ABSTRACT

Currently one of the most important challenges for GIS is to generate a corporate resource whose full potential will be achieved by making it accessible to a large set of endusers. For instance, a GIS managing both static urban data and dynamic traffic information could provide an integrated geographical reference to the management of traffic flows leading to the improvement of the quality of transport systems. However, current GIS software and interfaces do not encompass the set of functions to make this technology compatible with simulation models used for traffic control and for traffic planning. The integration of GIS and simulated traffic systems is likely to be a challenging and worthwhile objective for both user communities, whose needs are not satisfied by loosely connected set of existing solutions. In particular, the current form of integration of a GIS and simulation models still use loose coupling methods, such as passive file transfers and separate user interfaces. This poor level of integration is often a result of the different model paradigms used within GIS and modelling systems, and the fact that any integration solution implies a re-design and re-implementation of existing software.