TRACC is located at the DuPage National Technology Park, co-located with the DuPage Airport Authority in West Chicago, Illinois, and hosts a dedicated new high-performance computing system intended to deliver substantial computing power to address these and other transportation problems via simulations.

Simulations will allow researchers to study vehicle performance issues like aerodynamic drag, fuel injector spray dynamics and under-the-hood thermal management, as well as road weather research.

"These areas that we're starting with are just a few specific examples of how you could utilize our computing resources", stated Dr. David Weber, TRACC Project Director. "Our modelling, simulation, visualization and high-performance computing capabilities will provide unique collaboration opportunities with colleagues in the transportation field from government, academia and private industry. We all benefit from this advanced modelling capability", he stated.

With respect to their use in traffic modelling, TRACC simulations will closely resemble actual road conditions, Dr. Weber expects. TRACC's models could allow transportation system planners and emergency planning specialists to develop alternative and contingency plans in advance, according to Dr. Weber.

"If you lose part of your transportation network in an emergency, for example, what do you do?", Dr. Weber stated. "How do you get the people out in the most efficient way? We think we'll be able to predict congestion patterns as they actually occur for both normal traffic and emergency traffic conditions."

Although TRACC models currently encompass only the Chicago area, they could easily be adapted for any metropolitan region. The models that TRACC will generate have the potential to save lives on both the individual and community scales by allowing engineers to better understand crash behaviours and use that knowledge to enhance roadside safety structures. For example, while DOT and the vehicle industry currently perform computerized crash simulations in addition to their expensive real-world crash tests, TRACC technology will significantly increase the speed and accuracy with which these tests can be executed.

"We take prototypic experiments and confirm that we can model them accurately to validate the simulation methodology. Then we can use the computer models to extend them to a larger range of accident conditions, and examine system and component performance at higher levels of fidelity with our large-scale computing resources", Dr. Weber stated.

TRACC also has initial funding to perform modelling of bridge hydraulic behaviour, such as the flooding of bridges during severe weather events. By seeing how bridges respond to stress from high winds and rising water, civil engineers might be able to prevent damage to the structures during severe storms or hurricanes.

"Tests are very expensive and can only look at a limited number of conditions", Dr. Weber stated. "TRACC provides a more cost-efficient way to look at a lot of different types of transportation issues and understand the effects in greater detail."

At the heart of TRACC lies a 128-node, 512-core dedicated massively parallel computer. This high-performance computing system is complemented by state-of-the-art software and expert staff. Remote access to the computing system will be available, both through Argonne National Laboratory, as well as at Argonne's university partners, the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University.