What features does a Creario model support?
Creario creates multimodal networks for car, public transport, walk and bike (bicycle). Networks contain Z-coordinates and gradients on links, making them suitable for bicycle- and ev-simulations. Agents in the population get a number of attributes assigned, such as gender, age, or the landuse type (urban, suburban, rural) at their home location.
What datasets does Creario use?
Creario uses a variety of publicly available datasets, ranging from OpenStreetMap for the road network, Worldpop and Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) for population data, AWS Terrain Tiles for elevation data and many more. The technical documentation contains additional detail on the data sources used for various parts of the model.
Can I provide own custom data?
Yes. Creario allows you to upload your own data to control the number and spatial distribution of the population generated. In addition, users can upload GTFS data to be used for the creation of a public transport schedule.
What can the models be used for?
Models created by Creario can be used to quickly generate the basis for more sophisticated models, as a showcase model to highlight the potential of the technology in your city, or to research new algorithms used in transport planning in a spatial context you are familiar with.
The models are created by an automated process, following our year-long expertise working with MATSim. While we run a number of validation checks on the created scenarios, fixing potential issues would require manual work. The report included with the completed scenario includes the validation results and highlights potential areas that should be manually checked and potentially fixed. Without such manual work, the scenario should not be used for transport planning purposes that require absolute, validated numbers, but only for showcase models or for demonstrating specific algorithms or behaviour patterns in the simulation.
If you prefer to receive a validated scenario suitable for transport planning, please contact us. We’re happy to analyze, validate and improve the automatically created scenario for you and make it ready for your use cases.
How is the model calibrated?
Currently, the models created by Creario are not yet calibrated, mostly due to missing target data (e.g. count data, empirical modal split). But we are working to bring calibration to Creario soon! We are also happy to calibrate the model for you if you provide the corresponding target numbers.
How long does the creation of a model take?
Models of smaller cities are usually created within a few hours. Bigger models covering areas with millions of agents might take one or two days to create.
How is the model border accounted for?
Creario adds a buffer around the selected region, for which the public transit network, facilities, and public transport schedule are generated. Within the originally selected region, agents are generated to represent the entire population. These agents can choose activity locations within the selected region and outside the region but within the buffer zone. For the buffer zone, only agents, that either perform at least one activity in the selected region or whose initial routing leads through the selected region, are generated. The agents in the buffer zone are not representative of the population living there.