A Comparative Analysis of Currently Used Microscopic, Macroscopic, and Mesoscopic Traffic Simulation Software

Rapid urbanization has led to a significant negative impact on transportation system behavior and quality of life. Thus, transportation system sustainability is needed, which could be achieved with the help of traffic simulation software. Traffic simulation software are used to model and simulate different scenarios to evaluate their feasibility and implement the best solution. This paper aims to help readers choose the best software for the modeled and simulated situation. The paper compared ten software that were filtered based on the related available literature review and reliability in the market. The comparison was based on traffic flow models (microscopic, mesoscopic, macroscopic, and hybrid), availability of software and price (open-source or commercial), operation system (Microsoft Windows, Linux, and/or MacOS), output visualization (2D,and 3D), objective, and most importantly, incorporation of intelligent transportation system (ITS), and autonomous and connected vehicles. The comparison showed that all software perform microscopic simulation, with certain software excelling in freeways simulation (Aimsun, CORSIM, Paramics, Vissim) while others in intersection analysis (SIDRA, Synchro/SimTraffic). All compared software are compatible with Microsoft Windows, and the 3D visualization is mainly supported by commercial software. Finally, these software are reliable and trusted in the field, hence, no software is better than the other in general. However, when it comes to the incorporation of ITS, and connected and autonomous vehicles, the level of incorporation varies between the software, and some have no incorporation. Vissim, Aimsun, and TransModeler best incorporate ITS and connected and autonomous vehicles.