WISE Software Users Guide (2013)

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24 IMPORTING, CREATING, AND MODIFYING A NETWORK All WorkSpaces must contain one valid network, which contains all projects. All net- works that are imported must be imported in the NEXTA Format (see Chapter 4 for instructions on generating a NEXTA Network). The user has the option of importing a predefi ned network, creating a new network, or modifying the current network. All of these options are available under Planning → Import Analysis Area → Network (Figure 3.1). Figure 3.1. Import Analysis Area tab: Network. 3 PLANNING MODULE

25 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Importing an Existing Network To import an existing network, select Import Analysis Area, and a browser window will appear. Navigate to the folder containing the network and click OK. If you already have a network defined in a WorkSpace, then this action will erase the current network in its entirety, which will not be reversed if you exit WISE without saving changes. See Chapter 4 for instructions on converting an existing network for use in WISE. Creating a New Network To create a new network, select Create Network, and NEXTA will launch. See Chap- ter 4 for instructions on creating a NEXTA Network. Once you have created the net- work, save it in the Planning folder of the WorkSpace and close NEXTA. Note: If you already have a network defined in a WorkSpace, then this action will erase the current network in its entirety. This erasure will not be reversed if you exit WISE without sav- ing changes. Modifying Current Network To modify the existing network, select Edit Current Network, and NEXTA will launch with the current network open for editing. See the first sections of Chapter 4 for ad- ditional NEXTA instructions. Once you have modified the network, save the network and close NEXTA. IMPORTING TRAFFIC WISE provides the option of importing an existing static assignment or importing day and night demand and running the WISE OBA Evaluator. All of these options are available through Planning → Import Analysis Area → Traffic (Figure 3.2). All of the Import buttons (Import Existing Static Assignment, Import Day Demand, and Import Night Demand) open a browser window, and you must navigate to, highlight, and select OK for the file that you choose to import. The Evaluate button will run the OBA analysis as described previously. See Chapter 4 for greater detail on importing traffic data.

26 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Figure 3.2. Import Analysis Area tab: Traffic. EXECUTING STATIC ASSIGNMENT IN WISE WISE has the capability to execute its own static assignment algorithm if the user does not have static assignment results. (See the subsection called Preparing Input File in the Importing Traffic Information section of Chapter 4 in this users guide). WISE implements an OBA called Algorithm B (1). To run the static assignment algorithm, the network and the demand that are imported from Importing Traffic Information in Chapter 4 must be in place. Figure 3.2 shows the buttons used to run the algorithm. At least Import Day Demand or Import Night Demand must be imported before running the algorithm. The Evaluate button will run the algorithm. Once the algorithm is completed, the Static_Import.csv file will be produced in the same format as explained in Preparing Input File in Chapter 4. DEFINING PLANNING CHARACTERISTICS Planning Characteristics for the entire program under evaluation are defined under Planning → Planning Characteristics as shown in Figure 3.3. All Planning Character- istic fields must be populated with valid values for the WISE Analysis Engine to run. The Planning Characteristics consist of the Seasonal Factor for each month of the year (defaults to 1), Start and End time of the entire program (MM/YYYY format), Value of Time for the program (dollars per hour), Demand Number of Hours for Day and Night, and a Program Description. To enter the Planning Characteristics values, select the text box associated with each and enter the value. Once you have entered all Plan- ning Characteristics, you can validate all fields on the Planning Characteristics tab by

27 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE clicking Validate Planning Characteristics at the bottom of the tab. If there are any invalid values, then the text box for all invalid values will be highlighted red. Please see Chapter 8, Data Limits, for details on valid values for each Planning Characteristic. Figure 3.3. Planning Characteristics tab. WORK ZONE CONSTRUCTION STRATEGIES Assigning Project Strategies Each WorkSpace must contain at least one strategy to be assigned to projects within the WorkSpace. Project Strategies are created from the Planning → Project Strategies tab shown in Figure 3.4. Strategies are either Demand-Based or Duration-Based. You can enter strategies individually or import and export all strategies. Please see Chap- ter 8, Data Limits, for details on valid values for each Project Strategy. WISE allows users to evaluate a wide range of strategies. These strategies can be broadly classified as demand based or duration based. All strategies help either to reduce demand close to the work zone or to reduce the duration of the work zone (Table 3.1). For example, some strategies relate to the following issues: 1. Daytime and nighttime. Because night demand is usually much lower than day demand, undertaking work zones at night might have very little impact on traffic and thus save considerable user cost in comparison with undertaking work zones during the day. However, scheduling work zones at night usually costs more real dollars from the agency’s budget. Planners and policy makers must address the tradeoff between the magnitude of user cost and that of agency cost. See item 5 for a discussion of how WISE can address this issue.

28 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE 2. Seasonal impact. Another common factor in the cost induced by work zone sched- uling is the seasonal factor. It is well known that traffic demand varies by season and by month. Particularly in tourism areas, for example, demand during nonpeak periods is much lower than during the peak tourism periods. Conducting work zone implementation during reduced demand periods saves user cost. The WISE tool allows you to put constraints on the months of the year during which renewal cannot take place, for example, by excluding the winter months that tend to bring heavy snowfall. 3. Demand reduction factor. Before work zone implementation, agencies usually carry out large-scale public involvement campaigns. These may reduce local de- mand near the projects, for example, non–work-based discretionary trips such as shopping trips or recreation. This local demand reduction is measured by the demand reduction factors. 4. Traffic diversion impact. With the presence of a work zone in the network, traffic usually diverges through a day-to-day learning process and continues toward a new equilibrium. This diversion effect involves a new traffic assignment computa- tion in the work zone scheduling framework. Users can adopt the default WISE calculation for diversion, enter a value based on local knowledge or experience, or run the WISE Operation Module or any local, calibrated microscopic simulation model to develop a microscopic simulation value for diversion. 5. Putting weight on user cost with respect to monetary cost of the project. WISE uses a general cost that combines both agency and user costs to measure whether a project is cost-effective. Agency cost refers to the monetary expenses related to work zone project constructions; its unit is the dollar. User cost refers to the user travel time; its unit is the vehicle-minute. WISE utilizes a user-specified parameter, Value of Time (VOT), to convert vehicle-minutes of users’ travel time to monetary dollars. The VOT unit is dollar per vehicle-minute. Agencies may estimate the relationship between the road user’s cost and monetary dollars in various ways and thus have various values for VOT; accordingly, the modeler should specify VOT carefully. The general recommended value of VOT ranges from one-third to one-half of the average hourly wage rate in the specified work zone construction area. However, an agency usually assigns different weights to monetary dollars and user costs derived from VOT. For ex- ample, the agency cost might be considered equivalent to the user cost by a factor of 2, meaning every 2 dollars of the user cost that is converted by VOT merits 1 monetary dollar. In this instance a modeler should adjust the VOT by half, so that WISE computes the general cost as the sum of monetary dollars spent in construc- tion plus converted and weighted monetary dollars “paid” by users. 6. Fast construction techniques. Fast construction techniques significantly reduce the duration of construction but come at increased cost.

29 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE TABLE 3.1. CLASSIFICATION OF STRATEGIES Demand-Based Strategies Duration-Based Strategies O p er at io n al Dynamic message signs Daytime/nighttime work Signal optimization Programming/design/materials Improving parallel roads Scheduling around critical events Daytime/nighttime work P la n n in g Public information Improving parallel roads Total vs. partial closures Incentive/disincentive contracting Short-duration closures Project sequencing Construction techniques Daytime/nighttime work Figure 3.4. Project Strategies tab. Creating Demand-Based Strategies To create a Demand-Based Strategy, in the Demand-Based Strategy box on the Project Strategies tab, enter the Strategy Name, % Trip Reductions, Radius (in miles), and Demand Strategy Cost (in thousands of dollars). Then click Add Strategy in the Demand-Based Strategy box. Each Demand-Based Strategy must have a unique name. If you duplicate a name, then WISE will ask if you would like to write over the exist- ing strategy. You can use this function to modify existing strategies by entering the exact name.

30 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE If an invalid value is entered, then WISE will generate a warning and highlight the incorrect field in red without saving the strategy to the list of strategies. Once you have added a strategy, it will be displayed in the Demand-Based Strategy list to the right of the GUI, as illustrated by Test Demand 1 and Test Demand 2 in Figure 3.4. Creating Duration-Based Strategies To create a Duration-Based Strategy, in the Duration-Based Strategy box on the Project Strategies tab, enter the Strategy Name, Duration Reductions (Months), and Demand Strategy Cost (in thousands of dollars). Then click Add Strategy in the Duration-Based Strategy box. Each Duration-Based Strategy must have a unique name. If you duplicate a name, then WISE will ask if you would like to write over the existing strategy. You can use this function to modify existing strategies by entering the exact name. If an invalid value is entered, then WISE will generate a warning and highlight the incorrect field in red without saving the strategy to the list of strategies. Once you have added a strategy, it will be displayed in the Duration-Based Strat- egy list to the right of the GUI, as illustrated by “Test Duration 1” in Figure 3.4. Deleting Strategies To delete one or more strategies of a given type (i.e., demand based or duration based), select the check box next to each strategy in the list of current strategies to the right of the GUI on the Project Strategies tab. Then click Delete at the bottom of the appropri- ate strategy listing (Figure 3.5). Figure 3.5. Delete a strategy.

31 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Importing and Exporting Strategies WISE GUI allows you to import and export strategies. The process imports or exports all Demand-Based and Duration-Based strategies at once. When you import strategies, you delete all strategies that were previously in the WorkSpace. To import or export, click Import or Export at the bottom of the Planning Strategies tab. A browser window will open. Either navigate to the strategies that you would like to import or navigate to a folder and then name the file whatever you would like to call the strategies you are exporting. You can import strategies only from WISE-generated strategy files. USING PROJECT INFORMATION Creating Projects All WISE WorkSpaces must have multiple projects to perform an analysis. To create a project, you must define a network with valid links and at least one strategy. All projects are managed from the Planning → Project Info tab (Figure 3.6). If you modify a link or strategy after you have used it within a project, please see the next section on Viewing or Modifying Projects to update the strategy or links as needed. You can always identify how many projects have already been defined within a given WorkSpace by viewing the Project Counter at the Planning → Project Info tab (Figure 3.6). In Figure 3.6, the Project Counter is “0”; and the current project is a “New” project of the “0” projects currently defined. Figure 3.6. Project Info tab.

32 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE To create a new project, navigate to the Planning → Project Info tab and type in the appropriate values for the following fields: Project Name, Earliest Start Time and Latest End Time (MM/YYYY format), Total Duration of Project (in months), and Project Precedence. Also select Day and/or Night and fill in the appropriate Total Project Con- struction Cost in millions of dollars. (You can fill in a cost for Day or Night only if you click the appropriate boxes.) You must select at least one strategy from the Project Strategies pull-down menus (one Demand- or Duration-Based Strategy or one of each). You must also select a Project Link from the pull-down menu (selecting a Project Link will automatically populate the Capacity, Speed, and Number of Lanes fields). If the Project Strategies or Project Link pull-down menus do not have any valid options, then you have not generated any strategies, you have not imported a valid network, or all of your Project Links have already been assigned (each link can be assigned to only one project). Before adding the new project, you must also select a Diversion. If you would like the WISE Diversion Engine to generate the Diversion automatically in the Planning Module, select User-Supplied and leave the value at “0.” The Planning Module uses static assignment. You also have the option of supplying a Diversion other than “0,” based on experience and judgment or on separate studies. If you desire additional accuracy for estimating potential traffic diversion due to construction delays, you can request or perform a microsimulation on your own model, and manually input the results to the Planning Module. If you desire additional accuracy and the convenience of the built-in “handshake” between the Operational and Planning Modules, you can apply the DynusT model as part of the Operation function, develop diversion esti- mates in the Operation Module, and rerun the Planning Module. Applying diversion estimates from the Operation Module is an explicit choice in the Planning Module. See the section Performing Diversion in this chapter for further information on the Operation-Supplied Diversion. The Operation Module–supplied Diversion will not be available for new projects until the Operation Module is run; until then the Operation Supplied box will indicate “null.” Once all project information is complete, click Save/Add Project to add the project to the All Projects list on the right-hand side of the Project Info tab. WISE will then validate all fields and highlight invalid fields in red. In addition, the GUI will return the Active Project screen to a New Project screen, and the Project Counter will display New of Total so that new projects can be added. At any time during the generation or modification of a project, you can click Vali- date Project, and WISE will highlight all fields that have errors or display an “error free” message. Please see Chapter 8, Data Limits, for details on valid values for each field within the Project Info tab.

33 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Viewing or Modifying Projects To either view or modify an existing project you must select the check box next to the project of interest in the All Projects list on the Project Info tab and click Go To Project at the bottom of the list (Figure 3.7). This action will populate the Project screen to the left of the Project Info tab with the selected project. The Project Counter will now dis- play Project x of total. You can now modify all project fields as when you created the project. When you click Save/Add Project, WISE will perform the same validation and operation as in creating a new project and will update the project in the All Projects list. This modification will also return the Active Project screen back to New of Total so new projects can be added. Figure 3.7. Project Info tab: View or modify a project.

34 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Deleting Projects To delete a project from the WorkSpace, select the check box next to the project or projects in the All Projects List that you would like to delete, then select the Delete Project button from the bottom of the list (Figure 3.8). After prompting you to ensure that you would like to delete the specified projects, WISE will delete them. Once a project is deleted, it will no longer appear on the All Projects list. Figure 3.8. Project Information tab: Delete Project.

35 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE RUNNING THE PLANNING MODULE WISE ANALYSIS ENGINE Once all necessary inputs are entered into the Planning Module of the current Work- Space, the user can run the WISE Analysis Engine. To do so, the entire WorkSpace must complete a successful WorkSpace Validation and Save. The WorkSpace Valida- tion and WISE Analysis Engine are run from the Planning → Results tab (Figure 3.9). Figure 3.9. Planning Results tab. Validating WorkSpace To validate the entire WorkSpace, you must select Planning → Results → Validate Planning WorkSpace. This function will validate the entire WorkSpace and generate a log of any errors it detects. WISE will display the location of any error log in a pop-up window. Validation of the Planning Workspace prompts the user to save the current WorkSpace and validates as follows: • Checks for valid network. • Ensures that the link (including Speed/Capacity/Number of Lanes) and strategies have not been modified since they were applied to a project. • Validates the following, regarding schedules and dates: — All projects fit within the duration of the program; — Each project precedence is feasible (Note: projects can coincide); and — All Duration-Based Strategies applied to projects have feasible Duration Reduc- tion for Project Duration.

36 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Generating Results Once the WorkSpace is ready for analysis of the Planning Module, the user can run the WISE Analysis Engine. To do so, select the Planning → Results → Analyze Program button (Figure 3.9). The program will first validate the planning network and then, if all validations are clear, run the WISE Analysis Engine. A command window will show that the Analysis Engine is running. At completion, the Analysis Results Box will populate the Planning → Results tab in the Analysis Results box (see Figure 3.9). See Display and Interpretation of Results later in this chapter for more information on the analysis results. PERFORMING DIVERSION WISE performs traffic diversions in the sequencing algorithm in the Planning Mod- ule to analyze interdependency of work zone construction projects and the resultant traffic impact and delays networkwide, and it recommends a feasible sequence with a rule of minimum traffic delay over the studied seasons and period. Although the traffic diversion is an internal analysis module packaged within the sequencing algo- rithm, WISE can execute traffic diversion under three different modes: WISE-supplied, user-supplied, and operation-supplied. Technical details of traffic diversion analysis in WISE are discussed in Optimization of Project Sequence. WISE-Supplied Mode WISE-supplied mode is the default setting. If the user or operation model does not sup- ply traffic diversion information, then WISE executes the default mode automatically. WISE analyzes traffic diversions through an internal logic, which finds a set of alterna- tives to the route through the work zone construction link. If WISE’s analysis indicates that the work zone construction link involves congestion, then WISE diverts a portion of traffic on the work zone construction link to the set of alternative routes if doing so would lead to less delay. The internal logic seeks an equilibrium state between the work zone link route and its alternative routes. Analytically, the WISE-supplied diver- sion module achieves equal travel time between both (sets of) routes. To enable the WISE-supplied traffic diversion rate, in the Diversion box on the Planning → Project Info tab, keep the User Supplied box checked and enter the num- ber “0” in the field (Figure 3.10).

37 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Figure 3.10. Define WISE-supplied traffic diversion rate. User-Supplied Mode WISE provides an interface that allows users to provide a traffic diversion rate, if it is known by those who are familiar with local traffic performance or is obtained by addi- tional traffic studies outside of WISE (including the use of separate microsimulation models, as described in the R11 pilot test report). To execute the user-supplied mode, in the Diversion box on the Planning → Project Info tab, select User Supplied and enter a positive number (at least 1 and no more than 100) in the field (Figure 3.11). For ex- ample, the number 15 shown in Figure 3.11 means that 15% of the traffic on the work zone construction link is to be diverted to the set of alternative routes. Figure 3.11. Define user-supplied traffic diversion rate.

38 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Given the user-supplied traffic diversion rate, WISE finds a set of alternatives to the route through the construction link, as in the default mode, and it diverts the user- supplied portion of traffic from the work zone construction link to the alternative routes regardless of the computed travel time. Operation-Supplied Mode The operation-supplied diversion rate provides an interface to feed the traffic diversion data analyzed in the Operation Module back to the Planning Module (Figure 3.12), illustrating the “handshake” between the two modules. To enable this operation- supplied mode, the user must first run the Operation Module. If the Operation Mod- ule has not produced analysis data, then the operation-supplied check box on the Planning → Project Info tab is gray and not checkable. After the Operation Module has been run, and with the traffic data produced by WISE, the check box becomes activated. When the check box is selected, WISE identi- fies the simulation data set, reads the produced outputs internally, and automatically displays the diversion rate in the field. Figure 3.12. Define operation-supplied traffic diversion rate. USING PROJECT INFORMATION TOOLS Running the Algorithm Validate Planning Workspace Upon completion of project setup and directly before executing the Algorithm program, you can click Planning → Results → Validate Planning WorkSpace button to ensure that the input numbers are valid. This step provides an additional safeguard to ensure that the numbers of project setup are feasible within a reasonable domain supported by WISE. Invalid numbers and inputs are identified in a warning message. The program cannot run until all invalid inputs that the validation procedure identified have been cleared.

39 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Analyze Program The Planning → Results → Analyze Program button executes the sequencing algo- rithm in WISE, to analyze traffic delays in the network with the project setup. The algorithm evaluates interdependency of construction projects as well as the resultant traffic delays under a set of logically generated feasible schedules, and it recommends the best schedule plan with the lowest generalized cost. Display and Interpretation of Results When the analyzing program is completed, the sequence results are automatically displayed in the Analysis Results box on the right-hand side of program window (Figure 3.13). Figure 3.13. Display analysis results. The first part of the WISE output summarizes the basic inputs of the analyzed scenario. It displays the overall planning horizon, month-specific seasonal factors, and number of projects specified by inputs. The second part of the output displays the recommended sequence of each project, as well as its associated traffic variables, in an order of construction modes following daytime construction, nighttime construction, and both. Figure 3.14 illustrates how the project sequence results are displayed. It shows a quick summary of the project setup, including the project ID, link where the project resides, capacity reduction rate, original posted speed limit, new posted speed limit during construction, and agency cost involved for implementation.

40 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE Figure 3.14. Display project sequence and its associated traffic variables. The recommended project sequence follows. It displays the year and month that are recommended for the start of construction. The completion time is not displayed, but the user can compute it from the starting construction time and project duration (taking into account any Duration-Based Strategy). The output also includes the aver- age flow, in units of vehicles per hour, and average travel time, in units of minutes, on the work zone construction link. Those numbers are averaged by work zone construc- tion period. For example, if a work zone project lasts for 3 months, then the displayed flow and travel times are averaged over 3 months. To facilitate a comparison, the output also displays the original flow and travel time before construction, which are annual average numbers. Usually the user will see a reduced flow with increased travel time. Reduced flow implies WISE analysis traffic diversion for the analyzed work zone project. Two factors lead to an increased travel time: the drop of capacity and the reduced posted speed limit during construction. Optimization of Project Sequence WISE selects the best schedule plan based on the generalized cost, which contains both user cost and agency cost. User cost is also known as traffic delays, measured by vehicle hours prolonged for all travelers in the network arising from the work zone constructions. Traffic delay is converted to user cost by multiplying value of time. Agency cost represents the monetary dollars spent out-of-pocket to implement the evaluated construction plan. Agency cost is specified by users when defining demand- based and duration-based construction strategies. See the Work Zone Construction Strategies section earlier in Chapter 3. Given the user cost derived from traffic delay and the agency cost, WISE evaluates the generalized cost summarized for the entire analysis period. Logically, WISE gen- erates a number of schedule scenarios and eventually selects the one with the lowest whole-period generalized cost among all schedule plans evaluated.

41 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE The main task of the sequencing algorithm is to evaluate traffic delay for use in computing user costs. Traffic delay varies from month to month because of geomet- ric features of the network (e.g., links are partially closed for construction in a spe- cific month), travel demand varies month to month, and delays are scenario-specific depending on the individual construction schedule plan. In this regard, WISE evalu- ates traffic delay for each month and then summarizes the overall delay for the entire analysis period. For a specific month, traffic delay is measured in a manner that considers the traffic diversion effect. It is assumed that some travelers will respond to the construc- tion event and choose their own alternate route to minimize their own delay. The traffic diversion effect indicates the need to measure the interdependency of work zone projects. If a work zone project involves a route that is an alternative to a route in another work zone project, then the algorithm can measure a worse delay when construction is concurrent rather than sequential. As a general rule, interdependent projects are usually not recommended for construction in overlapping time windows because such a situation increases traffic delay. Delay caused by work zone construction networkwide is measured by a k-shortest path (KSP) algorithm that appropriately captures travelers’ diversion. The KSP algo- rithm in WISE is a revised version of the ranking algorithm based on the work of Martins (2). As a general rule, it finds the shortest path by considering paths one by one between a set of diversion points and merging points. More specifically, WISE identifies a set of upstream nodes r of a work zone project as diversion points, speci- fies a set of downstream nodes s as merging points, and then solves k shortest paths between sets r and s. A set of paths among KSPs that leads to a shorter travel time than the one through a construction link is specified as a set of alternative routes for traffic diversion. Traffic diversion shifts flow from the longer route (in time) to the shorter route, so that travel times along two routes are identical after flow shifting, indicating an equilibrium state. A set of feasible schedules is generated by a large-scale neighborhood search heuristic. A feasible schedule, or plan, means that the schedules identified for each project satisfy the earliest starting time and latest completion time, the duration is within the domain that users specify, and the precedence constraints, if any, are valid. The heuristic starts from a feasible schedule plan, computes month-specific traffic delay, and obtains the overall generalized cost for the entire analysis period. Based on the current plan and evaluation result, WISE generates another plan that may lead to an improvement and performs the same evaluation again. In each iteration, the heuris- tic usually identifies a better plan. The analysis procedure continues until the program cannot identify further improvement within a certain number of iterations.

42 WISE SOFTWARE USERS GUIDE REFERENCES 1. Dial, R. A Path-Based User-Equilibrium Traffic Assignment Algorithm That Obviates Path Storage and Enumeration. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Vol. 40, No. 10, 2006, pp. 917–936. 2. Martins, E. D. V. An Algorithm for Ranking Paths in Acyclic Networks. OR Spektrum, Vol. 5, No. 2, 1983, pp. 87–90. 3. Transportation Research Circular E-C153: Dynamic Traffic Assignment—A Primer. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2011. http:// www.trb.org/publications/blurbs/165620.aspx.