Date/Time: Thursday May 14, 2026 10:00-11:30am
Location: WFRC - 41 North Rio Grande Street, Suite 103, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Virtual option available through the calendar appointment. Email utahMUG@gmail.com to request the calendar appointment.
Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
- Introductions (around table and virtual)
- User Spotlights led by Chris Day, WFRC
Discussion Topics
- Mission Statement
- Making travel demand models in Utah better through collaboration and shared learning.
- More details on About Us page
- Utah-Specific resources:
- Presentation solicitations (link) – due by July 6, 2026
- Model Updates (link)
- Others?
Presentations
-
Taking Off Without Four Steps: A New Approach to Airport Forecasting
Charles Allen, InterVISTAS.
The Boise Airport is conducting a Master Plan to guide infrastructure growth for the next 20 years. Traffic volume forecasts for the Master Plan do not use the traditional four-step travel demand modeling process. Rather, the Master Plan evaluates economic outlook, air travel market share, socioeconomic data, flight schedules, and other factors to forecast future conditions. This presentation will discuss the uniqueness of traffic patterns at airports and how a variety of data sources are combined to inform the outlook on long-term travel demand.- Charles Allen is a Transportation Engineer who found himself working on numerous forms of planning projects. He often gets accused of being a “plan-gineer”. Charles enjoys the challenge of translating the technical analysis outputs into meaning for clients and stakeholders. He treats the MUG Meeting halftime quizzes a little too fiercely.
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Half Time Break
Jared Lillywhite, Mountainland Association of Governments -
Statewide and Wastach Front Commercial Vehicle Model Updates
Kaveh Shabani, Cambridge Systematics – Bill Hereth, Wasatch Front Regional Council
This presentation provides an overview of recent updates to the statewide and Wasatch Front commercial vehicle models. It highlights key refinements to model structure, data inputs, and calibration methods aimed at improving the representation of freight and commercial travel patterns. The updates enhance the models’ ability to support planning, policy analysis, and forecasting of goods movement across Utah.- Kaveh Shabani is a nationally recognized expert in freight modeling and data, with experience across 27 U.S. states and internationally in Canada and Australia, developing national, statewide, and urban freight forecasting models. He has published books and numerous peer reviewed papers and is an active member of the Transportation Research Board’s Freight Transportation Planning and Modeling committee and the American Society of Civil Engineers Freight and Logistics Committee. He has led major freight modeling efforts for agencies including FHWA, multiple State DOTs such as California, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, and Utah, and regional agencies including SCAG, SANDAG, CMAP, BMC, and SEMCOG. He has pioneered innovative methods in big data processing, vehicle classification, and commodity flow data fusion. He recently led statewide freight model updates for California and Utah.
- Bill Hereth is a Deputy Director of Analytics at WFRC. The Commercial Vehicle Model update technical development and calibration work was perfomred by Chad Worthen of Insight Analytics.
- Chad Worthen is a transportation modeler at Insight Analytics with extensive experience in travel demand modeling and regional analysis. He previously worked at the Wasatch Front Regional Council, where he supported the development and application of regional travel models. His work focuses on using data-driven tools to inform transportation planning and policy decisions.
Next meeting
- Date/Time: Thursday, September 24, 10:00-11:30 am @ MAG.
🍽 lunchiMUG
- Gather with us at the Gateway between HallPass (many food options) and Costa Vida.