by Grant G. Schultz and Jason S. McGee, Brigham Young University, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, May 2009
"Since 2006, only one new tool has come onto the market that has received widespread recognition, the TREDIS® model. TREDIS® was developed by Economic Development Research Group, Inc. …TREDIS® is a web-based system, intending to make the program more accessible to DOTs. The program is designed to work with “different transportation, access, and economic models.” ... All modes of transport may be used in the economic model: air, marine, rail, or roadway. Another powerful element of TREDIS® is that the size of the project does not limit the ability of the program to assess potential economic benefits. The scope of possible projects for evaluation ranges from an addition of a single turning lane or intersection reconstruction to full-scale construction of a new highway."
"…TREDIS® appears to be very flexible. There are large amounts of data fields to provide a deep level of modeling, but a large majority can be left blank, allowing a rough sketch for planning."
"...There is a difference in the computation styles between REMI® TranSight™ and TREDIS®. REMI® TranSight™ estimates how transportation improvements change the “effective distance” between regions, based on travel time or cost between county centers. TREDIS® uses geographic information systems (GIS) and travel times to measure this spatial component. … TREDIS® is able to evaluate over a broader range of transportation modes and on a more refined geographic scale (down to the town level or an intersection reconstruction). ...As for the actual software, REMI® TranSight™ is installed on a single computer, whereas TREDIS® is a web-based system."