Effective management of urban transportation systems requires a thorough understanding of the choices and behaviour of the users of the system. A widely used methodological paradigm to understand transportation user behaviour is econometric choice modelling. Disaggregate choice models are at the heart of activity-based travel demand model systems that are used to forecast urban mobility patterns and system performance under alternative scenarios of population growth, land-use, transportation system characteristics, infrastructure investments, technology solutions, and policy strategies. In addition, choice models are employed to analyse user choices in a variety of fields, including environmental economics, geography, urban planning, and tourism. Examples include, but are not limited to, users’ valuation of non-market goods (e.g., urban air quality) in environmental economics, households’ residential location and employers’ firm location choices in geography and urban planning, and tourists’ travel destination and mode choices in tourism. In short, choice modelling is an important technique for analysing disaggregate, agent-level behaviour and for forecasting aggregate, system-level outcomes relevant to urban planning, transportation engineering, and regional science and economics.
The overarching aim of this course is to provide participants with an understanding of the theory, methods, and applications of econometric choice modelling. A mix of theory and modelling tools will be covered with applications largely drawn from travel demand analysis and transportation planning. The course will build from the basics of choice modelling, such as binary logit and multinomial logit models and cover advanced choice models, including random coefficients models, latent class models, and multiple discrete continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models. In addition to theories and modelling methods, emphasis is given to hands-on estimation and interpretation of choice models on real-life empirical datasets using open-source model estimation tools such as Biogeme and R.
Lectures in the course will be a mix of traditional, chalk-and-board sessions and PowerPoint presentations. The lectures will be accompanied with software laboratory sessions to provide hands-on model estimation experience with Biogeme and R. Course participants need to bring their personal laptops for hands-on software laboratory sessions involving estimation and interpretation of choice models. No computers or laptops will be provided at the course site.
Dr. Abdul Rawoof Pinjari is an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and Chairman of the Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). His expertise is in the formulation, implementation, and application of advanced choice modelling techniques for activity-based passenger travel demand forecasting, freight movement analysis, and integrated land-use and travel demand analysis. Some of his contributions to modelling discrete-continuous choices have made their way into practical travel demand modelling systems used by metropolitan transportation planning agencies. Dr. Pinjari is currently an Editorial Board member of Transportation Research Part B, Transportation, Journal of Choice Modelling, and Transportation in Developing Economies; Co-Chair of United States National Academies Transportation Research Board (TRB) subcommittee on Integrated Transport Modelling; and an Executive Board Member of the International Association for Travel Behaviour Research. http://civil.iisc.ac.in/~abdul
Dr. Rajesh Paleti is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Old Dominion University. Dr Paleti’s research is primarily focused on generating novel econometric and statistical models with potential applications in three key areas: (1) Travel Behaviour Analysis, (2) Traffic Safety, and (3) Transportation Systems Modeling and Simulation. Dr. Paleti has an experience of six years in the field of activity-based travel demand modeling. He worked as a consultant for two years during which he was involved in the development of advanced activity-based travel demand models for Southern California, Jerusalem, Ohio, and Dallas. Dr Paleti received several honours including the 2016 Chan Wui & Yunyin Rising Star Award for Early Career Professionals by Transportation Research Board (TRB), the 2013 Pikarsky Award for outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation in Transportation Science & Technology, and the 2013 Pyke Johnson award for outstanding paper in transportation systems planning. Dr. Paleti will be joining the Civil Engineering Department at Pennsylvania State University as assistant professor starting August 2018. https://rajeshpaleti.weebly.com
Registration is necessary to attend this course. Please register for the course online at the following link: http://iisc.online/shortterm/home.html
Last date for registration is 23rd July 2018. Number of participants for the course is limited to 40. Registration fees are:
The fee includes lunch and two tea/snack breaks on all the two days. The course fee does not include accommodation. The participants are advised to bring their own laptops for hands-on exercises involving model estimation and interpretation.
Accommodation for outstation participants: Please note that accommodation is not guaranteed, but efforts will be made to reserve a limited number of rooms for outstation participants. Participants need to request in advance via e-mail to: office.cistup@iisc.ac.in (no later than 20th July 2018) for accommodation at the registration website. Room rent may be paid later, directly to the accommodation facility.
Venue
CiSTUP Conference Room
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Contact
CiSTUP, Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore - 560012, INDIA
Email: office.cistup@iisc.ac.in
Phone: +91-80-2293-2521/2043
Fax: +91-80-23468207