PTV Vissim 8 - Efficient, convenient and elegant

The new release of the world's leading traffic simulation software is now available

The world's leading traffic simulation software is waiting for you, with new features and functionalities: with PTV Vissim 8, scenario management is now included in modelling. Other new features include the simulation of overtaking manoeuvres, as well as eye-catching graphics in the user interface and simulation output.

The scenario management in particular is highly practical: In PTV Vissim 8, it is now possible for different planning alternatives to be modelled as scenarios in a project, and for created scenarios to be used as templates for further modifications. "This new feature makes the development of multiple planning alternatives incredibly efficient," says Dr.-Ing. Johannes Schlaich, Director Traffic Software Product Management & Services at PTV Group. "Planning alternatives no longer need to be redeveloped from scratch every time, but can instead be adapted on the basis of an initial scenario and saved as an alternative." The highlight here is that changes such as a modification to demand can be saved directly in multiple scenarios with a single click.

In the fast lane
PTV Vissim 8 puts not just planners, but also the vehicles within a simulation in the fast lane, as the new version makes overtaking in the opposite lane possible. This feature allows you to model overtaking slower vehicles such as trucks in non-urban areas, for example. "Overtaking manoeuvres take many different factors into account, just like in reality," says Schlaich, "including current speeds, gaps in front of the vehicles being overtaken, or the look-ahead distance, for example." In this way, overtaking vehicles can deviate from their desired speed as they move into the opposite lane, and can increase their speed in order to perform the manoeuvre. Similarly, users can parameterise the look-ahead distance on individual road sections in order to correctly model aspects of traffic safety with regards to collision hazards.

Little helpers
The new version looks particularly elegant thanks to new graphics parameters in the network editor, which allow users to include useful, individual details in their simulation displays. As well as a digital clock displaying the simulation time or the duration of the simulation in seconds and the compass pointing North, you can also include a user-defined logo in your screenshots and video recordings - either your own company logo or that of your client.

Further information: You can find more information on the new features and functionalities of PTV Vissim 8 on our website at http://ptv.to/ptvvissim8. Our product management team will also be presenting the new version on 29 September and on 1 October through free English-language webinars. If you are interested in taking part, you can sign up at http://ptv.to/ptvvissim8webinar.

PTV. The Mind of Movement
PTV Group plans and optimises everything that moves people and goods worldwide – be it transport routes, distribution structures or private and public transport. The company offers software, data, content, consulting and research. Thanks to expert knowledge in traffic and transport planning, PTV occupies a unique position.

Environmentally-compatible and cost-effective mobility requires finely-tuned coordination of flows of traffic and goods, so that people and products can reach their destinations safely and efficiently. The focus here is on road safety, climate protection and future-proof mobility concepts. PTV solutions in transport logistics, traffic planning and traffic management help to achieve this, even in real time.

In the Logistics business field, PTV’s portfolio ranges from software for scheduling transport routes and trips to distribution planning and fleet management, including truck navigation and parking. A special online service provides real-time transparency during the transport process and across the entire supply chain. In the Traffic business field, PTV offers software, data and scientific techniques for modelling and simulating traffic networks. This helps traffic and city planners in over 120 countries to organise optimal traffic flow.

PTV's headquarters have been located in Karlsruhe – a centre of innovation and development – since the company was founded in 1979. Around 600 employees around the world are working on powerful solutions for public administration, government departments, trade and industry.

The German company PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG is a member of PTV Group. www.ptvgroup.com.

Sonja Koesling
PR & Marketing Traffic Software at PTV Group
Tel.: 49-721-9651-7361, Fax: 49-721-9651-684
E-Mail: Email Contact

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This map shows 24h traffic isochrones for anyplace in the world

By Aleks Buczkowski



Typical travel planning tools like Google Maps give you directions and travel times from point A to point B. The routes are selected based on algorithms using real-time or historic traffic information. It’s cool and very practical. But what if you’d like to use such a tool for urban planning or simply to learn something about your neighbourhood? In that case the information you’re looking for is how far can you get in particular time… to any point. In cartography the tool for analysing such an information is calledisochrone and it’s a line on the map connecting points at which something occurs or arrives at the same time.

Recently I found a map which shows one of the coolest usage of isochrones out there. Isoscope is a project created at urban mobility class at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam. It allows you to pick any point in the world and generate 2 to 10 minutes isochrones for any day of the week. The tool is using the HERE API which allows for calculating areas reachable within a given time automatically (based on historical speed profiles of HERE) and well-known Leaflet Java Script library.


“We wanted our project to shed light on situations when urban mobility is compromised, when the pulse of the city falters, such as during traffic jams,” said Sebastian Kaim, who developed the tool along with Flavio Gortana and Martin von Lupin.

User can play with the tool using this simple menu. Essentially what you can do is to select typical day of the week and travel time distance isochrones. What you get is a set of 24 isolines displayed together for selected points. Now by sliding through hours on the top of the menu you can observe the changes in the traffic flows.

One of the coolest features of the tool is adding isochrones for pedestrians. Now it starts to bring the true value to urban planners. Imagine that using the API we could identify the areas where pedestrian travel time is close to car travel time. Having such an information about your destination would you still choose a car instead of walking?

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