Global sensitivity analysis of VISSIM parameters for project-level traffic emissions: a case study at a signalized...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Transportation Engineering
• Computational Science

Background:

• Traffic micro-simulation and emission models are vital for estimating traffic emissions.
• Limited research exists on how micro-simulation parameters influence emission calculations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of VISSIM parameters on operating mode and travel time distributions.
• To identify critical VISSIM parameters for accurate traffic emission estimations.

Main Methods:

• Combined VISSIM (traffic simulation) and MOVES (emission model).
• Employed Morris and Sobol methods for global sensitivity analysis.
• Utilized One-at-a-time (OAT) analysis for detailed parameter impact assessment.

Main Results:

• Identified five key VISSIM parameters influencing operating mode and travel time distributions: number of interaction objects, maximum look-ahead distance, average standstill distance, additive part of safety distance, and safety distance reduction factor.
• Validated the feasibility of sensitivity analysis methods on an urban intersection case study in Chengdu, China.

Conclusions:

• The identified key parameters are crucial for VISSIM calibration in traffic emission studies.
• This research supports more accurate traffic emission estimations by focusing on critical simulation parameters.