Innovations in Travel Demand Modeling, Volume 1: Session Summaries (2008)

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vPreface On May 21–23, 2006, the Transportation ResearchBoard (TRB) convened the Innovations in TravelDemand Modeling Conference in Austin, Texas. The conference was sponsored by the following agencies, organizations, and companies to provide an opportunity for a frank exchange of ideas and experiences among aca- demics, model developers, and practitioners: TRB, the Fed- eral Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Central Texas Regional Mobil- ity Authority, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, PBS&J–Austin, URS Corporation, and HNTB Corporation. Approximately 220 individuals participated, including individuals from across the transportation research community— at national, state, regional, and local levels and from the public and private sectors and academia. BACKGROUND The last major specialty travel demand modeling con- ference was held as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) in the fall of 1996. At that time, there was little research and no practical application of land use models and activity- based travel demand models, or integration of these models with demographic, economic, and net- work modes. Since then, there has been a literal revolu- tion in travel demand forecasting. In particular, significant advances have been realized over the past decade in survey methods and analysis tools available to the travel demand modeling profession. CONFERENCE PLANNING To plan this conference, TRB assembled the Committee on Innovations in Travel Demand Modeling: A Confer- ence, appointed by the National Research Council. Under the chairmanship of Chandra R. Bhat, University of Texas at Austin, and Kenneth J. Cervenka, North Cen- tral Texas Council of Governments, the planning com- mittee identified three objectives for the conference. The first objective was to examine advances in travel demand modeling. The second objective was to facilitate the shar- ing of ideas and information among academics and prac- titioners on the opportunities and the challenges associated with the implementation of advanced travel models. The third objective was to identify additional areas for research, education, and training to ensure that the travel demand modelers of today and tomorrow are adequately prepared to apply the new model techniques. After identifying the three main objectives listed above, the committee issued a call for papers. The com- mittee sought high- quality three- to five- page white papers addressing the themes of the interactive sessions. The themes included the following: • Data needs to support activity- based and land use microsimulation models; • Innovations in survey data collection to support travel demand forecasting; • Population and household synthesis; • Validation and assessment of activity- based travel models; • Implementation of activity- based models;