Introducing sumoITScontrol – Towards More Reproducible Traffic-Control Research with SUMO

Microscopic traffic simulation plays an increasingly important role in developing and evaluating intelligent traffic-control strategies. Nevertheless, comparing new controllers remains difficult. Studies often use project-specific baseline implementations, different simulation settings, or only a single experimental run, making results difficult to reproduce and compare fairly.

ETH Zurich researchers, as part of their work with FEDORA, introduced sumoITScontrol, an open-source and extensible Python framework containing a curated collection of established traffic controllers implemented for SUMO (1) through the TraCI interface. The framework covers both urban and freeway traffic-management applications.

For freeway control, the collection includes widely used ramp-metering approaches such as ALINEA, PI-ALINEA, METALINE, and a HERO-inspired coordinated controller. For urban networks, it provides different implementations of Max-Pressure signal control, alongside adaptive strategies inspired by the principles of SCOOT and SCATS. The controllers are modular and configurable, allowing researchers to apply consistent baselines across different simulation scenarios.

However, the contribution goes beyond software implementation. The paper also highlights the importance of rigorous experimental design in stochastic microscopic simulations. Variations in departure times, driving behaviour, lane changes, and route choices can noticeably affect performance indicators such as travel time, delay, and throughput. Consequently, a small apparent improvement may reflect random variation rather than a genuine advantage.

The framework therefore promotes repeated simulation experiments, systematic controller calibration, variance-aware reporting, statistical hypothesis testing, and transparent benchmarking procedures.

 

By combining reusable controller implementations with methodological guidance, sumoITScontrol aims to reduce duplicated development effort and strengthen reproducibility, comparability, and experimental standards in SUMO-based intelligent transportation systems research.

 

Read a preprint version of their article here and access the source code for sumoITS control here

(1) for more about SUMO and other tools developed within the FEDORA framework, see here

Introducing sumo3Dviz -Bringing SUMO Traffic Simulations into Three Dimensions

Traffic microsimulations generate detailed information about vehicle movements, interactions, and traffic-control systems. However, the resulting data can be difficult to communicate and interpret, particularly when researchers want to understand how a traffic scenario may be experienced from a human perspective.

FEDORA Researchers from ETH Zurich designed sumo3Dviz, a lightweight, open-source 3D visualisation pipeline for traffic simulations created with SUMO(1). The tool converts standard SUMO outputs (including vehicle trajectories, road networks, static objects, and traffic-signal states) into high-quality images and videos using a Python-based workflow.

A central design goal was to provide an accessible alternative to complex game-engine-based visualisation environments. sumo3Dviz can be installed through pip, works across major operating systems, and does not require proprietary software. Its scriptable configuration also makes it suitable for reproducible and automated workflows.

The tool supports several camera modes. Researchers can visualise a scene from a fixed external viewpoint, follow a vehicle from an ego-centric perspective, create cinematic camera movements, or interactively explore a static environment. Trajectory interpolation and orientation smoothing ensure that vehicles move coherently despite the discrete time steps used in traffic simulation.

These capabilities make sumo3Dviz useful not only for presenting simulation results, but also for teaching, model validation, stakeholder communication, and human-centred experiments investigating perceptions such as safety, comfort, trust, and acceptance.

By combining simplicity, reproducibility, and perceptually meaningful visualisation, sumo3Dviz helps bridge the gap between numerical traffic-simulation outputs and the way traffic scenarios are actually observed and experienced.

You can find a preprint version of the research paper here and the source code for sumo3dviz here.

Find some sample sumo3dviz visualisations below:

(1) SUMO: Simulation of Urban MObility (Eclipse SUMO or simply SUMO), an open source multi-modal traffic simulation package capable of handling large networks. Developed by the German Aerospace Center it is currently an Eclipse Foundation project (repository: https://github.com/eclipse-sumo/sumo). For other works relevant to SUMO developed within the FEDORA framework, see also here.

Why cities and public authorities matter to the future of mobility

Cities and public authorities are at the centre of the transition towards smarter, safer and more sustainable mobility. They understand local transport challenges, shape policy priorities and play a key role in turning innovative ideas into solutions that work in real urban environments.

In this video, Iona Kirkpatrick, EU Project Manager at the International Road Federation, shares her message for cities and public authorities on the importance of FEDORA and the value of their involvement in the project.

FEDORA is developing new approaches to multimodal traffic management by connecting data, optimisation services and simulation tools within a shared framework. This work can support authorities in understanding complex mobility patterns, testing different scenarios and making more informed decisions before introducing changes across transport networks.

The participation of cities is essential to ensure that these solutions respond to real needs, reflect different local conditions and can be transferred to other regions. Their knowledge also helps the project consider the regulatory, operational and organisational factors that influence how new mobility solutions are adopted.

Watch the video to hear why cooperation with cities and public authorities is vital for shaping practical, adaptable and future-ready mobility systems.

From innovation to impact: how FEDORA’s pilots bring the project to life

FEDORA’s pilot activities are where the project’s ideas, technologies and methods are put to the test in real mobility environments. They provide the practical setting needed to understand how new approaches to multimodal traffic management can respond to local challenges and deliver value for cities, operators and transport users.

In this video, Iona Kirkpatrick, EU Project Manager at the International Road Federation, explains how the pilots contribute to FEDORA’s wider ambitions. By testing the project’s data, optimisation and simulation solutions across different contexts, the pilot sites help identify what works, what needs to be adapted and what is required for successful deployment.

FEDORA’s six pilots cover a diverse range of mobility conditions in Vienna, the Basque Country, Reggio Emilia, Nicosia, Budapest and Denmark. Their activities address topics such as traffic management, logistics, demand management, multimodal services, aerial mobility and inland waterways. This diversity allows the project to examine how its solutions perform across different transport systems, governance structures and levels of digital maturity.

The pilots also support the project’s wider impact by generating evidence that can inform future policy, deployment guidance and replication in other cities and regions. Their results will help ensure that FEDORA’s solutions are not only technically advanced, but also practical, adaptable and relevant to the needs of real mobility networks.

Watch the video to learn how FEDORA’s pilot activities are helping turn innovation into practical progress for the future of multimodal mobility.