Estimating Project-Level Vehicle Emissions with VISSIM and MOVES-Matrix

Estimating transportation network emissions requires multiplying estimates of on-road vehicle activity (by source type and operating mode) by applicable emission rates for the observed source type and operating conditions. Coupling microsimulation model runs with emissions modeling can make fast assessments possible in transportation air quality planning. This research developed a tool with automated linkage between the Vissim microsimulation model and the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model. To link the two models, the research team used MOVES-Matrix, which was prepared by iteratively running MOVES across all possible iterations of vehicle source type, fuel, environmental and operating conditions, and other parameters (hundreds of millions of model runs) to create a multidimensional emission rate lookup matrix. A Vissim simulation of the major arterial roads and freeways at I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Gwinnett County, Georgia, provided the case study for this MOVES-matrix application. T...