Project Meeting 2023.02.16

Agenda

• Status update on ORCA (CS)
• Input checker (RSG)

Meeting Notes

Orca

• A pull request is out, based on changes tested through the MTC one-zone example. It is available for review, if someone wants to start, but may be too early. Jeff may go back to these files if he encounters issues in further tests, such as testing in 2-zone system. It is probably too early for extensive review.
• Pull request is failing some tests, still a lot to do, but progress is happening.
• In the end, there will be very few changes to the way ActivitySim runs (run/execute the same, all the inputs are the same). There may be two places/things that could require updating, which will be discussed at the next meeting. Jeff will be documenting changes required to be compatible with the Orca changes and has some drafted internal notes so far. He anticipates very few changes needed on the part of the user.

Input Checker

Presentation: input_checker_pt1.pptx

• Tool checks ActivitySim inputs and is based on input checkers already in place in Oregon and for SANDAG.
• Tool is implemented in python.
• SANDAG and ODOT noted their experience with the input checker:
  • Easy from user-side, just need to know basic python
  • Good to learn about possible problems at the beginning rather than crashing hours into a model run
  • Can be run on year-specific inputs
  • It has been valuable to them but want to understand how it can be best applied to individual implementations because the SANDAG and ODOT input checkers are very specific to those models.
• RSG wants to make it more flexible for ActivitySim
  • Won’t be designed to interact with proprietary software but doesn’t limit it’s ability to check outputs of proprietary software (for example, checks on csv files of network link attributes).
  • Test cases don’t include any network files, so we can’t test the input checker on them.
  • Interacting with network/other software is not in scope.
• Development effort is not to create checks for every input possibility but to optimize its adaptability.
• The following issue was mentioned but concerned about being too prescriptive with a data model: https://github.com/ActivitySim/activitysim/issues/617
• Run-time for checker is very fast. Most time is reading in the files but the checker is very fast (about a minute)
• To Do: determine top use cases for considering how to implement (for example, part of ActivitySim or separate component)
• Next steps
  • Start with framework/functionality
  • Test with some basic functions
  • Present to consortium for review and identify additional important checks that the group wants to add
  • Plan to present in about a month