Dynameq is a new breed of equilibrium dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) for use on large, congested networks. Dynameq gives planners a view into dynamic traffic conditions, and provides rational scenario comparisons that are only possible with an equilibrium-based solution.

Dynameq enables planners to evaluate congested network scenarios with dynamic equilibrium benchmarks-a time-varying version of the same well-understood equilibrium assignments that have provided consistency for comparison in static analysis for years. Dynameq's equilibrium traffic assignment results represent user optimal network conditions that are immediately useful as an upper-bound on network performance. The few dozen iterations that are normally required to converge to an equilibrium DTA take less time than a single assignment by conventional microsimulators.

Traffic phenomena that trigger congestion are modeled explicitly, including signals, conflicting movements at intersections, lane permissions for turning movements and vehicle classes, and weaving. Each vehicle travels along a particular lane, performs lane changes where appropriate, and crosses signalized and unsignalized intersections. Congestion builds as queues spill across lanes and spill back through upstream intersections. Dynameq's event-based supply-side simulator provides order-of-magnitude performance improvements over traditional time-step traffic microsimulation, with congested networks exhibiting even greater speed-ups.

Large networks tend to be more data-intensive. Dynameq is designed with a minimal set of meaningful model parameters to get your model up and running as quickly as possible. Focus data collection and network coding effort on the parts of the network that need it most, and use link and intersection default settings for less critical parts of the network. Use constant demand extracted from static planning models, or separate the demand matrix into time slices. Calibrate with only a handful of parameters, each with real-world significance, and validate the network easily by identifying coding errors with network coloring and histograms.

Draw insight from simulation results using powerful analysis tools, and communicate results to decision-makers with rich and intuitive graphics. See the big picture with animated network-scale results to identify congestion patterns. Assess the extent of congestion with animated plots of lane-by-lane queues. Identify the source of the congestion by visualizing path flows and travel times. Understand the vehicle dynamics with animated plots of detector measurements. Compare results from two scenarios using network plots and time-series plots. Distill mountains of data into useful summaries with aggregate statistics.

The current maximum network size consists of 10 000 links, 5000 intersections and 1000 transportation analysis zones.