Developing a Business Process and Logical Model to Support a Tour-Based Travel Demand Model Design for TxDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) created a standardized trip-based modeling approach for travel demand modeling called the Texas Package Suite of Travel Demand Models (referred to as the Texas Package) to oversee the travel demand model development and implementation for most of the urban areas in Texas. TxDOT’s existing trip-based modeling approach for travel demand forecasting is adequate to examine most large-scale, regionally significant, highway capacity-added projects and to provide output usable for the air quality analysis required for areas designated as non-attainment and maintenance areas. However, this approach requires substantial post-processing and/or is unable to provide output for decision makers on other types of transportation improvement projects being explored. The Texas Package does not currently include the advanced-practice behavioral analysis techniques to examine some specific policy- and behavioral-response questions. This research considers a business case for a tour-based travel demand model system using formal documentation from TxDOT’s Technological Services Division (TSD).