Construction of a detailed deterministic user-equilibrium traffic assignment model for the Greater Montreal area using geographic information systems

This dissertation describes the process of building a detailed traffic assignment model for the Greater Montreal region using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Although deterministic user-equilibrium traffic models are widely used in planning practice, most contemporary research into transportation models attempts to deal with the numerous theoretical shortcomings of the static modeling framework through dynamic methods while the potential for improvements on conventional algorithms remains largely unexplored. GIS offer a powerful mechanism for achieving such improvements. This research demonstrates how GIS can be profitably applied in the construction of a traffic assignment model with a very fine spatial resolution. The time savings incurred through the application of GIS permit the construction of a very detailed metropolitan street network comprising approximately 245,000 directional links and a corresponding system of 981 traffic analysis zones.