Emme 3 Software Features

Emme 3 exposes the credibility of the industry-standard Emme travel demand forecasting software through a new generation of productivity tools and capabilities, including new network editing tools, new visualization and analysis capabilities, new GIS integration capabilities, and an extensive and extensible library of over 100 out of the box transport-themed maps and charts.

Emme 3 Software Features

• The Emme Desktop
• A Pervasive and Powerful Analysis Engine
• A Uniquely Powerful Mapping Framework
• Scenario Comparison
• Network Editing
• Unified Data Management
• GIS Integration
• The Emme Prompt
• Internationalization
• Subarea Tools and Demand Adjustment

The Emme Desktop software provides an integrated system for performing professional and productive transport model development, administration, visualization and analysis, and reporting. It includes point-and-click network editing tools, a full set of network and matrix calculation tools, an extensive and extensible mapping and reporting framework designed specifically for transport data, access to the core Emme Prompt command-line interface for automation and backward compatibility, and a variety of related tools. And the Emme Desktop software works natively with the integrated Emme Database so that model inputs and results are always quickly and clearly accessible.

Emme Desktop software is cross-platform and operates on a floating licence, so it fits with your IT system, whether you prefer Windows, Linux, Solaris, or a mix of all three.

Emme provides a powerful attribute query and expression engine which may be used consistently across many software tools, including the visualization/mapping framework, the network editing and calculation capabilities and analysis tools. For instance, the same expression that you use to color your network map can also be used in worksheets to filter network elements, or in the network calculator to store numerical computations. Because you have one consistent framework for visualization and analysis, your tables, worksheets, and network and matrix calculations can all communicate with each other to save you significant time and work.

Express yourself with a wide variety of mathematical functions and logical operators, and access to any Emme attribute, including data assets from the Emme Database and external data that is accessible in .DBF format.

Emme tables make it easy to zero in on specific information before export using the native expression engine. The "Copy Selected Items" option permits paste operations in most spreadsheet applications.

The Emme Desktop software includes a unique mapping framework which provides an exhaustive and extensible set of transport-themed maps and charts for visualization, analysis and reporting. Like other Emme tools, the Emme mapping framework provides transport professionals with the building blocks needed to extend and customize out-of-the-box templates so that they are always relevant for local use.

Communicate Effectively. Communicate your models effectively with graphical outputs produced using 100+ out-of-the-box transport-themed maps and charts covering the entire transport planning domain. This library of worksheets includes charts (scatterplots, histograms, tables) for all Emme data assets (matrices, nodes, intersections, links, transit lines, transit segments, etc.), network maps for topological display of supply- and demand-side information, and a variety of special-purpose analyses like grid values, isochrones (shortest-paths), and many more. Extend and customize the out-of-the-box worksheets with data filters, expressions, styles, annotations, and legends. Export and print graphics for reports, and save worksheets for later or to share with colleagues.

Build Your Own. Didn’t find a worksheet that gets your point across? Go ahead and create your own with the same building blocks we use here at INRO; there are 69 map layers in Emme, used for charting or mapping everything from shapes, symbols, bars, text, scatterplots (XY-charts) and histograms on network elements (nodes, links with new link shape, transit lines, transit segments, intersections) to demand desire lines, matrix scatterplots and histograms, specialized analyses (isochrones, shortest paths, grid values), GIS data, raster images and more.

Consistent Interface. And all these custom maps, charts and tables/reports use the native Emme expression and scenario comparison engine so that you have one consistent framework for visualization and analysis across all these tools.

Endless Possibilities. Whether you use our extensive default templates, or stack several layers on top of each other to make your own worksheet, you have all the information you need at your fingertips.

In Emme, scenario comparison capabilities underlie both the Emme mapping framework and the Emme analysis and expression engine, not the other way around. As a result, comparing scenarios is as easy as swapping scenarios in the Data Explorer. When you see your worksheets and tables update to match the current scenario you will realize why there’s absolutely no reason for you to rebuild maps or reports each time you rerun your model or change inputs.

Since scenario comparison capabilities are accessible from Emme expressions, you can be sure to use them anywhere you can use expressions: in filters, style specifications and of course in-line calculations.

Instant Results. Comparing individual data elements between scenarios has never been easier. Emme manages the correspondence between all scenario data, so no matter where you’d like to access cross-scenario data - from network calculations, tables or maps - you can use the exact same expression syntax. Again, all you need to do is organize the Active Scenarios in the Data Explorer according to your needs, and the Emme Desktop software will update all of your views accordingly. You can either use the out-of-the-box comparison worksheets provided in Emme, or you can roll your own custom analyses using the Emme scenario comparison framework.

In Emme, network editing is performed on the same network representation that is used for running model procedures so there are no hidden internal representations between you and your model. No matter what mode of transport, What You See Is What You Get.

An Integrated Tool. The Emme network editor benefits from the same flexible mapping framework as the rest of Emme, allowing users to edit over customized GIS maps tailored to the specific job. And with new support for link shape, Emme networks can accurately and clearly represent complex geometries and curves without the use of intermediate nodes. The network editor makes it possible to apply bulk changes by selecting network elements geographically in the map, or according to Emme’s powerful query expression engine from the synchronized attribute tables. An undo/redo stack provides the ability to roll back any edits, which are added to the stack while the user works. The editing history may be saved as Emme macros to re-apply changes to other scenarios.

Multimodal Consistency. The Emme network editor provides easy point-and-click operation for all Emme network/supply data including modes, nodes, links, transit lines, transit segments and intersections/turns. The editor supports basic operations as well as compound operations; adding two-way links, modifying transit line itineraries, and splitting links are as intuitive as adding nodes and links. The multimodal, integrated Emme Database guarantees that your base network, intersections, and transit lines always remain consistent.

The Emme Database provides a unified, consistent and structured way to work with network data, demand data, and macros for model automation across transportation planning scenarios. Each database stores multiple scenarios which the Emme Desktop can access simultaneously, so it isn’t necessary to parse a directory of dozens or hundreds of files to access your model data. And the Emme Database stores lots of metadata while you work, so you can always recover full model context.

Data Integrity. The relational structure of networks (i.e. modes, nodes, links, turns, transit lines, transit segments) in the Emme Database provides an integrated framework to guarantee network consistency.

The Emme Database is, and has always been, truly multimodal, so you can be sure that transit lines actually run over your road network, and that your private and public transport network coding will stay in sync with each other. Demand data are also housed consistently within the Emme Database, and are accessible from the full tool suite of Emme.

Contextual Metadata. The Emme Database also supplements data storage with a variety of data administration tools and valuable metadata. Any changes to scenario status model specifications are recorded and stored for consultation, so you can always see at a glance what kind of models have been prepared or executed on your transport planning scenarios.

Out-of-the-box Audit Trail. The Emme Database also contains an integrated logbook which automatically logs and provides a comprehensive audit trail whenever Emme modules are executed. The logbook permits an official audit trail of model runs in Emme Databases. Logbooks can be cleared, but since logging is integrated into Emme at a low level, Emme ensures that an audit trail always exists. The logbook can be queried interactively by either date ranges, by user, by module, or by scenario.

The ArcGIS™ plug-in for Emme provides native access to georeferenced maps and GIS data. ArcGIS map layers appear alongside native Emme map layers, and provide a rich visual context to supplement visualization, network editing, analysis, and report generation. With ArcGIS for Emme, you can:

• View local and/or live GIS maps in Emme, exactly as they would appear in ArcMap™, including symbology.
• Define the coordinate system within Emme to automatically project georeferenced data on-the-fly without manual transformations or data format conversions.
• Re-use existing enterprise GIS assets, and gain access to a world of new data formats. All supported ArcGIS raster, vector, and imagery formats can now be viewed from within Emme.
• Access the ArcGIS plug-in from any computer where Emme is installed, without the need for any additional licenses.*

Click here to see a screencast demonstrating the ArcGIS plug-in for Emme in action.

The ArcGIS plug-in for Emme leverages the ESRI toolset and the geodatabase, so that all vector, raster, and imagery formats supported by ArcGIS can be viewed in the Emme environment, including enterprise geodatabases, and a variety of open, ESRI or third-party data products supported by the Arc platform. Examples include live GIS maps or the optimized, popular MrSID and ECW compressed raster image formats. ArcGIS layers display in Emme maps just as they do in ArcMap; feature visibility is determined from view extent, Arc layers blend with transparency, and symbology legends appear in the familiar Arc Table of Contents.

The ArcGIS plug-in also permits native access to a wide-variety of commercial GIS data sets, including the popular StreetMap and StreetMap Pro data products published by ESRI.

Shapefiles. Emme also provides built-in utilities for shapefile import and export. Import base network data directly from a route system representation in a polyline shapefile or from node/link shapefiles, and copy DBF attributes to Emme native attributes. The Shapefile to Emme Conversion tool retains the network's topology, efficiently computes line crossings, and splits polyline shapes as needed. Shapefile export utilities create shapefile representations of any planning scenario in the Emme Database, including nodes, links and new link shape, transit lines and transit segments, so that it is possible to display and analyze Emme results in GIS packages, or in other software that can read shapefiles.

Because Emme is designed as a suite of general-purpose modules integrated within a full-featured automation framework, Emme provides a uniquely flexible, open approach to modelling that permits users to innovate, specialize or customize tasks to local needs, often without waiting for new software updates from INRO. Emme core modules are provided through a lightweight command-line interface, called the Emme Prompt, which is available either in the Emme Desktop software, or standalone to promote remote accessibility.

Emme provides a powerful macro language for the automation of repetitive and frequently used commands. The macro language provides programming facilities such as conditional branching, parameter substitution, calls to other macros and third-party utilities. It also includes a single-step debugging mode. The macro language makes it possible to implement complex sequence of computations or even algorithms which use as building blocks the assignment procedures and the network and matrix calculators.

An extensive library of macros exists for a wide variety of tasks including model procedures, data integrations, and other utilities. The macro language provides such a flexible framework that custom transport modelling procedures can be implemented directly by users; in Emme, procedures like stochastic assignments, capacitated or congested transit assignments, or multi-point assignments can be simply expressed in macros using standard Emme components.

All Emme import/export modules are also part of the Emme automation framework, and so can fully participate in enterprise workflows. To date, Emme users have employed custom integrations with centralized version control systems, emissions modelling tools, GIS workflows, and more.

Emme’s flexible automation framework facilitates the open exchange of already-developed Emme macros for a variety of tasks, many of which are distributed with Emme by INRO, or available from the INRO website. Most macro applications can benefit from these, and other, reference implementations.

Your street names aren't necessarily in English characters—so why should your database be? The Emme Database includes support for international characters. Simply tell Emme what character set you're using, and it does the rest: the Emme user interface and prompt console will display all your place names, labels, and descriptions exactly as you meant them to be displayed. Emme Worksheets support full Unicode, so you'll be able to generate tables and reports using any character in your language.

Emme Desktop ships with English, French and Chinese (Simplified) localizations and more can be added through the extensible translation framework. Just drop your translations into Emme's translations folder and make the quick change in Emme's Application Options window. Keep as many translations as you want on your computer; you can switch between them as often as you need.

Emme provides all the tools you need to extract subarea networks, and to compute and adjust subarea demand so that you can establish a great foundation for other projects. You can define a subarea with graphical point-and-click operations in the network editor, or through user-defined expressions in the Emme network calculator. Emme offers sophisticated path analyses that allow for the generation of traversal matrices representing trips by mode—in, out, through, and within the specified subarea. Traffic demand traversal procedures are entirely consistent with assignment results.

Subarea studies built with Emme can be merged with each other or the original study area can be updated using Emme network batch files (add/modify/delete) to maintain an up-to-date area-wide network. Or, export the subarea network and demand to perform operational studies with Dynameq, or any microsimulation software.

The Emme core modelling framework supports flexible and reliable matrix estimation procedures to more closely match your demand to traffic counts on links and turns within a subarea or across the entire network. There are procedures for simultaneous multi-class demand adjustment, procedures which can be configured to consider both matrix adjustment deviations and count fit, and procedures which allow weights on specific OD values and/or count values to reflect reliability of input data. And as always with Emme, you can mix these procedures to create a demand adjustment tailored to your needs.

* Except where prohibited by law.