Field notes
What MATSim actually models
Start with a person’s day, then watch the network emerge.
01
A day, not just a trip
MATSim is an open-source framework for agent-based transport simulation. Travel demand is described through daily plans: activities, journeys and the choices connecting them. The simulation executes those plans on a shared transport network.
02
Choices meet constraints
Travelers share road capacity and transport services. A plan that looks attractive in isolation may perform differently when many other people make similar choices. Scoring and replanning allow agents to adapt their plans over successive iterations.
03
Ask a comparative question
For a policy study, a useful question is what changes between a baseline and an alternative. The Jerusalem project applies this way of thinking to congestion charges and parking prices. Assumptions about demand and behavior remain part of how the results should be interpreted.