Modeling sections

Using sections, you can record data of network objects during a simulation, e.g. of pedestrians on pedestrian areas or of vehicles on links. You can save this data to animation recordings and save the pedestrian data to an evaluation (Recording a simulation and saving it as an ANI file), (Evaluating pedestrian areas with area measurements). A section lies on a level and can extend over parts of the Vissim, e.g. over several network objects links, connectors and construction elements.

Areas which are not covered by construction elements do not become walkable areas due to sections. The measurement includes only pedestrians from the part of the pedestrian area that is covered by the section.

When the size of the walkable pedestrian area is used in a measured value, for example, the density, the percentage of the walkable area of Vissim is calculated: Thus covered areas and areas without a construction element are deducted as obstacles.

You can define sections as polygons or rectangles (Defining sections as a rectangle), (Defining sections as a polygon).

If during hybrid simulation of your Vissim network, you want to choose microscopic simulation for parts of the network, you will need to define sections for those parts (Using mesoscopic simulation). You select these sections in the simulation parameters for mesoscopic simulation (Selecting sections for hybrid simulation).

The following applies for modeling sections in mesoscopic simulation:

• The borders of these sections must not lead through a meso node.
• The borders of these sections must not intersect with certain network objects. These e.g. include parking lots, conflict areas, priority rules, public transport stops and reduced speed areas.
• Ensure that the section borders are at a sufficient distance from existing meso nodes, including those automatically generated, in order to avoid artifacts in the behavior of vehicles in the transition area.