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Aimsun Next API

The purpose of the Aimsun Next API is communicate between vehicle-based simulators and External applications.

Note about licenses: This functionality requires an API license extension. This license can be purchased for Pro Micro, Pro Meso, Advanced or Expert Editions.

Introduction

The current trends in the development of Advanced Transport Telematic Applications, either real-time adaptive, or based on other specific approaches, is far from being standardized. There are many commonly used protocols and few shared between applications. It is therefore difficult to try to integrate them in a fixed way in a microscopic traffic simulator.

Embedding control algorithms in a simulator can initially solve the problem for some specific modeling tasks, but as algorithms evolve and as new algorithms are developed, the task of keeping multiple embedded systems up to date becomes un-tenable.

Conceptually, the operation of these modern systems can be described as follows:

  • The road network is suitably equipped with traffic detectors of various technologies (loop detectors, image processing detectors, etc.), with a specific layout depending on the requirements of the control approach.
  • These detectors supply real-time traffic data (flows, speeds, occupancies, etc.) with the required degree of aggregation to a control system which might exist in an on-street controller, or in an area control center.
  • The management system which, uses this data to make control decisions: e.g. extend the green phase, change to the red phase, apply speed control, etc.

To evaluate and test any of these systems, a microsimulator must therefore be able to incorporate in the model the corresponding traffic devices: i.e. detectors, traffic lights, VMS, etc. It must emulate their functions by providing the same data as the physical device at the required time intervals, by implementing the same control strategies by operating signals, VMS, etc. and by giving direct instructions to vehicles. It must also provide the links to these functions such that the algorithms that control the network are able to obtain the data and implement the actions.