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?
-
Erica Thompson, Associate Professor of Modelling for Decision Making, Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, UCL
-
John Bates, Transport Modelling Consultant
-
Katie Hall, Business Director, Transport Planning, Systra
-
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?
11:30
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), West Yorkshire Combined Authority & Ali Nicholl, Founding team, IOTICS
​
Investigating interdependencies between network elements: the Scheme Interaction Assessment Technique (SINAT)
Pawel Kucharski, Senior Associate Director, Jacobs, Bhargava Sai Bhimavarapu, Senior Managing Consultant, AtkinsRéalis and Jared Hryszko, Senior Consultant, Jacobs
​
Modelling journey time reliability
Glen McAdam, Principal Transport Planner, National Highways & Andrew Gordon, Director, Andrew Gordon Consulting
​
Towards more resilient transport planning: new tools for mobility monitoring, trend detection and
short-term forecasting
Ricardo Herranz, CEO, Nommon
​
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. Micro and Meso Modelling, SYSTRA
The suitability of using mesoscopic models and/or hybrid modelling techniques for appraisal
Mia-Jade Thornton. Principal Transport Planner, National Highways
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
Convergence in large scale dynamic models
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
​
Innovation Suite
Modelling in the West Midlands
Chair: Rehan Mian, Director, WSP
Beyond PRISM - A new Strategic Transport Model for the West Midlands
Stuart Law, Modelling Applications Lead, Transport for West Midlands
Automating strategic model development
Kathryn Mason, scientific software developer, City Science
​
Coventry strategic modelling tool – modelling innovative technologies
Andrew Bamforth, Director, Arup
Panel discussion and Q & A, joined by Laurence Oakes-Ash, CEO, City Science
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
​
-
Laurence Oakes-Ash, CEO, City Science
-
Robyn Brass, Operational Researcher / Demand Analysis Team Lead, TASM, Department for Transport
-
Robin North, CEO, Immense Simulations
-
Llewelyn Morgan, Head of Innovation, SYSTRA
-
Robin Lovelace, Associate Professor of Transport Data Science, University of Leeds
16.00
The Rookeries
Not just cars: responding to new realities
Chair: Nadia Lyubimova, Director of Transport Modelling, Stantec
How a refocusing of modelling efforts away from autonormativity supports more sustainable decision-making
​
Modelling HS2: lessons learnt for transformational projects
Liz Hensby, Associate Director, SYSTRA
​
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
​
Next generation of modelling - understanding how personas interact with our transport system
Philippe Perret, Mobility Insights Technical Manager, BT Active Intelligence
​
Modelling the impact of built environment scenarios on accessibility, travel behaviours, health exposures, and health outcomes using a spatially detailed agent-based modelling framework
James Woodcock, Professor of Transport and Health Modelling Programme lead, University of Cambridge
​
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 Samanta, Senior Economist, Connected Places Catapult
​
DeModO demand model optimisation tool
Neil Raha, Projects Director and Martin Campbell, Associate Director, SYSTRA
​
LAEP+: net zero planning tool
Claire Hannon, Product Owner, Advanced Infrastructure Technology
​
Bringing real-time data and models together for Oxfordshire - an alternative approach to a
county-wide mode
Peter Davidson, Managing Director, Peter Davidson Consultancy & Robin North, CEO, Immense Simulations
17:30
Mercian Foyer
Networking drinks and & 2024 Lifetime Achievement presentation
Sponsored by:
18:30
Mercian 1
Networking Dinner
With our speaker, Paul Speirs, Director, IMPROV Inc
Transport modeller, applied improvisation practitioner, stand-up comedian
20:30
Event Close
Speakers
Tom Van Vuren MBE
Strategic Business Partner, Amey & Chairman, Modelling World
​
When Tom van Vuren is not thinking, talking or writing about transport modelling, he is probably walking with his two dachshunds. A firm believer in best practice sharing, he uses his positions as Strategic Consulting Partner at Amey, as Visiting Professor at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds and as Board Member of the Transport Planning Society, to identify key reports and findings, to challenge conformist thinking, to explore new ideas and technology, and to support the development of the profession – always with a keen eye on combining academic rigour with practical pragmatism.
Martin Campbell
Martin is an Associate Director in SYSTRA’s Digital-Modelling-Analytics sector. With over 20 years’ experience in the transport planning and modelling industry, he has worked on a wide range of modelling platforms and model sizes.
​
Martin is currently the Strategic & Commercial Lead for Paramics Microsimulation responsible for the development and commerciality of the product.
​
He also sits on the SYSTRA AI Steering Group focusing on the development of AI tools for use in modelling applications / analysis and is also currently working on a new demand modelling optimisation platform at SYSTRA.
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
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
​
Matt is Arup's chartered transport planner with 23 years’ experience covering a wide range of transport modelling, from countywide strategic model development, to detailed micro-simulation models utilising adaptive signal controls and Agent and Activity Based Models. He leads the modelling team within Arup's London office with a focus on developing emerging modelling approaches to answer the challenging questions faced by our clients. He is passionate about demonstrating the benefits of schemes that offer equitable outcomes across all modes to help deliver a more sustainable world.
Robin Lovelace
Robin Lovelace is Associate Professor of Transport Data Science at the Leeds Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) and Lead Data Scientist at Active Travel England. Robin specializes in data science and geocomputation, with a focus on developing geographic methods applied to modeling transport systems, active travel, and decarbonisation.
Robin has experience not only researching but deploying transport models in inform sustainable policies and more effective use of transport investment, including as Lead Developer of the Propensity to Cycle Tool (see www.pct.bike), the basis of strategic cycle network plans nationwide, and follow-on Network Planning Tool (see www.npt.scot) and BiclaR (seehttps://biclar.tmlmobilidade.pt ) tools to ensure that hundreds of millions of pounds of investment are spent cost effectively.
Erica Thompson
Dr Erica Thompson is an Associate Professor of Modelling for Decision Making at UCL’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy. Her work on the appropriate use of mathematical models to support decision-making is funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, and encompasses ethical questions about embedded values and the role of expert judgement as well as mathematical questions about model construction and evaluation. Dr Thompson’s latest book, Escape From Model Land (Basic Books, 2022) is an accessible introduction to the power and pitfalls of using models to inform decisions.
Ricardo Herranz
Ricardo Herranz is co-founder and CEO of Nommon. He graduated as an Electronics and Control Engineer from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and as a Telecommunications Engineer from the École Supérieure d'Electricité (Supélec), and holds a Master in Quantitative Finance and Business Administration from the UPM. He has more than 20 years of experience as an engineer, researcher and entrepreneur, in which he has led the development of different digital products for the transport and mobility industry. He has been coordinator of several pioneering European research projects on the use of new sources of big data for travel demand analysis and transport modelling, and is the author of more than 20 scientific publications in this field.
​
​
​
​
​
​
Claire Hannon
Claire Hannon is a Product Owner at AITL. After winning the Microvision Prize for her GIS Master's Dissertation Claire has worked with Utilities, National Mapping Agencies and Transport Network Modellers to maximise their investment in spatial and network data. She has guided many migrations, transformations and innovations with particular focus on semantic disambiguity, quality and building trust within and across organisations as they utilise these complex datasets.
Within her work at AITL Claire ensures that development of the product maximises value across the customer base, enabling AITL's mission to accelerate an informed, fair and affordable transition to a net zero energy system.
Sandra Hill-Smith
Sandra Hill-Smith is an Associate in SYSTRA’s microsimulation sector. She has over 20 years’ experience in the industry, starting out in development management before seeing the light(?) and moving to traffic modelling. Sandra now manages projects across the UK and Ireland using a range of software packages to test developments and infrastructure schemes. This includes leading traffic modelling (primarily mesoscopic) for National Highways spatial planning in the Northeast, Yorkshire and Humber.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Liz is a strategic modeller with over 20 years experience in the private sector. For the last 10 years her main focus has been leading the development and use of the PLANET Framework Model, supporting the various HS2 Business Cases. A role which has secured her standing as an EMME trainer and a SATURN and multi-modal strategic model expert
Mia - Jade Thornton
Mia-Jade Thornton is a Principal Transport Planner within the Transport Planning Group for National Highways. With over 10 years of experience within the Transport Planning Industry, Mia specialises in transport modelling and appraisal. She is a specialist both in strategic highway modelling and microsimulation modelling, working across a plethora of projects of all sizes, and is leading Transport Planning Group’s research into mesoscopic modelling and hybrid modelling approaches.
Rehan Miah
Director, WSP
​
Rehan leads the strategic transport modelling team at WSP. He has a wide range of international experience but is based in the West Midlands where he is involved in modelling commissions and studies that make use of a range of tools, some using established techniques and others that require alternative approaches to meet evolving needs of decision makers.
Simon Lusby
Simon holds a senior position at City Science, using city data to inform decision makers the benefits of sustainable transport and renewable energy solutions. I am responsible for building the business and team in England's South East, as well as overseeing and providing technical inputs to transport, energy & sustainablity studies.
Katie Hall
Katie is SYSTRA’s Business Director for Transport Planning in UK and Ireland. She has 20 years of wide-ranging experience across transport policy & strategy, appraisal and business case development, evaluation and using behavioural insights and research to inform transport investment decisions.
​
She is definitely not a transport modeller but is interested in how behavioural insights can better inform transport modelling and how outputs generated translate into transport policy decisions and the evaluation of investment in transport.
Shipra Samanta
A senior transport economist in the Business case and Impact assessment team at Connected Places Catapult with more than 15 years of experience in the transportation sector, Shipra has worked on business cases for transportation projects across multiple modes. Her recent work includes some of the most important areas of innovation, namely alternative fuels, alternative modes, sustainable modes, digitalisation and policy reassessments. She has also worked on monitoring and evaluation of various projects including grant funded innovation schemes. She has extensive experience in transport demand assessments for highways, public transport network and sustainable transport systems.
​
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.
Robyn Brass
Operational Researcher, Department for Transport
​
Robyn has worked as an Operational Research analyst for the Civil Service for her whole career. She has moved between several departments, experiencing how analytical methods can be applied to different areas of public life, and the similarities that occur in unexpected places.
​
Two years ago, Robyn joined the Department of Transport. Since then she has been delighted to learn more about the world of Transport modelling. Her fantastic team is responsible for Uncertainty, the National Trip End Model, and Strategic Forecasting. Still an Operational Researcher, she’s committed to supporting these two professions working together and learning from each other.
​
Robin Cambery
Robin is the head of profession for transport modelling at the Department for Transport. He oversees the development of appraisal and modelling guidance in DfT’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) and its national policy analysis models (NTMs). Robin is passionate about building capability and confidence in the use of models in transport analysis to inform better decision-making across the sector. For more information, read TAG: Transport analysis guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Rhiannon Hedingham
Rhiannon Hedingham is a senior professional with 20 years’ of experience in transport modelling across consultancy, public sector and research and innovation. She is a Technical Director at WSP specialising in leading expert teams to answer the ‘What if?’ questions of the future.
She previously led the Modelling and Visualisation Team at Connected Places Catapult and has a keen interest in approaching problems from different angles to reach solutions.
She has led teams to deliver major projects such as the ServCity programme for Innovate UK, appraising Autonomous shared taxi services, and contributed to an expert team from across the industry to assess the Future of Modelling for National Highways.
​
​
​
Chris van Hinsbergen
Chris van Hinsbergen founded the Dutch company Fileradar (in English: 'QueueRadar') in 2010. The company specializes in data-driven traffic analytics. In 2023, they launched Traffic Effects, a new online platform designed to automate the generation of high-quality decision support information in the traffic domain. The platform supports various products, including:
​
-
Reconstructions of historic traffic flow (vehicle counts and speeds) for 100% of the roads in any city.
-
Computation of emissions of noise and pollutants.
-
Predictive models for "what's next" and "what if" scenarios.
​
​
​
​
​
​
Michael Mahut
Michael has over 20 years of experience in traffic modelling research, product development and advanced model applications. Michael has made fundamental contributions to traffic simulation theory and practice for large scale applications, including the development of lower-order traffic flow modeling, techniques for simulation-based dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) and demand adjustment algorithms.
Michael is an active member of the research community and a founding member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) standing committee on Traffic Simulation (ACP80). He currently leads the research and development at Bentley on traffic simulation and dynamic traffic assignment (DTA).
Kathryn Mason
Kathryn started her career calibrating the parameters for Smart Motorways algorithms at TRL, rapidly moving the automating various steps to improve the efficiency of the process. Since joining City Science five years ago Kathryn has moved her automation focus to strategic transport models alongside honing her software development skills on Cadence 360 and other transport related products. Outside of work Kathryn is an keen vegetable grower with her local growing co-operative.
Peter Davidson
Peter started off life as a chartered civil engineer and transport planner but has spent the last 45 years modelling transport in the UK, Europe and around the world. He is the managing director of Peter Davidson Consultancy Ltd which specialises in transport modelling, together with the complex market research and the software development needed to make it work and find innovative ways of modelling some of the new transport technologies that are coming down the track. He will be showcasing recent modelling innovations for Oxfordshire County Council so come and join-in the discussion.
Michael Oliver
Mike is PTV’s technical director for North Europe, leading a team supporting PTV customers in their innovative applications including dynamic assignment and activity-based modelling. In recent years, Mike has led the deployment of dynamic assignment for real-time modelling in the City of York and supported a range of mesoscopic simulation applications in the UK.
John Bates
John Bates is a mathematical economist, and has been at the forefront of transportation model development for the last fifty-five years, with particular reference to travel demand. He has been a leading figure in the development of stated preference techniques within the transport field, and has international expertise in evaluation methodology, in particular the valuation of time savings and reliability. He works as an independent consultant, based in Abingdon near Oxford.