Modelling World 2024
19 June 2024, Birmingham, B5 4EW
Why attend Modelling World?
We are once again at a critical time in modelling history...
The Department for Transport's Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Analyst recently announced areas of research interest for 2023. One priority is 'reducing environmental impacts, tackling climate change, improving air quality, biodiversity and ensuring the transport system adapts to be resilient to the effects of climate change'.
The rapid development of modelling capability and tools leaves modellers well placed to help the DfT deliver on these aims.
At the same time, the evolution of new travel, social and economic trends has given the data and modelling community many opportunities – as well as new challenges – as it gets to grips with current uncertainties.
Modelling World 2024 brings together UK and European experts – with a few international provocateurs thrown in – to meet, network, discuss and debate the way forward in an independent, convivial and professional space.
19 June programme
08:30
Mercian Foyer
Registration opens: Morning networking and refreshments served
09:30
Mercian 1
Opening plenary: the morals of modelling
Chair: Tom van Vuren MBE, Strategic Consulting Partner, Amey, Board Director, Transport Planning Society and Visiting Professor, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
How do we ensure we best reflect future transport needs in our decision-making?
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Erica Thompson, Associate Professor of Modelling for Decision Making, Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, UCL
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Glen McAdam, Principal Transport Planner, National Highways
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Robin Cambery, Chief Transport Modeller & Head of Modelling and Appraisal Methods, Department for Transport (DfT)
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Katie Hall, Business Director, Transport Planning, Systra
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Simon Lusby, Managing Director & Head of Consulting, City Science
A discussion around reasons why our current approaches to transport modelling can fail to reflect the key decisions that people make when deciding why, where, when and how to travel, and can also poorly address wider societal choices, preferences and implications. Where does this leave the modeller’s responsibility?
11:00
Mercian 2
Morning Break: Refreshments served in the exhibition area.
11:30
Mercian 1
Modelling transport resilience
Accepting that climate change resilience includes planning for extreme weather events, and minimising disruption to the transport system, which model approaches can support planning and decision-making?
Short presentations followed by a panel discussion
Chair: Grace Solsby, Associate Director Transport, City Science
Improving bus reliability using advances in data and analytics integration
Jack Ford, Lead Evaluation Officer (Transport), and Richard Dale, Transport Analytics Lead, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Investigating interdependencies between network elements: the Scheme Interaction Assessment Technique (SINAT)
Pawel Kucharski, Senior Associate Director, Jacobs and speakers tbc
Modelling journey time reliability
Andrew Gordon, Director,
Andrew Gordon Consulting
The Rookeries
Dynamics in modelling
Short presentations and a panel discussion around model forms that reflect dynamics in decision-making, by different population groups, including very short-term predictions
Short presentations followed by a panel discussion
Chair: Sandra Hill-Smith. Associate, SYSTRA
Mesoscopic modelling – coming
of age
Michael Oliver, Technical Director, PTV Group
Advances in large scale dynamic traffic assignment and simulation – now a realistic option
Michael Mahut, Senior Director, Mobility Simulation, Bentley Systems
Modelling active and emerging modes - the need for dynamics
Tessa Hayman, Product Specialist, Aimsun
Equity analysis using Activity-Based Demand in a strategic transport model
Edward Blake, Senior Modeller, Arup and Matt Chilvers, Transport Modelling and Major Projects Lead, Arup
13:00
Mercian 2
Networking lunch
Refreshments served in the exhibition area.
Sponsored by:
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14:00
Mercian 1
New tools to support innovation
Chair: Tom van Vuren MBE, Strategic Consulting Partner, Amey, Board Director, Transport Planning Society and Visiting Professor, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
A panel discussion focused on understanding the new challenges for modelling and forecasting, looking forward to a future of transport models that builds on expertise from outside the transport modelling field, including data science and artificial intelligence – and that analyse transport in new and innovative ways
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Laurence Oakes-Ash, CEO, City Science
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Robyn Smith Operational Researcher / Demand Analysis Team Lead, TASM, Department for Transport
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Robin North, CEO, Immense Simulations
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Llewelyn Morgan, Head of Innovation, SYSTRA
15.30
Mercian 2
Afternoon Break: Refreshments served in the exhibition area.
16.00
Innovation Suite
Alternative models
Chair: Rhiannon Hedingham
Technical Director, Transport, WSP
Responding to the challenges set in the plenary sessions, this session presents and discusses a number of current innovations that offer alternative model approaches in practice
Using a digital transport planning assistant
Chris van Hinsbergen, Co-founder at fileradar.nl / traffic-effects.com
Alternative demand modelling approach for emerging transportation modes
Shipra Samantha, Connected Places Catapult
DeModO demand model optimisation tool
Neil Raha, Projects Director and Martin Campbell, Associate Director, SYSTRA
The Rookeries
Not just cars: responding to new realities
How a refocusing of modelling efforts away from autonormativity supports more sustainable decision-making
Liz Hensby, Associate Director - SYSTRA
Modelling active modes
Grace Solsby, Associate Director Transport, City Science
Modelling freight
Qi Feng, Principal Transport Modeller, Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling, Department for Transport
Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP) Connectivity Evidence tool
James Hulse, Assistant Analyst, Transport for the North
17:30
Mercian Foyer
Networking drinks and & 2024 Lifetime Achievement presentation
Sponsored by:
18:30
Mercian 1
Networking Dinner
20:30
Event Close
Speakers
Tom Van Vuren MBE
Strategic Business Partner, Amey & Chairman, Modelling World
Tom van Vuren MBE is Strategic Business Partner at Amey, Visiting Professor at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds and Policy Director at the Transport Planning Society. He has chaired Modelling World since 2006. He suggests that rather than reading his bio, you read “Why Model?" by Joshua Epstein: https://www.cs.unm.edu/~joel/cs4all/WhyModel.pdf or “Escape from Model Land” by Erica Thompson and Leonard Smith: http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/journalarticles/2019-40/ and use it in your work.
Shipra Samanta
Economist, Connect Places Catapult
Richard Dale
Transport Analytics Lead at West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Edward Blake
Senior Modeller at Arup
Andrew Gordon
Andrew Gordon Consulting Ltd
Andrew has been working in transport modelling, economics and research for more than 30 years. For the last five years he has been an independent consultant, supporting and advising a range of public and private sector clients. He is particularly interested in developing new techniques to enhance existing modelling systems, improving their representation of traveller behaviour, and enabling the development of more robust transport scheme business cases.
Tessa Hayman
UK Product Specialist, Aimsun Ltd
Tessa is the UK Product Specialist at Aimsun Ltd, responsible for developing modelling best practice and training. She is experienced in the development of microscopic, mesoscopic and hybrid models applied to a diverse range of contexts and scales, such as dynamic models applied at the largest scale encompassing millions of trips, down to working at the nanoscopic scale for the modelling of accurate trajectories for autonomous vehicle co-simulation. Tessa’s most recent work focusses on exploring and understanding how dynamic models can best be applied to tactical and strategic use cases
Jack Ford
Lead Evaluation Officer (Transport) at West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Qi Feng
Principal Transport Modeller at Department for Transport
Qi is a transport modeller at the TASM of the Department for Transport, where he is the model owner of National Transport Model V2r, LGV model and freight model. He has 20 years modelling experience from both private and public sectors. His recent work areas include developing Freight Analysis and Modelling Environment (FAME), Revising the modelling and analysis work at TASM To Design 2 (R2D2) and freight value of time study.
Matt Chilvers
Transport Modelling and Major Projects Lead at Arup
Glen McAdam
Principal Transport Planner at National Highways
