MIMAS (https://mimas.services/) is a flexible, scalable transport modelling tool. The tool is being developed for Oxfordshire and is designed to scale to other counties in the future.
Previous updates explored the innovative agent-based approach and the intuitive user interface. This update focuses on the data flows that link the components and how customers benefit from the data flows.
Typically, updating a base model is a big data discovery and formatting exercise, meaning models often use a base year which is years old. MIMAS allows users to run a model which is filled with the most up-to-date, accurate data. This is achieved every second, by ingesting the data required to re-form a new base model.
Why is pulling in new model data normally such a big exercise?
Firstly, it involves accessing data on a number of metrics, for example:
Secondly, this data is captured from the network in different ways, for example:
Finally, this data is stored across different systems (google drive, supplier platforms), in different formats (excel, csv, json, datex ii, SIRI-VM, proprietary), some is not stored for use after-the-fact, and this often requires re-mapping from one data format to another model-friendly format.
MIMAS is overcoming these issues, to allow users to run on a model which is filled with the most up-to-date, accurate data possible.
This automation comes with its own challenges. What happens, for example, if the council decides to upgrade a selection of sensors or use a new supplier to collect parking data? MIMAS is developing a flexible ability to switch between these data sources, to both minimise missing data for the model and provide freedom in choosing data suppliers for data owners.
When the MIMAS model is updated every year, the output is validated to ensure it is correct and accurate. Understandably, users want to gain confidence into how the output compares to observed data near the new development being planned (e.g. there may be an important road near the development where it’s really important to get the results right). This is true of any model, but current models leave it up to the user to find such data for manual comparison with the model output.
Part of MIMAS’s self-service paradigm is to provide users with an easy way to compare the model output with observed data – within the MIMAS tool. The user is provided access to the observed data from surveys and under-road sensors, so they can compare this data to model output.
User Testing for MIMAS MIMAS is an innovative cloud-based transport modelling solution, built by a consortium of companies. Each partner within the consortium brings their own speciality and is responsible for a different aspect of the system. This
Deploying MIMAS in the cloud MIMAS is a cloud-based transport modelling solution, developed for Oxfordshire County Council by a consortium of individual companies, each bringing specialized expertise, and each being responsible for separate components of the system. Previous
A Local Authority Perspective MIMAS is Oxfordshire County Council’s next generation of transport model. It is a scalable transport modelling tool designed for the move towards a self-service paradigm. This month we asked Laura Peacock, Innovation Hub Manager
Benefits of MIMAS – for Oxfordshire, Third Parties and Beyond Transport models are an integral part of the planning process for major developers and planning consultants who work in close consultation with councils such as Oxfordshire. Typically, these
