Thursday, March 11, 2021
UPDATE 2: Due to overwhelming response of interest, we have now scheduled a second round of Florida-specific training including six, four-hour sessions to be held:
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET on May 18, 19, 20 & 25, 26, 27
As before, these are not videos or lectures, but hands-on, training, and it may be difficult to follow along in some later sessions if you have not attended earlier ones, so we strongly encourage participants to block these times so they attend all sessions. On demand training videos are also being developed and will be available at a later date.
Due to the hands-on nature of the course and our attempt to provide tutors and breakout rooms for folks needing more attention, class sizes are limited, and this training is already full. However, we will be taking names on a waiting list to determine interest in a third round of training. If you would like to have your name added to the waiting list for further training sessions, please email Vince Bernardin (vince@caliper.com).
UPDATE: Due to overwhelming response of interest, we have decided to organize Florida-specific training sessions beginning in late April and continuing in May. These sessions will hopefully be of even more value for the Florida community by using FSUTMS examples. The training will also include an introduction to multiresolution modeling with TransCAD and TransModeler. The training will be in six, four-hour sessions to be held:
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET on April 27, 28, 29 & May 4, 5, 6
These are not videos or lectures, but hands-on, training, and it may be difficult to follow along in some later sessions if you have not attended earlier ones, so we strongly encourage participants to block these times so they attend all sessions. Due to the hands-on nature of the course and our attempt to provide tutors and breakout rooms for folks needing more attention, class sizes are limited, and priority will be given to public sector modelers. If demand exceeds capacity for this additional training, another additional set of sessions will be offered at a later date. To register for this or other TransCAD training opportunities, please email Vince Bernardin (vince@caliper.com).
Original Post:
Caliper Corporation is offering free training opportunities to the Florida transportation modeling community, providing an opportunity to become familiar with the TransCAD software.
The first free TransCAD training opportunity will be the virtual version of our traditional “Introduction to Travel Demand Modeling with TransCAD” course being offered nationally, online in April. The course will comprise six 4-hour sessions from Noon to 4:00 pm ET on April 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15, and will cover topics including:
This training is an interactive, hands-on training. Two monitors are recommended so you can watch the trainer on one while you try test exercises on the other. An additional logon can also be provided if you need to use another device for a second screen. Prior to the training, if you have not received an FDOT TransCAD license yet, we will provide an evaluation copy so you can fully participate in the training.
Due to the hands-on nature of the course and our attempt to provide tutors and breakout rooms for folks needing more attention, class sizes are limited. Depending on demand, a Florida-specific version of the course may also be offered at a later date.
Registration is required. To register for this or other TransCAD training opportunities, please email Vince Bernardin (vince@caliper.com).
Thursday, March 11, 2021
The FDOT Forecasting and Trends Office will offer two online modeling training webinar series in upcoming weeks. To sign up, please email Terry Corkery at terrence.corkery@dot.state.fl.us.
Pre-requisites:
- Basic familiarity with Python, at least to the level covered in the “Python for Transportation Modeling” course
- General familiarity with the theory of discrete choice models is suggested but not required
Agenda
- Discrete Choice Theory Review
- Estimation of Choice Model Parameters
- Statistical Evaluation of Models
- Managing Data for Choice Models
- Mode Choice Model Development
- Nested Logit Models
- Developing and Using Logsums
- Destination Choice Models
- Moving from Estimation to Application
Thursday, February 18, 2021
The Central Florida Regional Planning Model version 7 includes an all-new roadway network and zonal structure, a GIS Editing Tool (GET), completely re-scripted Cube Voyager coding, updated trip generation and distribution, a Simplified Trips on Project Software (STOPS) transit model, a downtown Orlando parking sub-model, a new Orlando International Airport (OIA) sub-model, detailed documentation, and a Wiki website--among may other updates!
The multi-day training for the new model will be conducted virtually, over three (3) four-hour sessions on March 22nd, 24th, & 26th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. After each morning’s training sessions, the trainers will conduct virtual office hours from 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. to answer specific questions or provide demonstrations of the model.
You may register for the training using the link below. Please share this with anyone who may be interested.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3572652341301005839
** The model files will officially be available for download prior to the training. A formal announcement will be sent out soon.
AGENDA
Day 1 – March 22, 2021
Day 2 – March 24, 2021
Day 3 – March 26, 2021
Note: this is a detailed training specific to CFRPM, geared toward model practitioners and users. For more general training related to the fundamentals or an overview of travel demand modeling, you may visit the FSUTMS Online website for trainings and workshops.
We look forward to seeing you!
The CFRPM Team
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducted the Florida Hurricane Evacuation Survey to better understand hurricane evacuation behavior of residents in Florida’s coastal counties. Specifically, the survey asked about residents’ responses to evacuation orders for Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Michael.
Understanding hurricane evacuation behavior is critically important to Florida and other coastal states to keep populations safe. Households without access to a vehicle or with limited means to pay for travel and accommodation have historically been the most vulnerable in evacuation situations and continue to be a focus in the development of state evacuation plans. Substantial technological and cultural shifts in recent years, including the ubiquity of smartphones, increased acceptance of sharing rides or homes with strangers, and increased market share of electric vehicles (which may be difficult to recharge in evacuation situations) are all shifting the options and changing the choices that residents may make when evacuation orders are made. This study was conducted to improve the understanding of decisions being made in this new context, to support development of the Florida Statewide Hurricane Evacuation Model, and to help Florida to be better prepared for future storms.
Tuesday, November 03, 2020
In this research, we developed and implemented a methodology to evaluate the life-cycle cost and benefit analysis of freight transportation projects based on our previously developed economic impact analysis tool, FreighTEC 1.0. A post-processing tool, FreighTEC 2.0, is developed to assist the project prioritization process for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) based on the freight forecast model -- Freight Supply-chain Intermodal Model (FreightSIM). FreighTEC 2.0 considers costs of the entire life cycle of freight investment projects, including planning, construction, operation, and maintenance, and estimates the direct benefits to the users and economic impacts to the impacted county (i.e. local impacts) and the state as a whole (i.e., state impacts).
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
The Florida Statewide Model has undergone routine maintenance, and version 7.1 is now ready for downloading from FSUTMSONLINE. This release incorporates edits to streamline the designation of hourly input link capacities during network preparation steps. Also included are adjustments related to the model scenario interpolation capabilities. Please note the version change to 7.1.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Letter from Dave Schmitt:
It is with a very, very sad heart that I tell you that Jeffrey Bruggeman passed away earlier this morning. Jeffrey was a highly respected travel forecaster in the industry, with over 40 years in the industry. He developed forecasts for major transit systems around the world and helped shape many of the procedures and tools that continue to be used today. Those of us lucky to work directly with Jeffrey will always remember his direct style, quick wit and hearty laugh. Everyone who knew him well can instantly recall at least one favorite “Jeffy story”. Jeffrey’s mentorship of junior staff is well-known: there are several of today’s forecasters who had Jeffrey as their first manager (including me!).
Jeffrey spent most of his career working for the company that would become KPMG Peat Marwick. He stayed with the closely-knit modeling group when it was purchased by AECOM, and retired from AECOM in July 2010 after 40 years. He moved from his longtime home in Springfield, Virginia to Cincinnati, Ohio after retiring to spend more time with his family.
His devotion to his work and clients was extraordinary. I know of multiple instances where major modeling problems discovered on Friday afternoons were (magically) solved Monday morning because Jeffrey worked over the weekend to fix them. During work trips, he made it a point to “know the corridor”. He made it a habit to stay and dine in locations that would be directly impacted by the transit project he was working on, and to experience their rush-hour traffic each morning.
He will be missed!
Stay safe and well,
Dave Schmitt
P.S. The attached photos are from Jeffrey’s retirement lunch in July 2020.