Cars and Pipes - Effect of water problems on road traffic

Challenge

In some cities, the water consumed in homes is transported through pipes from reservoirs and stored in different tanks to redistribute to neighborhoods. These pipes are present below streets where vehicle traffic flows. If a road has problems and requires fixing, it affects the pipes below, requiring redistribution of water through different pipes. Conversely, a pipe or tank problem can severely affect road traffic, generating congestions and reroutings.

The project's objective was to analyze where the most breakdowns occur, if breakdowns occur at multiple locations at the same time, and the implications on traffic and water supply.

Solution

A model was built in AnyLogic using the fluid library and the road traffic library along with Agent-Based. This hybrid model allowed visualization of the state of the network in time with congestion information, breakdown information, and fixing timings.

Outcome

The outcome was a ready-to-use software allowing the user to play around with the model to understand statistical elements with different inputs such as failures, traffic, water demand and supply, alternative routes, etc. The model was used as an initial initiative to start working on strategies to reduce water supply gaps and traffic congestions through better communication, faster arrival to problem areas, and faster problem fixing.

Project Features

• Industry: Road Traffic
• Model: Discrete Events, Agent-Based
• Duration: 1 month