The Centre for Transport Studies is pleased to welcome


Mr Siamak Khorgami (CTS, University College London)

to lead a seminar entitled

A Comprehensive Approach to Modelling Household Activity Generation


to be held

Wednesday 4 July 2012 – 16:00

Please join us for presentation and discussion at


Room 309, Roberts Building, University College London (UCL)

 (Maps and travel directions: http://www.cege.ucl.ac.uk/contact_us/how_to_find_us)


Abstract
Operational activity-based demand models have been developed and are being used in North America and some mainland European cities for policy analysis. In the UK, the practical application of activity-based modelling is much more limited, despite the availability of travel and activity data that are required for models of this kind. However, closer examination shows that most operational models do not fully embody the principles of an activity-based approach. In particular, (i) the models mainly concentrate on out-of-home activities, (ii) they assume that only one activity takes place at each non-home location, and (iii) the basic unit of analysis in these models is the trip tour or activity pattern, rather than the individual activities. This presentation first identifies the key concepts behind a fully activity-based approach and assesses the extent to which they have been incorporated successfully into the existing range of activity-based models. It then outlines the framework of a recently developed model that outputs daily activity and travel patterns, using individual activities as the starting point. The model has two major sequential components: (1) an activity generation and household allocation model system, followed by (2) a joint activity and travel scheduling model system.  The results of calibrating the activity generation and household allocation model system on weekday data, using data from the 2001 UK Time Use Survey, will be presented. The introduced approach allows for multiple primary activities at non-home locations, and provides the possibility of examining trade-offs between in-home and out-of-home activities. Further, intra-household interactions are taken into account by modelling the possibility of engaging in joint, independent, and joint and independent activity episodes.

About the Speakers
Mr Siamak Khorgami is a part-time PhD student in the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London and has a senior transport modeller position in SKM Colin Buchanan Consultancy. In his PhD research, he introduced an operational framework and modelling approach for modelling household activity generation. His background includes strategic transport modelling, transport demand modelling, econometric modelling and data analysis, time series and traffic count data analysis, developing databases of transport information, micro-simulation, and traffic and economic appraisal. His recent projects include: Nicosia Bus Priority Master Plan, Integrated Mobility Master plan for Nicosia, Doha Automated People Mover, Trip production and attraction modelling in Medium Term Enhancement of London Transport Studies, and London Congestion Charging Monitoring. This presentation is part of Siamak’s 2012 IATBR Conference paper.

About the CTS Seminar Series
The CTS seminar series aims to facilitate discussion on current research topics in the transport field.  Seminars are held jointly with our colleagues in the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London. They are usually held on Wednesday afternoons at Imperial College London or University College London.

Seminars are free of charge and open to all interested parties. Booking is not required.

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                   www.cege.ucl.ac.uk/cts<http://www.cege.ucl.ac.uk/cts> (University College London)