CE 392C

Transportation Network Analysis

Fall 2021

This course covers static transportation networks, including shortest path and traffic assignment. Lecture slides, homeworks, and practice exams will be posted here as the semester progresses. Please check back often.

Semester schedule

Week 1 (8/26)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 8/30): Textbook sections 1.1-1.5, 2.1-2.3, 3.1, 4.1-4.3. Skim Appendix A, and read more carefully if there are any unfamiliar topics there.
• Please review the syllabus and let me know if you have any questions.
• You can download a copy of the course text here.
• Lecture slides on course logistics and network terminology.

Week 2 (8/31 and 9/2)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 9/6): Textbook sections 3.2; skim Appendix B, and then read section 3.3.
• Homework 1 due at 11:59 PM on Friday 9/17): Python tutorial and network fundamentals..
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 9/10: see Canvas.
• If you are not familiar with Python, please go through this tutorial; go through the sections titled "Basics of Python," "Built-in Data Structures," and "Functions and Classes."
• Also see the page for additional tips and suggestions on Python programming.
• If you are new to Python but have experience with a different programming language, see the Python onramp.
• Lecture slides on user equilibrium and system optimum and mathematical techniques.

Week 3 (9/7 and 9/9)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 9/13): Textbook section 2.4.
• Lecture slides on mathematical techniques.

Week 4 (9/14 and 9/16)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 9/20): Textbook section 5.1 (you can skip 5.1.1), 5.2.1, 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 6.1, 6.2.1-6.2.4.
• Homework 2 due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/1: Optimization and traffic assignment.
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 9/24: see Canvas.
• Worked-out example of A*
• Lecture slides on mathematical techniques and shortest paths.

Week 5 (9/21 and 9/23)

• No reading assignment this week.
• Information on semester project and grading rubric.
• Lecture slides on Beckmann's formulation, MSA, and Frank-Wolfe.

Week 6 (9/28 and 9/30)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 10/4): Textbook section 8.1.
• Homework 3 due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/15: Elastic demand, link interactions, shortest path
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/8: see Canvas.
• Worked-out example of elastic demand on a larger network: computations and accompanying spreadsheet.
• Lecture slides on elastic demand.

Week 7 (10/5 and 10/7)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 10/11): Textbook section 8.2.
• Lecture slides on equilibrium with link interactions.

Week 8 (10/12 and 10/14)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 10/18): Textbook sections 8.3-8.3.5 and 8.3.7 (skim 8.3.3 and material on "Full cyclic path set")
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/22: see Canvas.
• Lecture slides on stochastic user equilibrium.

Week 9 (10/19 and 10/21)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 10/25): Textbook section 6.3 (skip 6.3.1, but read 6.3.2), 6.4.
• Homework 4 due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/29: SUE, gradient projection, convex combinations.
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 10/22.
• Lecture slides on stochastic user equilibrium.

Week 10 (10/26 and 10/28)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 11/1): Textbook section 5.2.2, skim 6.5.
• Project proposals due on Friday 10/29. Please discuss with me if you have questions or are having trouble finding a group.
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 11/5: see Canvas.
• Lecture slides on path-based and bush-based algorithms.

Week 11 (11/2 and 11/4)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 11/8): Textbook sections 7.1-7.4.
• Homework 5 due at 11:59 PM on 11/12: Scenario analysis and performance enhancement.
• Lecture slides on bush-based algorithms and most likely path flows.

Week 12 (11/9 and 11/11)

• Reading assignment (response due on Monday 11/15):
  • Flyvbjerg, B., M. K. Skamris Holm, and S. L. Buhl. (2005) How (in)accurate are demand forecasts in public works projects? Journal of the American Planning Association 71, 131-146.
  • Waller, S. T., J. L. Schofer, and A. K. Ziliaskopoulos. (2001) Evaluation with traffic assignment under demand uncertainty. Transportation Research Record 1771, 69-74.
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 11/19
• Lecture slides on sensitivity analysis and bilevel programs.

Week 13 (11/16 and 11/18)

• No reading assignment this week.
• Online assignment due at 11:59 PM on Friday 11/19.
• Last semester's exam for practice.
• My C code for Algorithm B.

Week 14 (11/23)

• No reading assignment this week.
• SEMESTER EXAM on Tuesday 11/23.

Week 15 (11/30 and 12/2)

• Group project presentations.
• Project reports due Monday, December 13, at noon.

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