This page defines what happens when a scenario is evaluated in ANYWAYS and describes how datasets are assigned to a network to produce traffic flows.
What a scenario evaluation does
A scenario combines:
- One network, and
- One or more datasets
When a scenario is evaluated:
- Each dataset is assigned on the network
- Assignment is performed by calculating routes through the network
- Routing behaviour during assignment is defined by the vehicle profiles associated with each dataset
The result of scenario evaluation is a set of traffic flows per road segment and per vehicle type.
→ See Concepts
→ See Datasets
→ See Vehicle profiles
Determinism and reproducibility
Scenario evaluation is deterministic.
For a given:
- Network
- Set of datasets
The same scenario will always produce the same routing and traffic flows. Changes to any of these inputs will result in a different evaluation.
What scenario evaluation does not model
Scenario evaluation does not model:
- Congestion effects or capacity constraints
- Dynamic or time-dependent route choice
- Interaction between different vehicle types
- Behavioural responses to traffic conditions
Traffic flows represent assigned demand, not observed or simulated congestion.
Interpretation of results
Results of scenario evaluation should be interpreted as:
- Relative comparisons between scenarios
- Indicators of route choice and network usage
They should not be interpreted as:
- Exact predictions of real-world traffic volumes
- Dynamic traffic simulation results
Relationship to other concepts
- Datasets define demand and routing behaviour
- Networks define the infrastructure
- Vehicle profiles define how routes are selected
- Scenarios define the context in which evaluation occurs
Scenario evaluation combines these elements to produce traffic flows.