Chapter 31: Geosimulation, Automata, and Traffic Modeling

Recent developments in the research landscape have made possible a new paradigm for spatial simulation, what is coming to be known in the geographical sciences as the geosimulation approach. This novel approach to simulation development is characterized by detailed, dynamic, and interactive simulation environments, often operating in near real time and exhibiting very realistic characteristics. A new class of “microscopic” simulation has begun to emerge around the approach, focused on automata-based tools for model building (Torrens, 2002). This chapter discusses the potential of geosimulation for traffic modeling, and describes how geosimulation-style tools – cellular automata (CA) and multi-agent systems (MAS) – have been used to build a variety of vehicle and pedestrian traffic simulations. The chapter also explores some of the current limitations of the field, particularly as an applied science, and discusses future avenues of potential research inquiry.