DCCM has been the lead architect and developer of all five iterations of TxDOT’s Statewide Analysis Model (SAM), a state-of-the-practice multimodal travel demand model covering the entire state of Texas. This innovative tool uses current travel behavior data from surveys and forecasted demographics to predict future travel patterns, equipping decision-makers with the ability to understand future travel demand and assess how transportation projects serve Texas’ mobility needs. The SAM integrates passenger and freight components, providing forecasts for personal vehicles, commercial airlines, intercity and high-speed rail, truck trips, and freight shipments by rail, air, and water. It has been a cornerstone for TxDOT since SAM-V1 in 2001, supporting rapid forecasts for applications such as prioritizing passenger rail corridors, producing performance measures for the statewide transportation plan, providing inputs for the Freight Mobility Plan, analyzing traffic during events like the 2024 Solar Eclipse, and generating traffic forecasts for corridor and project studies.
DCCM continues to support TxDOT through ongoing on-call services, ensuring the SAM remains current with best practices, and support TxDOT’s changing needs. These services include designing and implementing maintenance changes, updating software, networks, and demographics.