Research project

MISTRAL: Multi-scale Infrastructure Systems Analytics

Project overview

MISTRAL was phase 2 of the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC), expanding the scale and reach of the NISMOD (National Infrastructure Model) system.

ITRC’s vision was for complex infrastructure decisions to be guided by systems analysis. Using the pioneering tools developed by the ITRC team, decision-makers are able to visualise and assess how all of their infrastructure systems are performing, help to pinpoint vulnerabilities and quantify the risks of failure. 

The tools are capable of performing ‘what-if’ analysis of proposed investments and exploring the effects of future uncertainties, such as population growth, new technologies and climate change. 

A key feature of the ITRC projects has been a high level of engagement with industry and government, and the modelling tools produced as part of ITRC and MISTRAL have been used by the National Infrastructure Commission, Oxford-Cambridge Arc and England’s Economic Heartland among others. Results for these studies have been disseminated widely and have generated interest from a range of stakeholders.

The transport model developed by TRG underwent further development during MISTRAL. The model is centred on building an integrated framework covering capacity, demand and risk, and incorporating a network-based representation of the British transport system, resulting in the incorporation of NISMOD onto DAFNI (Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure).

Read further insight into the ITRC legacy.

Staff

Other researchers

Professor William Powrie

Professor of Geotechnical Engineering

Research interests

  • Railway track and trackbed behaviour and performance
  • Geotechnical transportation infrastructure (earthworks, retaining walls, tunnels)
  • Groundwater and groundwater control
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Professor Simon Blainey PhD, FRGS, FHEA, MCIHT, CMILT

Professor of Sustainable Transport

Research interests

  • Rail demand and operations modelling
  • GIS and transport
  • Transport decision support systems
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Professor John Preston

Professor in Rail Transport

Research interests

  • Demand, capacity and cost modelling for sustainable transport infrastructure.
  • The design, monitoring and evaluation of transport interventions designed to promote sustainable choices.
  • The determination of pathways for future mobility transitions to net zero carbon.
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Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups