National mobility model

This project builds and maintain a national mobility model for Andorra that allows traffic simulations to be carried out, both on a macro and microscopic scale. The resulting model aspires to become the reference tool of the Andorran Government's Mobility Area to support decision-making in mobility policies.

The current version of the model is available to organisations that wish to use it in studies aimed at improving Andorra's mobility. The application can be made through info@ari.ad.

A notable difference of the implemented model —compared to others with similar aims— is that the journeys' generation and distribution phase is implemented using the geolocated mobile phone data provided by Andorra Telecom, from which the origin-destination (OD) journey matrices are obtained.

The OD matrices of the analyzed scenarios are constructed from the RNC (Radio Network Controller) records generated by the Andorra Telecom network. The RNCs bring together the activity of users connected to the mobile telephone network when they make use of some service (such as calls, messages, use of data...). These records include, among others, the following information fields: IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), MCC (Mobile Country Code), MNC (Mobile Network Code), DateTime and location (latitude, longitude). The geolocation is obtained through triangulation from the nearest antennas, with a margin of error of about 50 meters in urban areas. The RNC records are generated by Andorra Telecom and sent to the National DataHub, through which the data is mined.

The use of mobile phone data provides several advantages in the modelling: it allows for more representative samples, captures minor trips often missed in surveys and increases the spatial and temporal resolution. It should be mentioned that Andorra Telecom has 100% of the market share in Andorra, a fact that provides the sample with a high quality in terms of representativeness and diversity. However, the use of this data also involves challenges and requires special treatment to guarantee the security and privacy of users.

As part of the project, Aimsun Next has been identified as the most suitable traffic modelling tool for our use case. Aimsun Next is a fully integrated application that merges travel demand modelling, macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic simulations in a single software package.

The model must serve, among other things, to define a strategic vision and improve mobility in Andorra through three main lines:

• Existing infrastructure optimization.
• Sustainable mobility policies preparation support.
• Planning and prioritization of new interventions.

At the same time, it must become a tool for promoting research, innovation and analysis in areas related to mobility (like air quality analysis and others).