Traffic microsimulation describes the process of creating a
virtual model of a city's transportation infrastructure in order
to simulate the interactions of road traffic, and other forms of
transportation, in microscopic detail. This involves treating
each vehicle, bus, train, tram, cyclist, pedestrian etc. in the
model as a unique entity with its own goals and behavioural
characteristics; each possessing the ability to interact with
other entities in the model. Traffic microsimulation computer
models capture the interactions of real world road traffic
through a series of complex algorithms describing car following,
lane changing, gap acceptance, and spatial collision detection.
In addition, free form pedestrian movement is replicated using
agent based spatially aware models allowing road traffic to
interact with pedestrians as they do in the real world. Traffic
microsimulation models are quickly becoming the defacto standard
for the evaluation and development of road traffic management
and control systems wo