NetLogo User Community Models

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WHAT IS IT?

It is a multi-agent model of the level crossing system (ver. 2.1). Its ancestor (ver.1.1) was uploaded as a community model in late 2005. This essentially improved version was created to have more realistic graphic representation and implement some new functions. The model also makes possible to model traffic flows and make evaluation based on one "simulation day".

HOW IT WORKS?

1) At the beginning it is necessary to make all required settings using sliders and choosers for: ROAD TRAFFIC (speed, kind of road vehicles, arrival interval) and RAILWAY TRAFFIC (train time table, approaching time predictor, speed, number of wagons, kind of train);
2) Then pressing the button "Setup" makes initiation of the model;
3) Simulation itself can be started by pressing the button "Simulation" or "Simulation/step" (in that case repeated pressing of the button "Simulation/step" is required).

HOW TO USE IT

Road vehicles are generated separately for East->West and West->East direction based on used settings. Trains are generated either using one of three train time-tables or by pressing the button "Generate Train" for generation of an extra train. Only one train may be generated and situated at the line.

THINGS TO NOTICE

- drawing histograms showing intensities of road traffic after one hour of simulation;
- displayng the states of particular track sections (approach section, annulation section, distant section) in the right-hand bottom corner of two-dimensional world; the way of displaying how the approach section becomes occupied is different and depends on the use of Approaching Time Predictor (ATPr) - if ATPr is used then red point located somewhere inside the approach section indicates point of activation (depending on train speed), if ATPr is not used the whole length is coloured red in the same way for all train speeds.

THINGS TO TRY

You may try how different settings of parameters can change a traffic flow, resulting values of intensities and finally calculate so called "traffic moment".

EXTENDING THE MODEL

There are still several ideas how the model could be extended in future, e.g.:
- possible choice of a higher number of rails;
- choice of rail traffic direction(s);
- two-way railway operation;
- the way of how warning and rail signals look like and what signalling is given (different countries and different companies use different road-rail interface - present way corresponds to Slovak regulations and is very similar to other Central European countries);
- choice of a different kind of protection (no barriers, half barriers, full barriers);
- results evaluation not only for one day of simulation, but for a longer timer interval;
- implementation of new functions defining behaviour under faulty conditions, under service mode (when maintenance is being performed) etc.

NETLOGO FEATURES

The model was created using NetLogo 3.1.4. Using higher versions of NetLogo may cause error messages and brings necessity to make modifications of the code to ensure troublefree running of the model in higher versions.

RELATED MODELS

Level crossing ver. 1.1 designed by JANOTA A. et al - this model is available as a community model at http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/community/Level_Crossing
Designed at the University of Zilina, EF KRIS 2005

CREDITS AND REFERENCES

Slovak version of the model (ver. 2.0) was theoretically and experimentally elaborated and tested within the MSc. thesis entitled "Multiagentovy model priecestneho zabezpecovacieho zariadenia", written (in Slovak) by Mr. Robert Kubicar under supervision of prof. Ales Janota. The thesis was successfully defended in 2007 at the Department of Control and Information Systems, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina (Slovakia). This version (2.1) represents the latest version - English mutation, containing other modifications and some other functions implemented.

SPECIAL THANKS

Sincere thanks to Robert Kubicar for his work over Slovak model of the version 2.O. Additional thanks also to Esther Verreau from the Center for Connected Learning (CCL) and Computer-Based Modeling for her time and willingness to answer his questions.

More detailed description of the model, including some background explanations, will be available in the paper "JANOTA Ales, MAS Model of the Level Crossing. Journal of ITS Research, Vol. 6, No. 2, November 2008. ISSN 1348-8503", to be published in Japan.
To refer to this model in academic publications, please use: "Janota, A. (2008). NetLogo Level Crossing Model 2.1 http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/....... (please complete link address according to the real position of the file at the server)".

To reference NetLogo software in academic publications, please use: Wilensky, U. (1999). NetLogo. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.