PacTrans Calendar of Events
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PacTrans-sponsored Transportation Talk
February 15, 2013 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Title: Using Street Topology and Network Analysis to Estimate Traffic Volumes
Speaker: Mike Lowry, Assistant Professor, University of Idaho
[Abstract] This presentation introduces tools developed at the University of Idaho to estimate traffic volumes. One tool estimates peak-hour bicycle and pedestrian volumes, another tool estimates automobile annual average daily traffic (AADT), and the third tool estimates automobile turn movements at an intersection. The new tools use a specialized measure of network connectivity and street importance called centrality. This novel approach is advantageous because it uses commonly available geographic information system (GIS) data and does not require elaborate model building and calibration. The tools are modifiable Python scripts for ArcGIS Toolbox. We present the tools with example data and explain the underlying theory of network centrality.
[Short Biography] Dr. Michael Lowry is an assistant professor at the University of Idaho. He holds a joint appointment in the departments of Civil Engineering and Bioregional Planning. He is an affiliate researcher for the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology (NIATT). His research focuses on capital investment decision-making and transportation planning for bicyclists and pedestrians. Dr. Lowry teaches courses related to geographic information systems, sustainable transportation, engineering statistics, and economic analysis. He received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington in 2008.
