Zbox-based generic simulation system
City transit systems often include some type of vehicle network which is by design separated from general city traffic; this type of public transit is referred to in this work as a metro system. Such a system typically includes uniform behaviour of vehicles with simple dynamics, and a decoupling from weather, street traffic, and other interference. Not all properties of such a system can be easily observed; obtaining information about these hidden degrees of freedom, and also answering questions about how such a system might behave in given scenarios requires the use of a simulator.
A simulation system with generic properties is described, applicable to systems comprised of objects which move on well-defined trajectories, and have certain containment properties. Interaction degrees of freedom of the objects in such a system include capacities, speeds, origin-destination logic and schedules. The philosophy is primarily that complex aggregate behaviour can be a consequence of the dynamics of objects with simple interaction rules. Supplementing this, the framework includes the ability to interface with external servers in order to model behaviour which cannot be replicated with the fundamental objects available.
Use of this framework is illustrated by modelling, using publicly-available data, the vehicles and passengers of the metro system of a particular world city, providing a so-called digital-twin capability. After calibration of such a model, properties of the metro system such as platform and train occupancies can be investigated, and the effect of incidents such as blocked tracks or system breakdowns can be predicted. The system and associated tools are released as open-source software.
The full manual is located in 01_Documentation/01_Manual.pdf