Integrated Software for Transportation Emissions Analysis

Loudon, William; Quint, Malcolm; ,

Integrated Software for Transportation Emissions Analysis

by William Loudon, JHK & Associates, Emeryville, United States,
Malcolm Quint, JHK & Associates, Emeryville, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Transportation Planning and Air Quality

Abstract:

As the air pollution problem in the major metropolitan areas of the United States has increased, new interest has emerged for greater accuracy in the estimation of emissions from mobile sources. Recent federal and state clean air acts have also mandated improvement in predictive methods for analysis of the emission impacts of transportation projects. This paper reports on new methodology and software that significantly enhance the emissions prediction capability of existing regional travel models. The methodology includes combining regional forecasts with supplemental data on time-of-day and vehicle type distribution of travel. The software enhancements include the integration of database management software with regional travel modeling software. The paper describes the need for the methodology improvements and a statistical analysis of the methods developed. The added sensitivity provided by the methodology enhancements is demonstrated by a comparison of emission forecasts with and without the enhanced methodology. The paper concludes with a description of the remaining areas in which research and development are needed.

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