load per segments for lines or networks
roadways during the different time periods analyzed.

Sometimes, depending on the available data and the type of analysis desired, one can do without the
generation model, consisting of three stages and obtaining only the model of
distribution. In highway corridors without truly competitive public transport, it is
It is common to assume that there is no modal transfer and only the distribution one is used (or a model of
growths) and the allocation only.

Other types of models can also be mentioned, such as land use models that
they allow interrelated and complex analyses between activity in the territory and transport.

Transport network designedit]

There aredisagreements about the accuracy of the informationin this article or
section.
Inthe discussion pageYou can consult the debate on the matter.

Networks are designed considering three aspects: geometry, strength, and capacity.
In practice, transportation design focuses on taking geometric designs and
define its width, number of lanes, tracks or diameter. Your product is taken by the
specialist in pavements, rails, bridges or ducts and converted into roadway thicknesses,
ballast, beams or pipe walls. The transportation engineer is also responsible for
define the functioning of the system considering time.

The main methods for network design include the four-stage method, the
use of queue theory, simulation, and methods that could be called coefficients
empirical.

Four-step methodedit]

In this method oftransport modelingit is calculated separately the "generation of

trips, the number of people or amount of load produced by an area; thedistribution of
travelof trips, which allows estimating the number of trips or amount of load between each area
from origin to destination; the 'modal split', that is, the calculation of the number of trips or quantity of
load that the different modes of transport will use and its conversion into the number of vehicles;
and finally, the 'assignment', or the definition of which segments of the network or routes each will use
one of the vehicles.

This process is carried out using the density and location of the population or current load.
to verify that the volumes predicted by the method are in accordance with reality.
Finally, future population estimates are used to recalculate the number of
vehicles in each arc of the network that will be used for the design. It is primarily used for
design the transportation and it is required by law in many urban areas.

Queueing theory methodedit]

Use statistics and certain assumptions about the service process. It allows estimating, at
based on the arrival rates of customers (whether vehicles or people) and the speed
of attention for each service channel, the queue length and the average attention time. The
the customer arrival rate must be analyzed to understand not only its intensity in
number of customers per hour, but their distribution over time. It has been found,
experimentally, that the Poisson distribution and geometric distributions reflect
well the random arrival of customers and the arrival of grouped customers, respectively. It
is mainly used for estimating the number of toll booths, dispensers in
fuel stations, service points at ports and airports, and number of ATMs
or customer service lines required in an establishment. The queue theory is based on
stochastic processes...

Transportation simulation methodsedit]

There are two main types of computer simulations used in engineering.

transport: macrosimulations and microsimulations.
Macrosimulations use equations that reflect general parameters of the current.
vehicular, such as speed, density, and flow. Many of the ideas behind these
equations are taken from the analysis of the flow of liquids or gases or from established relationships
empirically between these quantities and their derivatives.

The seconds simulate each vehicle or person individually and make use of equations.
that describe the behavior of these vehicles or people when following another
(vehicle tracking equations) or when they move without impediments.

Coefficient methodsedit]

They use theoretical-type equations but, in general, they are based on measurements that indicate the
capacity of a network under ideal conditions. This capacity typically decreases
as the network or circumstances move away from that ideal.

The methods provide coefficients less than one, by which one must multiply.
the 'ideal' capacity of the network to find capacity under the given conditions. and that
more things

Transport and communications[edit]

Transport and communication are both substitutes and complements. Although the advancement
Communication is important and allows information to be transmitted via telegraph, telephone, fax.
In email, personal contact has its own characteristics that cannot be
replace.

The growth of transportation would be impossible without communication, vital for systems of
advanced transportation (train control, air traffic control, monitoring the status of
road traffic, etc.). However, there is no proven relationship between growth of
these two systems. The best predictor of the growth of a transport system is the
growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of an area. It is also relatively easy
find GDP predictions. The use of historical series to predict growth
Future of the transportation system could lead to serious errors (problem of the
suboptimization or fragmentary analysis of a system.

Transport, activities, and land use[edit]

Transportation and land use are directly related. Depending on the use
Specific activities are generated from the land that do not necessarily coincide with the location.
of residence of those who develop them, in which case they must relocate. A workday can
to be divided between the time spent on activities and the time spent traveling to and from
the place where such activities take place. It is said that transport is 'a demand'
indirectly," since it has no end in itself, but it is necessary to develop the
activities at the destination site.

The grouping of a variety of activities within the same land area minimizes the
need for transportation. On the contrary, the organization by zones of exclusive activities
it increases. However, there are economies of scale by grouping activities, which prevents a
organization of activities by completely heterogeneous areas.

Also, transportation and land use act reciprocally in another way, given that the
transport services consume land, just like cities. A transport system
efficiency can minimize land use. However, this saving must be compared
with the cost; an efficient transportation system in a large city can have a cost
extremely high.

Transport, energy, and the environment[edit]

Transport is an important consumer ofenergyit can be obtained through burning
offuels, until not long ago mostlyfossilsincombustion engines.
In the combustion process, pollutant gas emissions are generated.
(CO2, CO, NOx, SOxand others, such as particles) whose harmfulness depends on the source of energy
used.

It is often maintained that theelectric vehiclespowered are "clean", just like those
that use cells ofhydrogenBut, in reality, it depends on the source from which it comes.
electricity. If they use electricity generated from power plants fueled by fossil fuels,
pollution is more localized than with combustion cars, as they can
apply techniques ofcarbon capture and storageIf renewable sources are used
There is no emissions problem with renewable electricity.

Given that fossil fuel depletion is expected by 2050, global transportation

faces the challenge of completely modifying its systems in less than five decades.
It is expected that hydrogen vehicles will be the most economical if extrapolating the
current technologies, which means we will need to learn to produce it by different methods
of the highly polluting one that is used today (natural gas treatment with steam), which
generates immense amounts of carbon dioxide, if we want its use not to contribute
even more to global warming.

In recent years, vehicles have been becoming cleaner, such as

consequence of stricter environmental regulations and incorporation of
bettertechnologies, (catalytic converters, etc.), and, above all, for a better
fuel utilization. However, this situation has been more than compensated
due to the increase in both the number of vehicles and the growing annual usage of [Link], the
which determines that cities with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants face problems of
indices ofpollutionexcessive atmospheric, affecting the health of the population.

In 2009, NASA promoted the so-called Green Flight Challenge, a competition for
which is awarded half a million dollars to the most original and efficient project. More than half
a dozen projects have been submitted so far. The initiative is being developed in
cooperation with the following North American institutions: Department of Agriculture and
Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Institute
National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with the Patent and Trademark Office.
Some of these projects are:

Cri-Cri An acrobatic airplane of French manufacture and completely electric. It works

with four engines and has a flight range of 30 minutes at a cruising speed
from 100 km/h.

SugarVolt Hybrid model designed by Boeing. It operates with a combination of turbines.

(from the turbine) of kerosene, which are the ones that make it take off. But, once in the air, at
need less energy, fly with an electric motor.

Skyhawk 172The aircraft manufacturer Cessna expects to have it ready by the end of 2011. The plane of
small wings will have only two seats, but it is still estimated that it will be
one of the most used due to its similarity with an earlier model, to which have been added
improvements.

The Superboeing Not all eco-friendly planes will be electric. This is a prototype
Boeing supersonic that runs on high-performance fuel, and that is being
designed in collaboration with NASA. Furthermore, with regard to the air medium, another is proposed.

handicap to take into account. Currently, the innovations that have been made in the
airplanes overly restrict commercial flights. That is to say, the market is closing in. In its great
most are private jets with few seats that do not allow for mass transportation of passengers,
therefore, the initial problem of making a low-pollution option feasible to the great
public, in this case, is impossible, for the moment.

The transportation and distribution of energy by means of transport have caused multiple
accidents that have severely affected people, facilities, and the environment. The
The transport of energy varies depending on the type of energy to be transported.

The transportation of coal: it is mainly carried out byroadyrailroad, and

lately there is an increase inriver transport.

The transport of oil: it is mainly carried out bypipelinesypetroleum workers, and to the
consumer by means of tanker trucks.
 The transportation of electrical energy: it is carried out through theelectric networks,
that distribute the current from the primary transformer stations to the
consumer and, at times, inversely (V2G).

The environment also has significant impacts on the energy system; it is worth noting the
effect of earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, sudden temperature changes, etc.