Season's Greetings from INRO – December 2010

Click on the card above to play our holiday game!

Consult our office closures during the holiday season. The discussion forums will of course remain open, so feel free to continue posting questions.

If you didn't receive our holiday greeting e-mail, contact us so that we can keep you informed in the future.

Emme 3.3.3 Now Available – October 2010

Emme 3.3.3 is a maintenance release that provides several enhancements. Among other improvements, networks with link shape are displayed faster and appear smoother. Emme 3.3.3 is a recommended update, and available for all users who have a valid software support agreement. Download today!

Emme 3.3.2 Now Available – August 2010

Emme 3.3.2 resolves an issue that can affect initialization of certain matrices in the Matrix Calculator. Emme 3.3.2 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement.

Emme 3.3.1 Now Available – August 2010

INRO is pleased to announce the release of Emme 3.3.1, available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. Emme 3.3.1 is a maintenance update that introduces a Merge Links feature in the Network Editor, adds requested calls to the Emme Desktop API for more control when printing/exporting worksheets, and offers new worksheets for network and function validation.

Emme 3.3.1 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement.

Emme 3.3 Now Available – March 2010

INRO is pleased to announce the release of Emme 3.3, available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. Emme 3.3 introduces a number of requested features, including the new Link Shape feature for better visual representation of transportation networks. This is a recommended update for all Emme users.

Included with Emme for the first time is the ESRI ArcGIS® Engine Runtime, which provides access to the ArcGIS plug-in for Emme without the need for other licences. (Windows only.) Now you can use the ArcGIS Plug-in for Emme anywhere Emme is installed. See the official INRO/ESRI press release here.

Also included are related enhancements to network display of worksheet layers, including support for link arrows, turn arrows and link vertices, and a variety of other improvements.

Emme 3.3 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement.

Dynameq 1.4.6 Now Available – January 2010

Dynameq 1.4.6 is now available for download to all users with a valid software support agreement. This update is recommended for all Dynameq users.

• Expand your networks. Dynameq now allows for networks with 60% more links than before for no additional cost. Expand your models into larger geographic areas or add more detail.
• Path export. Save paths to text files for analysis, or bring Dynameq paths to other software.
• More flavors of Windows. This update also introduces official support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008.

Please consult the release notes for a complete description of all enhancements, code refinements and fixes in this release, available on the INRO Download page. This update is entirely backwards compatible with all Dynameq 1.4.x releases.

Season's greetings from INRO – December 2009

Click on the card above to play our holiday game!

Consult our office closures during the holiday season. The discussion forums will of course remain open, so feel free to continue posting questions.

If you didn't receive our holiday greeting e-mail, contact us so that we can keep you informed in the future.

Emme 3.2.2 Now Available – December 2009

Emme 3.2.2, a maintenance release for Emme 3.2, is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. This update is recommended for all Emme users.

Emme 3.2.2 provides new built-in aspect ratios for worksheets, adds various enhancements to worksheet layers, provides support for printing Emme Prompt reports without page headers, and fixes minor bugs related to the path-based traffic assignment, in addition to other maintenance. This update also introduces official support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008.

Emme 3.2.2 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Emme 3.2.1 Now Available – October 2009

Emme 3.2.1, a maintenance release for Emme 3.2, is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. This update is recommended for all Emme users.

Enhancements and fixes:

• Projection files can now be specified using paths relative to the Emme Project, making projects more portable.
• A more robust Shapefile to Emme Conversion properly handles reported problems with particular shapefiles.
• O-D path attributes for secondary classes are now always saved when using the Emme Parallel Standard Traffic Assignment.

Emme 3.2.1 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Emme 3.2 Now Available – September 2009

INRO is proud to announce the release of Emme 3.2, available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement.

New in this release:

• Faster assignment, same results. The new Multi-threaded/Parallel Standard Traffic Assignment offers dramatic speedups on multi-processing systems. Choose to use all available processors for the fastest turnaround, divide the processors over multiple assignments, or keep one processor free for other tasks. Results stay the same; you'll just get them faster.
• Faster assignment, even better results. The Path-based Traffic Assignment is a fast-converging, new user-optimal equilibrium traffic assignment that offers significant performance improvements, better convergence, and faster analysis of path-based results. Tighter convergence enables planners to evaluate the economic costs and benefits of a given scenario with greater precision. And new "warm starts" grant further efficiences by letting you start a new assignment with previously saved paths.
• Remote control for the Emme Desktop. Automate your interaction with the Emme Desktop by using the new Python-based Emme Desktop API (Beta). Write scripts to ease repetitive tasks such as printing of worksheets against multiple planning scenarios and views. Modify layers or worksheet configurations on-the-fly. Create scripted or interactive presentations with Emme. And make batch changes to worksheets such as adding or removing layers, or adding explicit customizations that depend on other contexts like views, scenarios, or times.
• New worksheet styles. The styles used in the distributed worksheets and tables, including the Network Editor, have been refreshed.

For more information about these new features or any of the other improvements in Emme 3.2, consult the Release Notes. And if your SSA has lapsed, you can always contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Emme 3.1.10 Now Available – July 2009

Emme 3.1.10 is a maintenance release for Emme, and is recommended for all Windows users who use the ArcGIS® licence server. If the ArcGIS Licence Server is slow to respond, Emme now notifies you and offers to continue without the ArcGIS plug-in for Emme.

Emme 3.1.10 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Emme 3.1.9 Now Available – June 2009

New in this release:

• Build Emme networks from polyline shapefiles. Now the Shapefile to Emme Conversion tool can import base network data directly from a route system representation in a polyline shapefile without the need for you to prepare node/link shapefiles. The Shapefile to Emme Conversion tool efficiently computes intersections, and splits polyline shapes accordingly.
• Enhancements and improved stability. The network editor tables now support "Change View to Selected Items" from a right-click, making it easier to find network elements; startup will no longer hang due to inaccessible ArcGIS server licences; and we've made numerous other fixes. See the release notes for more.

Emme 3.1.9, a maintenance release for Emme 3.1, is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

INRO presents at the TRB Planning Applications Conference – May 2009

INRO's presentation on improved traffic assignments at the 12th TRB National Transportation Planning Applications Conference in May was judged as the best of the session. Thanks to participants in the Beta release of new Emme assignments, which yielded compelling results in the presentation: Changing assignment algorithms: the price of better convergence (with audio).

A second presentation offered an improved methodology for matrix estimation, and was also recognized as the best in session: A Caveat on O-D Matrix Estimation/Adjustment: Deviations from a seed matrix and simultaneous multi-class adjustments (with audio).

Dynameq figured in 2 presentations: DTA in practice: modeling dynamic networks in the real world (with audio) and Regional Dynamic Traffic Assignment for Real World Travel Demand Models - Trying it out in San Francisco (with audio). Michael Mahut was a panel member in the DTA Roundtable (recorded podcast) hosted by the Federal Highway Administration.

INRO has been invited to present updated versions at the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in January.

Dynameq 1.4 Trial available – May 2009

In the Dynameq 1.4 Trial, you'll be able to walk through a sample Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) application: you'll take a look at congestion on a network, do network editing, and even run your own DTA. If you haven't yet had a chance to dig into Dynameq's powerful simulation and visualization capabilities, what better time than now to try them out? Click here to take Dynameq for a spin.

Emme 3.1.8 now available – April 2009

The first maintenance release for Emme 3.1 is available for download today to all users with a valid software support agreement.

New in this release:

• Get more done in a better-performing Network Editor. Compound operations work even faster than before: this includes copying and pasting attributes, splitting links, and more. Default values of extra attributes persist within the Emme Database. And changes across the Network Editor mean greater productivity.
• The ArcGIS plug-in for Emme is more responsive. Interrupt drawing of detailed maps with the Esc key. Use your rich media without the wait.
• The Emme transit assignment now features a spread factor parameter. An optional spread factor in transit assignments allows you to change the number of alternative paths considered by travellers at a stop, given the same wait time. With the spread factor, you can have compliance with FTA New Starts guidelines¿and your results, as always, stay the same.

Emme 3.1.8 is now available from the INRO Download site to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Dynameq 1.4 now available – January 2009

Dynameq 1.4 is available from the INRO Download site. This update is free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement. The following enhancements are included:

• Visualize your models with our new ArcGIS plug-in for Dynameq. Access geo-referenced maps and GIS data directly from within Dynameq. Whether local or live, vector or raster, your ArcGIS map layers appear right alongside the native Dynameq network display just as they would in ArcMap, including symbology. Put your existing ArcGIS desktop licences to work in Dynameq.
• Support for more flavours of Windows. We're pleased to announce the beginning of official support for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and XP.

Dynameq 1.4 is now available from the INRO Download site to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Season's greetings from INRO – December 2008

Click on the card above to play our holiday game! Can you crack the top 20?

Consult our office closures during the holiday season. The discussion forums will of course remain open, so feel free to continue posting questions.

If you didn't receive our holiday greeting e-mail, contact us so that we can keep you informed in the future.

Emme 3.1 now available – December 2008

INRO is proud to announce the release of Emme 3.1, the newest version of our powerful and proven travel demand forecasting software. Here's what you'll find inside:

• Visualize your models with our new ArcGIS plug-in for Emme. You'll have access to geo-referenced maps and GIS data directly from within Emme. Whether local or live, vector or raster, your ArcGIS map layers appear right alongside native Emme map layers just as they would in ArcMap, including symbology. Put your existing ArcGIS desktop licences to work in Emme. The ArcGIS plug-in is available to users on Windows systems. Learn more...
• Internationalization. With thousands of users spread over six continents, INRO knows it's a big world out there. Now, Emme knows it too. Emme 3.1 includes support for internationalization, meaning that your database, GUI, and worksheets can speak your language. INRO partners around the world are working on translations; if you'd like to know more, or to help with your own language, contact support@inro.ca. Learn more...
• Auto assignments are even better. Increased numerical precision in your auto assignments means more stable and reliable convergence.
• Support for more flavours of Windows. We're pleased to announce the beginning of official support for Windows Server 2003, as well as 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and XP.

Emme 3.1 is now available from the INRO Download site to all users with a valid software support agreement. If your SSA has lapsed, don't hesitate to contact us at sales@inro.ca about updating it.

Emme 3.1 Beta now available – September 2008

Emme 3.1 Beta is now available from the INRO Download site. New features include an ESRI ArcGIS plugin and internationalization. For more information, visit our Emme page.

Emme 3.1 Beta is available free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement.

INRO Evolution Newsletter – September 2008

Check out the September 2008 edition of INRO Evolution, our newsletter.

In this installment:

• Emme 3.1 Beta now available
• Dynameq News
• Forum Highlights

To subscribe to INRO Evolution, please contact us at announcements@inro.ca.

Update to Emme 3.0 available – April 2008

Emme 3.0.42 is now available from the INRO Download site. This update is free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement. This release includes a silent installer to satisfy user requests for unattended installation in their enterprise computing environments.

Emme Press on Congestion Charging – March 2008

Jenny Källström and Stehn Svalgård of WSP Analysis & Strategy modeled various tolling schemes

to reduce congestion in and around the city center, thereby improving accessibility and emissions in the most densely populated areas of Stockholm… [In the 6-month trial], traffic crossing the congestion-charge cordon was reduced by 22%, or roughly 100,000 cordon crossings during the congestion-charge period, which was in line with the predicted 25% reduction.

The successful trial was followed by a referendum, which led to the permanent congestion charging scheme in place today.

Read the full article, reproduced with kind permission from Traffic Technology International.

New subarea package for Emme – March 2008

A new subarea package is now available from the Download section. This package includes new macros, corresponding worksheets and detailed documentation for specifying subareas, preparing traversal assignments and exporting data from Emme to Dynameq.

Update to Emme 3.0 available – March 2008

Emme 3.0.41 is now available from the INRO Download site. This update is free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement.

The following enhancements are included in this update:

• New selection tools in the Network Editor, including polygon selection.
• New "Duplicate Itinerary" command in the Network Editor.
• New bar chart map symbol offers display for series data.
• A new tool to convert GIS shape files directly to the Emme network format.

Dynameq 1.3 released – February 2008

Dynameq 1.3 is available from the INRO Download site. This update is free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement.

The following enhancements are included in this update:

• A new flow balancing method improves DTA convergence, faster.
• Improved path storage further improves performance, while using less disk space and less RAM.
• The regular Method of Successive Averages (MSA) is still available for backwards compatibility of DTA results.

More Emme compatibilities have also been introduced in Dynameq 1.3 to streamline workflow:

• Import a series of Emme matrices into a single, time-sliced matrix.
• Export matrices into an Emme-format matrix file.
• Export network data to an Emme base network file.

Dynameq success story – January 2008

"Software for Road Infrastructure", an annual supplement to World Highways and ITS International, interviewed Pascal Volet, who recently joined PB after 3 years at the City of Montreal, about his work on the Notre-Dame Street corridor project.

[Dynameq] is like a microsimulator with short cuts, says Volet, and quite clever. The method "was just what we needed," he says, "allowing modelling of the whole 9km section and the area around it so the traffic impacts on surrounding streets could be examined." It reflects real behaviour in terms of time based effects, and shows queuing and [blocking back].

The model was particularly useful on a complex weaving section near the city where cars change lanes and a wide variety of possible geometric alternatives were examined. "Morning and afternoon periods for three or four design alternatives could be coded and simulated in less than two days, which is faster than micro simulation," he says.

Read the full article on the World Highways website.

Season's Greetings – December 2007

Consult our office closures during the holidays. Feel free to post questions to the Discussion Forums until we're back!

If you did not receive our holiday greeting email, please send your contact information so we can keep you informed in the future.

Update to Emme 3.0 available – July 2007

Emme 3.0.36 is now available from the INRO Download site. This update is free for all organizations with a valid Software Support Agreement.

The following enhancements are included in this update:

• Windows Vista is now added to the list of supported platforms for Emme.
• The maximum number of links has been increased by 28%: to determine the maximum number of links multiply your licence size by 8000.
• Some usability improvements in the worksheet control panel include wrapping for long expressions and listboxes that extend to fit without scrolling.

 

In addition to these new features and enhancements, this release is a recommended update that addresses stability issues reported by users. Details can be found in the Release Notes, also posted on the INRO Download site.

Emme 3.0 released – February 2007

We are pleased to release Emme 3.0 for Windows, Linux, and UNIX.

Users with a valid Software Support Agreement (SSA) are welcome to download this free upgrade. If your SSA has expired, contact Christine Cote at sales@inro.ca to find out how your organization can renew to access Emme 3.0.

Our upcoming training courses are already in sync with this Emme release. Start fresh with Introduction to Emme, freshen up with Emme for EMME/2 Users, or dig into our advanced courses. You may register at your convenience, or contact Zvi Leve at courses@inro.ca to address your particular training needs.

As always, the Support Team is on stand-by to address your concerns and get you up and running.

Dynameq in the news – January 2007

Dynameq was featured in Software for Road Infrastructure, by Route One Publishing, Ltd. Learn how Caltrans and Earth Tech teamed up to plan for road closures during reconstruction of a major interchange on Interstate 15 near Ontario, California.

Earth Tech and INRO were invited to present this innovative project at the International Symposium of Transport Simulation and the TRB 86th Annual Meeting. Contact sales@inro.ca for more information.

Holiday greetings – December 2006

Click on the card above to discover the elves and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. If you did not receive our holiday greeting email, please send a message to sales@inro.ca so we can keep you informed in the future.

Consult our office closures during the holidays. Feel free to post questions to the Discussion Forums until we're back!

Old is new again

As INRO celebrates its 30th birthday, we have taken a look back at the early years and were pleased to discover some treasures. Our Conference page now lists events dating back to 1988. We have also literally scanned our archives and made the PDFs available for your interest. We will continue adding the early papers as we discover them. If you have a copy of a presentation that is not yet available on our site, we would be pleased to post it.

Emme 3.0 Beta is available

Emme 3.0 Beta is now available to all EMME/2 users with a valid Software Support Agreement. This release of Emme 3 represents INRO's commitment to both the past and the future, to bring a new set of capabilities to all the users who have invested themselves in the Emme platform. Emme 3.0 Beta is an important part of our testing program, and we look forward to your reactions. An official, general availability release of Emme 3.0 will follow, based, in part, on your valued feedback.

We are proud to offer some exciting new features in this release, with more to come. Highlights include the Emme Project, the Network Editor, the Network Calculator, and the Simultaneous Multi-class Assignment, all wrapped in a brand new GUI that combines the functionality of EMME/2 and Enif. For those who prefer the command line environment, use the embedded Prompt Console or the Emme Prompt Shell is available.

You may download the software now by logging on to the INRO Download page and clicking on the "Emme 3.0 Beta" link. If you do not have one, you can request a login name and password. If you have forgotten your login name and password, please ask for a reminder.

A brief list of the major differences in software, terminology, and installation are summarized in the Release Notes, along with a list of known issues. The Release Notes are available under Start->All Programs->INRO->Emme 3.0 Beta in Windows or at doc/pdf/e3rnbeta.pdf in the directory of the installed software on Linux. A UNIX version of Emme 3 is on its way. An Overview of Emme 3.0 Beta is included in the Welcome section of the incomplete draft documentation, available from the Help menu within the Emme GUI.

We are looking forward to your feedback. Please contact us directly at support@inro.ca or register for the new Emme discussion forum to share your views with other users.

New Emme Courses Announced for 2006

With the upcoming release of Emme 3, the Introduction to Emme training course has undergone a complete revision. The new training course format is organized around a series of common transportation planning tasks, with new software functionalities being introduced at each stage in the course. This new course replaces the Introduction to EMME/2 and Introduction to Enif courses. Consult the Training section of our web-site for training dates and more detailed information about course contents.

Beginning in the Fall of 2006, INRO will introduce a completely new one-day training course which will give an overview of our latest software platform: Emme 3 for EMME/2 Users. This course will focus on new features, including the graphic editors and the explorers. Topics related to enhancing the graphical output and accessing external data sources will also be covered. This course is aimed at participants who are already familiar with the EMME/2 menu driven interface and may or may not have experience with Enif.