About C.R.T.
Major Technological Transfers
- Introduction
- Transportation Systems Planning
- Transportation Network Operations
- Transportation Economics and Policy
- Transportation Safety
- Highway Infrastructure Maintenance Planning
Publication of scientific articles and participation at conferences are the "academic" demonstration of the Centre's contribution to scientific and technological progress. A more concrete demonstration can be found in the transfer of research results toward private firms and public agencies in Canada and abroad. Such technology transfer includes implementation of computerized systems, application of recommendations from scientific studies and utilization of developped prototypes.
We are particularly proud of the fact that several research programs have resulted in the implementation of methods and systems for which success at the world level has generated the creation of companies which still continue to occupy a place of choice in Canadian R&D in the field of transportation software. We can mention a few from the area of Operations Research. INRO Consultants Inc. with the Emme/2 software system offer the most advanced interactive-graphic tool for planning and assessing multimodal urban and regional transportation networks and Entreprises GIRO Inc. and their Hastus software provide a system designed to construct vehicle and operator schedules for public transit.
A list of the major transfers accomplished over the last years are described hereafter.
Transportation Systems Planning
MADITUC: A public transit network planning and evaluation tool. The system is in use at the Montreal Urban Community Transport Corporation, the Quebec Department of Transportation, the Toronto Transit Commission and the Laval and Quebec Urban Community transport corporations. It has also been implemented in Winnipeg.
EMME/2: The most advanced interactive-graphic tool for planning and assessing multimodal urban and regional transportation networks. The system, which operates on mainframes, minicomputers and the most recent generation of microcomputers and workstations, is currently installed at almost 600 agencies in 50 countries.
STAN: An interactive-graphic planning tool which responds to the needs of shippers and carriers to efficiently evaluate the impact of major changes in the transport infrastructure, regulatory environment and demand patterns on their cost, time, reliability and other performance measures. STAN provides a flexible and general framework for the representation of the infrastructure and the modeling of the activities of a multimodal and multiproduct freight transportation or distribution systems. STAN, which operates on a variety of computer platforms, is currently installed in more than 30 agencies in 15 countries.
SIMNAV: A tool for simulating and predicting ship movements. Transport Canada has installed the system to analyze a variety of problems in managing Canadian vessel traffic.
JET-SET: A simulation-management game for training and experimentation in the area of planning/management of intercity passenger transportation. The system has been delivered to almost 30 public and private organizations in Canada and abroad.
Transportation Network Operations
TRANSCOL: A group of algorithms for creating school bus routes that respect school schedules while minimizing the number of required vehicles. A number of school boards have used the system to reorganize their school bus routes.
TRANSPOST/ROUTEGRAPH: A set of computerized tools for managing and optimizing mail pickup an delivery. A number of these tools have been implemented at the Canada Post Corporation.
GEOROUTE: A set of interactive-graphic system development tools for routing and scheduling applications. The GRICS corporation has adopted this tool to develop a school bus management system (GEOBUS) for implementation at almost 40 school boards. It also serves as a basis for the TRANSPOST/ROUTEGRAPH system, and is used at the Outaouais Regional Community Transportation Corporation for its passenger information system.
ALTO: An algorithm design system for vehicle routing and scheduling problems. It has been used as a teaching tool at the Université de Montréal, as well as in projects to develop new heuristics for routing problems with schedule constraints.
GENIUS and TABUROUTE: Two algorithms for construction of minimal cost vehicle routes. GENIUS is based on a general insertion heuristic for the travelling salesman problem, which produces fast, quasi-optimal solutions. TABUROUTE applies the tabu search method for approximate solution of constrained vehicle routing problems. These two systems have been delivered to a computer science and operations research consulting firm.
HASTUS: A system to construct vehicle and operator schedules for public transit, using some of the most sophisticated algorithms available for such problems. It is also used to negotiate collective agreements. HASTUS has been implemented at more than 139 public transit agencies in 19 countries.
Transportation Economics and Policy
DEMTEC: Used since 1975 at the Montreal Urban Community Transport Corporation to analyze and predict annual ridership. The Toronto Transit Commission implemented the system in 1980 and has been using it for prediction purposes.
TRIO: An interactive-graphic system for constructing regression models. The system supports the four main modelling tasks: database management, parameter estimation, data analysis and report production. TRIO has been implemented at some 30 research centres in about 20 countries.
DRAG: A model for simultaneously studying highway travel demand and highway accidents. It is the most complete model ever constructed explaining highway accidents. An updated version of the model, DRAG-2, is now being implemented at the Quebec Automobile Insurance Corporation (SAAQ), which has published four articles describing the model in detail. A German version, SNUS-1, has been completed. A Norwegian version, (TRULS-1) and French version (DRAG-FRANCE), are now being developed.
DRIVING SIMULATOR: An interactive driving simulator, for use in highway safety research, composed of fully functional automobile dashboard and screen onto which highway images are projected using a graphic projector. Fictitious highways have been designed using actual Canadian geometric route design standards. The image is generated by a Silicon Graphics computer. The simulator includes an active component that reacts to acceleration and improves the driver's speed perception. A physical vehicle model has been integrated into the simulator, causing it to react much like a real vehicle. This simulator is a fixed-base simulator, that is, the only acceleration and speed sensations are those felt on the steering wheel. Many simulators do not have this property. The simulator also includes sensors for measuring physiological responses (electrocardiogram, electrodermal activity, etc.). Other measures are taken and synchronized with the image.
This simulator is useful for constructing a variety of experiences, as it can manipulate parameters from the fictional highway environment: parameters describing the highway itself (width, presence or lack of shoulder, curve radius, etc.); parameters describing signage or distractions (such as landscape); and intersection parameters (crossroads, T or Y). Driver reactions are recorded automatically.
ADDITIONAL IMPACTS: Research conducted by members of the Transportation Safety Laboratory has had an impact on highway safety management, policy and regulation in Quebec. Among issues affected by this research are automobile insurance rate-setting; penalties for highway code violations; driver's licence regulatio for young drivers; all-terrain vehicle, trimotor and quadrimotor regulation in Canada; and seat belt regulations.
Highway Infrastructure Maintenance Planning
DYNEVAL: A knowledge-based system for interpreting and validating data from Dynaflect equipment for measuring load-bearing capacity of pavements. An experimental version of this system was used by the Quebec Department of Transportation (MTQ) during data collection campaigns.
SUPERR: A computerized strategic highway maintenance planning tool, delivered to the MTQ in May 1995.