As most of you know well, EMME/2 was initially developed at the Centre for Research on Transportation of the University of Montreal. The current version of EMME/2 has been considerably enhanced due to the feedback that we have received from users on functional needs and ideas generated within our development group. However, its acceptance in the world of transportation planning has created an important need to train the community of users in exploiting the modeling framework that is provided by EMME/2. An appreciation of the various ways that particular models may be formed is important in making best use of EMME/2. The need to offer EMME/2 courses is as important now as it was a few years ago when we started the distribution of the package. While the need for offering EMME/2 courses continues to be a pressing issue, the use of EMME/2 in academic transportation programs may provide a source of new graduates who would be familiar with the use of EMME/2.
Since 1987 a considerable number of universities, 26 in the United States, 14 in Europe, 7 in Canada and 4 in Asia have acquired EMME/2 for teaching and research. One finds among the list of university users Harvard University, the University of California Berkeley, University of Maryland, Purdue University, Ecole Polytechnique F/ed/erale at Lausanne and other universities that have well established programs in transportation engineering and transportation economics. Worthy of note are the University of Minnesota which uses 9 EMME/2 licences and the University of Washington in Seattle which operates 5 EMME/2 licences for their students. This is a trend which we welcome and encourage by offering EMME/2 licences for teaching and research at deeply discounted prices. It is our hope that the fresh graduates of the programs that have integrated the use of EMME/2 in their curriculum will have the chance to practice their acquired skills in the real world.
Last, but not least, EMME/2 is used at the University of Montreal to teach courses on models of transportation networks and in research projects. The experience has been a positive one. We hope that the integration of the use of EMME/2 in academic curricula will continue to increase in the future.