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2023 Base Year Inputs

This page documents the specific input files and data sources used for the 2023 base year model run.

Overview

The 2023 base year model represents the regional transportation system and travel patterns for calendar year 2023. This includes updated networks, land use data, and demographic information specific to this time period.

Base Directory: Box\Modeling and Surveys\Development\Travel Model Two Conversion\Model Inputs\2023-tm22-dev-version-05

Starting a New Model Run

To set up a new 2023 model run, copy the 2023-tm22-dev-version-05 directory as your starting point.

Population Synthesis

Overview

The synthetic population for 2023 is generated using PopulationSim, which creates a microsimulation of households and persons that match control totals from various data sources while maintaining realistic distributions of demographic characteristics.

Running PopulationSim

Output Files

Location: Box\Modeling and Surveys\Development\Travel Model Two Conversion\Model Inputs\populationsim\bay_area\output_2023\populationsim_working_dir\output

The population synthesis process generates two primary output files:

  • households_2023_tm2.csv - Household records with necessary encoding for TM2 CTRAMP
  • persons_2023_tm2.csv - Person records with necessary encoding for TM2 CTRAMP

The complete run directory also includes validation summaries and diagnostic outputs.

Data Quality Notes

Known Considerations

  • Zero-vehicle ownership: The uncontrolled zero-vehicle ownership rates may appear high compared to American Community Survey (ACS) estimates
  • Validated distributions: Household income and household size distributions have been validated and appear reasonable

Land Use Data

MAZ Data File

File: maz_data_withDensity.csv

This consolidated MAZ (Micro Analysis Zone) data file contains:

  • Synthetic population data - From PopulationSim output
  • Employment data - By industry sector
  • Enrollment data - School enrollment
  • Parking data - Costs and availability
  • Density metrics - Calculated from network analysis

Data Processing Scripts

Employment Data Update

Updates MAZ employment data while preserving other attributes like enrollment.

Future Enhancement

This script will need to be updated to correctly perform calculations when real (non-placeholder) enrollment and other data become available.

Population Data Integration

Transfers PopulationSim outputs to the MAZ/TAZ land use files.

Density Calculations

Network-based density metrics are calculated using scripts adapted from Travel Model Two (legacy).

This needs to be rewritten.

Source References: - maz_densities.job - createMazDensityFile.py

Required Input Files: - hwy\maz_nodes.csv - MAZ centroid nodes - hwy\intersection_nodes.csv - Network intersection nodes

Last Updated: January 27, 2026