GPU-based Parallel Computing for Activity-based Travel Demand Models

Activity-based travel demand models (ABMs) are gaining popularity in the field of traffic modeling because of their high level of detail compared to traditional travel demand models. Due to this, however, ABMs have high computational requirements, making ABMs hard to use for analysis and optimization purposes. We address this problem by relying on the concept of parallel computing using a computer’s graphics processing unit (GPU). To illustrate the potential of GPU computing for ABM, we present a pilot study in which we compare the observed computation time of an ABM GPU implementation that we built using NVIDIA’s CUDA framework with similar, non-parallel implementations. We conclude that speed-ups up to a factor 50 can be realized, enabling the use of ABMs both for fast analysis of scenarios and for optimization purposes.