National mobility model

This project builds and maintain a national mobility model for Andorra that allows traffic simulations to be carried out, both on a macro and microscopic scale. The resulting model aspires to become the reference tool of the Andorran Government's Mobility Area to support decision-making in mobility policies.

Apart from its public vocation, a notable difference of the implemented model —compared to others with similar aims— is that the journeys' generation and distribution phase is implemented using the geolocated mobile phone data provided by Andorra Telecom, from which the origin-destination (OD) journey matrices are obtained.

The use of mobile phone data provides several advantages in the modelling: it allows for more representative samples, captures minor trips often missed in surveys and increases the spatial and temporal resolution. It should be mentioned that Andorra Telecom has 100% of the market share in Andorra, a fact that provides the sample with a high quality in terms of representativeness and diversity. However, the use of this data also involves challenges and requires special treatment to guarantee the security and privacy of users.

The national mobility model incorporates in detail the main road infrastructure of the country and allows the modelling of the morning peak of a working day. This first operational version of the macroscopic model has been calibrated and validated with data from 52 fixed vehicle detectors and 33 mobile ones [1]. The figure below shows the OD matrix of the morning traffic peak (7h to 10h) on a weekday, which can also be consulted interactively.

Andorra Reserach + Innovation identified Aimsun Next as the ideal modelling tool to build the model, not only because of its technical specifications but also because of the collaboration formula proposed by the software developers themselves. Aimsun Next is a fully integrated application that merges travel demand modelling, macroscopic functionalities, mesoscopic simulation and microsimulation in a single software. The collaboration with the Aimsun team within the framework of the Andorra Living Lab complements the knowledge of the Andorra Research + Innovation team, as well as providing rigour to the model implemented and its updates.

The model must serve, among other things, to define a strategic vision and improve mobility in Andorra through three main lines:

• Existing infrastructure optimization.
• Sustainable mobility policies preparation support.
• Planning and prioritization of new interventions.

At the same time, it must become a tool for promoting research, innovation and analysis in areas related to mobility (like air quality analysis and others).

The current version of the model is available to organisations that wish to use it in studies aimed at improving Andorra's mobility. The application can be made through info@ari.ad.

[1] AR+I, "Modelització per a l’estudi de capacitat màxima de la xarxa viària d’Andorra," 2024