International Newsletter vol.31 2010/4
4.30.2010 FORUM8 Co., Ltd
----Headlines----

--------New product Introduction--------
-UC-win/Road Highway Driving Simulator
-UC-win/Road S-PARAMICS Plug-in

-------Conferences, training and seminars
-Upcoming conference introduced
-Seminar schedule in Shanghai and Seoul is announced below

Tell your colleagues and acquaintances to become a subscriber. Application form.
 New product introduction
 UC-win/Road Highway driving simulator
Example case of UC-win/Road Experience Simulator
Convention on Social Contribution of Highway: Highway Driving Simulator
Technical support by: NEXCO East Japan (East Nippon Expressway) 

FFORUM 8 has installed custom Highway Driving Simulator to Convention on Social Contribution of Highway on March 1st, 2010. From now the simulator will be used at events and exhibitions on highway and its facility.
This simulator has been developed based on the award winning UC-win/Road 3D Virtual Reality software, with which drivers can experience potential hazards on highway. 3 scenario combined with 19 events can be set and the simulator outputs tabulated driving diagnosis according to the driving log.. The hardware of the simulator employs 6 DOF motion platform with real car parts option made by SUBARU.

6 DOF based experience simulator SUBARU type
Customizable, portable 3ch real car parts mounted model

Major features
  1. Experiencing hazardous evens on highway
  2. To evaluate driving behavior and enlightening safety driving
  3. Collection and analysis of experience driving for safety measures
Experiencing 19 hazardous events on highways and its facilities


3 scenarios available: combination of 19 hazardous events on highway lane, exit and etc.

Events set for the experience driving
  • 1. Toll gate a. Contacting bars at toll gate
    b. Collision to stopping vehicle
    c. Contacting to attached structure
    d. Overcrowding at toll gate
    2. Main line a. Collision to stopping vehicle
    b. Low visibility (foggy etc.)
    c. Slipping by snow or rain
    d. Jumping the queue
    e. Fallen object ahead
    f. Accident in congestion tail
    g. Overtaking through the center
    h. Lane restriction
    3. Rest area a. Contacting to crossing pedestrian
    b. Contacting with other vehicle
    c. Vehicle using smart IC
    4. Main line confluence part a. Confluence timing
    5. Main line branch part a. Lane deviation by speeding at
    curve section
    b. Ramp congestion
    6. Main line etc. a. Reverse run

    ムービー "Highway driving simulator" experience driving case
     (ASF Streaming, 168,498KB)

Menu
  • Step Items On screen image
    Normal mode Quick
    mode
    1 1 Opening
    2 System
    overview
    3 DS device
    4 2 Drivers
    profile
    5 Course
    selection
    6 3 About safety device
    7 4 Driving
    8 5 Result

    Result of experience driving
    Sample: Result of experience driving (Available in Japanese)
    The simulator analyzes driving log and creates printable reports. Followings are the analysis on safe driving behavior:
    1. Acceleration aggressiveness from acceleration graph and rapid acceleration trend beyond the set value;
    2. Braking severity from deceleration graph, braking severity trend beyond the set value;
    3. Number of lane changes shows unnecessary lane change;
    4. Abrupt steering trend from the steering abruptness beyond the set value.
    The system also shows each driver's score on appropriate speed, headway distances and lane changes according to the logged data above.
    Ad hoc ranking can be also provided.
UC-win/Road for S-PARAMICS
S-PARAMICS plug-in is the new option for UC-win/Road to link with S-PARAMICS, a leading traffic microsimulation software

Related option : UC-win/Road Micro Simulation Player Plug-in option
ライン
S-PARAMICS Plug-in Option enables data exchange between UC-win/Road and S-PARAMICS to provide a great combination of traffic analysis and 3D virtual reality by linking one of the leading traffic microsimulation solutions with UC-win/Road.
We will continue to develop this plug-in.
Here, we introduce the road network exchange function.

Program functions and features

S-PARAMICS and UC-win/Road can share the same road network information by exchanging geometric data of the road.
S-PARAMICS/OpenMicroSim Conversion Tool (under development) enables you to visualize the simulation result of S-PARAMICS, and the S-PARAMICS plug-in can then be used to maintain the positions of the vehicles and the roads.

Virtual reality environment of UC-win/Road can be used to visualize landscapes, road designs and traffic as well as to check road conditions from the driver's viewpoint on our state-of-the-art Drive Simulator. In addition, this plug-in option can be used for high quality traffic simulation.
The amount of work can be greatly reduced by converting the road network data created in UC-win/Road and using it in S_PARAMICS for simulation. We envisage that the reciprocal data exchange between VR and traffic analysis will create an ideal combination between the comprehensive visualization and the state-of-the-art technology to help improve the road conditions and the traffic.


Data exchange function

Due to the difference in data format for road networks in traffic simulation and in Virtual Reality, data conversion is required. S-PARAMICS does not require as much information about roads for simulating traffic as UC-win/Road does. Therefore, it is more practical to carry out detailed settings on the road after the data is imported into UC-win/Road from S-PARAMICS. On the other hand, detailed traffic settings, including connection points, must be carried out after importing data from UC-win/Road to S-PARAMICS. This plug-in option is design to minimize the work load by exchanging data. Details of data exchange are described below.
S-PARAMICS data import and export specifications
S-PARAMICS file
Nodes:
  • Positions of link points(3D)
  • Connection point information
  • On-ramp information


Links+Centres:
  • Road alignment: straight line, arched
  • Slip-ramp information

Categories:
  • Section property: number of carriageways, lane width, type (Urban/Highway)

-->
UC-win/Road object
Raod & Intersection:
  • Road alignment and geometric data for longitudinal alignment
  • Basic setting of intersections (ordinary /rotary)
  • On-ramp generation
Road:
  • Road alignment: import as straight line, arched
  • Off-ramp generation
Cross section:
  • Cross section geometry:
    number of carriageways, lane width, texture assignment & initial settings of fills, cuttings and sidewalks

S-PARAMICS data export specifications
UC-win/Road object
Road:
  • Changes in road geometry: number of carriageways, lane width, change in road alignment and longitudinal alignment, ramps, intersections
Road alignment:
  • Road alignment: straight line, arched
  • Relaxation curve(Clothoid)
Cross section geometry:
  • Cross section: number of carriageways, lane width

-->
S-PARAMICS file
Nodes:
  • To export an area with no changes as one link, nodes are created and ramps are set up.

Links+Centres:
  • Export as ordinary Links and Centres
  • Split and exported as straight line links
Categories:
  • Cross sectional property: number of carriageways, lane width export as Urban


A Roundabout imported from S-PARAMICS
Node with attributes for roundabout is represented in UC-win/Road. It also shows the alteration in cross section on the right hand side of the intersection.


A complex roundabout with multiple intersections imported from S-PARAMICS
In S-PARAMICS, roundabouts are often set up with multiple connections, and in UC-win/Road, they are represented as series of intersections. Since the height data is added the original data, UC-win/Road enables you to set the longitudinal alignment. Roads passing below the roundabouts are automatically set as tunnels.


User interface

The data to be imported can be viewed easily. The parameters for import and the textures of the cross section can also be chosen.


Sample

The 9th 3D VR Simulation Contest data, Transfer VR simulation at Junjon Service Area in Korea" GTSM Inc. (Korea), converted into S-PARAMICS data. >> Contest Review

The 9th 3D VR Simulation Contest data, VR Data of Roundabouts in US 41 Project, Ourston Roundabout Engineering, Inc.(USA), converted into S-PARAMICS data. >> Contest Review

What is S-PARAMICS or who is SIAS?
>> Collaboration news : SIAS Limited, U.K. (Up&Coming 2010 New year special issue)

SIAS has been providing expertise and technologies concerning a wide range of issues related to transport planning for more than 30 years. Its main clients are central and local governments, their agencies, and private sector developers. SIAS was the first company in the UK to adopt microsimulation, developing its own software for the market

SIAS was set up in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland in 1974, as a branch office to perform transport-planning consultancy. SIAS was using CDC6600, then the highest performance computer available in Europe. In 1988, the current organization was formed. Since then, SIAS opened offices in Perth and Glasgow in Scotland, and London and Birmingham in England. In 1990s, OBE(Order of the British Empire) was given to its managing director for SIAS’S long contribution to develop traffic simulation and planning method.

The Company's core activity is transport planning. SIAS's Paramics Microsimulation division has developed a widely applicable traffic flow modeling system in response to the demand of transport planning markets in the world over. S-Paramics is the latest version of the software for the analysis and design of such urban and highway networks. S-Paramics offers wide area modeling with high accuracy, such as tiered dynamic route choice for robust routing in large networks, with links to ITS and UTC systems. S-Paramics can also model transit operations with user defined scheduling and bus stop loading.

S-Paramics is highly respected by traffic planners and modelers throughout the world as the most versatile and comprehensive road traffic flow analysis system. The traffic flow analysis includes road planning evaluation proposed by Scotland Transport Authority and NESA ("Network Evaluation from Surveys and Assignment” which was developed to estimate the impact on traffic and economic activities. NESA was first introduced in 1978, has become an important tool to evaluate the transportation by Scotland Transport authority and the economy today.

UC-win/Road disaster and security solutions
 
 

UC-win/Road for xpswmm



UC-win/Road for xpswmm is a plug-in tool of UC-win/Road, which imports flood analysis results and displays the time series change of the rise and subside of flood waters, the water flow vector and level as well as displaying the drainage network.
UC-win/Road for xpswmm enables:
1. Time series change of rise and fall of flood water surface
2. Time series change of water flow vector
3. Expression of conduits and time series change of water level inside conduits.

 

UC-win/Road for EXODUS


EXODUS is an evacuation analysis simulation software developed by Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG), University of Greenwich. FSEG has been studying human behavior in fire and fire dynamics for more than 20 years. EXODUS, evacuation simulation software was developed out of these researches.
UC-win/Road for EXODUS enables:
1.Seamless data import from EXODUS
2. High flexibility presentation with
a 3D real-time visualization
3. High quality 3D space
4. Showing outer space allow sending more real image.

Conferences, training and seminars
Up coming conference and trade shows

FORUM 8 will participate following conference

ITS America 20th Annual Meeting and Exposition
Houston May3-5, 2010
http://registration.experient-inc.com/ShowITS102/Default.aspx
Overseas Training and Seminars

Seminars in Shanghai will be held on the following schedule.

Venue:
Shanghai - Shanghai Seminar room (FORUM8 Technology Development(Shanghai) Co., Ltd)
Seminar Date City
UC-win/Road VR  May 4th, 2010 Seoul
May 25th, 2010 Shanghai 
 UC-win/Road Advanced May 18th, 2010 Seoul
Engineer's Studio, 
UC-win/FRAME (3D) 		 June 3rd, 2010 Shanghai 
 GeoFEAS   May 6th, 2010 Seoul
 Temporary sheathing work design (Korean stnadard)  May 27th, 2010 Seoul 
Summary
Participation Fee Free


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