Agenda
- TRB Papers?
- Telecommuting Frequency Model Update
- Confirmation of next steps (MWCOG, RSG)
- 2-Zone Model Work-Based Tour Bug / SANDAG assistance request
- Ancillary model inclusion
- Technical
- Shadow pricing / simulation constraint issues
- Confirmation and validation of methods
- Investigation of results
- Usability improvements and documentation
- Admin
- RFQ Finalization
- Phase 12 prioritization process
- Issue creation & population
Notes
TRB Papers
- No one reported submitting an ActivitySim-related TRB paper this cycle; the EET (explicit telecommute) work and its sensitivity-testing deep-dive were suggested as a strong future paper topic.
- Modeling Mobility Conference confirmed for April 2027 in Tempe, AZ (ASU) — another promotion opportunity once the call for papers opens (expected within ~2 months).
Telecommute Frequency Model — MWCOG Coordination
- David Hensle will send Ray, Joel, and MWCOG staff the SANDAG telecommute frequency results, including the TransLink logsum term (larger/more significant than SANDAG's).
- MWCOG (Feng Xie) can either use their existing spec plus a borrowed logsum coefficient, or adapt the full TransLink or SANDAG spec — the former is the lowest-effort path given occupation-term mismatches.
- Joel will hold off on further re-estimation until MWCOG's feedback is received.
- Target: wrap up in ~4 weeks (~early September).
Action items:
- David Hensle: send options email to Ray/Joel/MWCOG (nearly complete at meeting time).
- Feng Xie/MWCOG: review options, test against their own spec.
Example Model Cleanup — Ancillary Models (Airport, Cross-Border, Student)
- Jeff Newman is cleaning up the SANDAG example repo (AI-assisted), which surfaced untested/unused components — an external student model and an "airport returns" extension with no configs or tests.
- Consensus: remove the external student model.
- Broader question: should the consortium repo stay focused solely on resident travel, or take on ancillary models (airport, visitor, cross-border, commercial vehicle) that many agencies build anyway?
- Jeff Newman: airport models are near-universal, a good candidate for future scope; cross-border is more agency-specific.
- Joel Freedman: agencies can already use SANDAG's public repo directly — the real question is whether the consortium takes on maintenance cost and possible focus dilution.
- Joe Castiglione: favors framing ActivitySim as a platform supporting a broader suite of models; cited PopSim as precedent.
- No final decision; flagged for the roadmap update and Phase 12 planning.
Action item: Jeff Newman to remove the external student model code; broader scope question to be revisited during roadmap/Phase 12 discussions.
Phase 12 Prioritization Process
- Some agencies felt they lacked enough information in past rounds to make informed prioritization decisions, though the overall rubric wasn't seen as broken.
- Discussion of improving issue consistency/templates (echoing the Engineering Team's effort) so issues are easier to compare across contributors.
- David Hensle raised whether consultants should again submit a prioritized list with brief write-ups and effort estimates, as done for Phase 11B/EET.
- Bo Wen: suggested effort/cost "quotes" come from consultants at the issue level, since agencies can't easily judge effort; noted past estimates varied widely across reviewers.
- Joe Castiglione: leaning toward ranges rather than single-point estimates, since these numbers mainly gauge relative importance/investment rather than precise cost.
- Jeff Newman: recommended separating "product" concerns (what agencies need) from "engineering" concerns; prioritization should start with a small product-focused review, since AI has changed feasible effort levels for many tasks. The roadmap needs revisiting as a living document given how much has changed (memory constraints, shadow pricing, telecommute needs).
- No resolution reached — Joe will memorialize the discussion and continue it at a future meeting.
Action item: Joe Castiglione to continue this discussion at a future meeting; members encouraged to share further thoughts in the meantime.
Agenda
Notes
TRB Papers
Telecommute Frequency Model — MWCOG Coordination
Action items:
Example Model Cleanup — Ancillary Models (Airport, Cross-Border, Student)
Action item: Jeff Newman to remove the external student model code; broader scope question to be revisited during roadmap/Phase 12 discussions.
Phase 12 Prioritization Process
Action item: Joe Castiglione to continue this discussion at a future meeting; members encouraged to share further thoughts in the meantime.