The main feature in the issue of EMME/2 News is a tutorial on how to use the enhanced macro commands that were introduced with Release 3.0. With a few small but typical examples of macro files we illustrate the use of things like macro parameters, conditionals, labels, branching and register arithmetic. At first sight, the article might look rather dry and very technical. But if you sit down in front of a terminal and start trying out these new commands, you'll find out quickly how they can help you in your application.
So flip that switch 13 and have fun!
Heinz Spiess, Editor
EMME/2 Support Center
Haldenstrasse 16
CH-2558 Aegerten
Switzerland
tel: (41) 32 53 20 57
fax: (41) 32 53 57 86
There are many items of interest in this issue of EMME/2 News. I will comment on some of these, since they are representative of our efforts to increase the range of computers that may be used to run EMME/2 and add features which increase productivity and new possibilities of analysis.
We are keeping up with the new generation of Intel 80386 PC's by offering, as of September 1st of this year, a version of the EMME/2 code that will run under MS DOS by using the Phar Lap DOS Extender. By looking at the execution times of the beta version one can see that this generation of PC's offers computing speeds comparable to the mini computers of yesterday and nearly matches the speed of the very popular DSI 780 coprocessor board. We anticipate that both the 80386 version and the DSI 780 version of EMME/2 will become the most popular versions of the code, even though those who see the performance of the HP 9000-825 RISC machine may be tempted to have the use of such a powerful and accessible computer.
A good part of this issue is dedicated to expand on the potential of new features which were added to the EMME/2 system in Release 3.0: enhanced macros and annotations. More advanced use of macros increases the productivity of the use of EMME/2 and the annotations open up a wide range of capabilities for customizing the plots produced with the code. There are many ways to use a rich and flexible code such as EMME/2: one may use it in a relatively simple way or, with increased familiarity with the code, one may make gradually increased use of the possibilities offered.
The interested reader may refer to the new list of EMME/2 users to find out that EMME/2 is being used now in New Zealand. It will be interesting to find out in the future how EMME/2 performs with left hand traffic!
Finally, we would like to thank the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transportation Commission for hosting the EMME/2 User's Group meeting last June. Special thanks are due to Sean Rathwell for doing a superb job in organizing the meeting. The meeting was enjoyed by all members of the EMME/2 team who attended and resulted in interesting and fruitful exchanges.
Michael Florian, President
INRO Consultants, Inc.
4950 Queen Mary Rd. #100
Montreal, Que H3W 1X3
Canada
Tel (514) 738-8336
Fax (514) 738-8579