System Dynamics simulation as a decision support system for evaluating the impact of a new supermarket opening on urban traffic flows

This work aims to analyze, with the System Dynamics simulation, the impacts of a new supermarket opening in terms of the traffic flows in the surroundings of a determined urban zone, in order to help decision makers to find the most suitable area and the proper number of car parks and counters to satisfy a certain customer level service, avoiding high waiting times and, consequently, customer losses. Among the different simulation methodologies, System Dynamics has been chosen because it allows to properly model systems that continuously change over time, that are affected by time delays and whose variables depend on their conditions at the previous time step. Traffic flow systems are included in this category of systems. Moreover, the software used for simulation, Powersim Studio™, allows the integration with GIS (Geographic Informative systems), which provides useful information on road mapping and users allocation. © 2010 IEEE.