Multiagent architectures for intelligent traffic management systems

This paper reports our experiences with agent-based architectures for intelligent traffic management systems. We describe and compare integrated TRYS and TRYS autonomous agents, two multiagent systems that perform decision support for real-time traffic management in the urban motorway network around Barcelona. Both systems draw upon traffic management agents that use similar knowledge-based reasoning techniques in order to deal with local traffic problems. Still, the former achieves agent coordination based on a traditional centralized mechanism, while in the latter coordination emerges upon the lateral interaction of autonomous traffic management agents. We evaluate the potentials and drawbacks of both multiagent architectures for the domain, and develop some conclusions respecting the general applicability of multiagent architectures for intelligent traffic management.     

Cork and sustainability: Discussing the sustainable use of the material from a design perspective

There is the challenge to use materials in a more sustainable way. Even though cork has an interesting eco-profile as a material, other aspects contributing to an enhanced sustainable use of the resource are discussed: addressing the life-span of products, materials substitution, and the trend of materials development identified.     

Case study analysis of the impacts of electronic commerce on the strategic management of container shipping companies

Despite the prevalence of its use, very little is understood about the role of electronic commerce (EC) practice on the strategic management of container shipping companies. Four case studies were undertaken to assess the main uses, motivations, barriers and strategic relevance of EC in the container shipping industry between 1992 and 2002. The cases studies included one large, one medium and one small deep-sea container line, and one medium-sized feeder line. The research found that despite pressing technical and managerial barriers, the need to improve internal economies provided the most fertile grounds for EC use in 1992 and EC was seen as a tactical tool to achieve these goals. By 2002, customer-oriented motivations became critical to the increased relevance of EC and to its perception as a business necessity.     

Using BDI agents to improve driver modelling in a commuter scenario

The use of multi-agent systems to model and to simulate real systems consisting of intelligent entities capable of autonomously co-operating with each other has emerged as an important field of research. This has been applied to a variety of areas, such as social sciences, engineering, and mathematical and physical theories. In this work, we address the complex task of modelling drivers’ behaviour through the use of agent-based techniques. Contemporary traffic systems have experienced considerable changes in the last few years, and the rapid growth of urban areas has challenged scientific and technical communities. Influencing drivers’ behaviour appears as an alternative to traditional approaches to cope with the potential problem of traffic congestion, such as the physical modification of road infrastructures and the improvement of control systems. It arises as one of the underlying ideas of intelligent transportation systems. In order to offer a good means to evaluate the impact that exogenous information may exert on drivers’ decision making, we propose an extension to an existing microscopic simulation model called Dynamic Route Assignment Combining User Learning and microsimulAtion (DRACULA). In this extension, the traffic domain is viewed as a multi-agent world and drivers are endowed with mental attitudes, which allow rational decisions about route choice and departure time. This work is divided into two main parts. The first part describes the original DRACULA framework and the extension proposed to support our agent-based traffic model. The second part is concerned with the reasoning mechanism of drivers modelled by means of a Beliefs, Desires, and Intentions (BDI) architecture. In this part, we use AgentSpeak(L) to specify commuter scenarios and special emphasis is given to departure time and route choices. This paper contributes in that respect by showing a practical way of representing and assessing drivers’ behaviour and the adequacy of using AgentSpeak(L) as a modelling language, as it provides clear and elegant specifications of BDI agents.     

Integrated Environmental Modeling and Assessment of Coastal Ecosystems: Application for Aquaculture Management

This article presents an approach that couples coastal ecosystem modeling with integrated environmental assessment methodologies to support coastal management. The focus is to support the development of an ecosystem approach to aquaculture management including interactions with watershed substance loading. A Chinese bay, with intense aquaculture and multiple catchment uses, and where significant modeling efforts were undertaken is used as a case study. The ecosystem model developed for this bay is used to run scenarios that test the local management strategy for nutrient reduction. The corresponding ecological and economic impacts of the managers’ scenarios are analyzed by means of the Differential Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (ΔDPSIR) analysis. Emphasis is given to the analysis of the eutrophication process in the bay including present eutrophic condition and the expected changes due to the simulated scenarios. For this purpose, the Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) screening model is a valuable tool to interpret and classify the data and model outputs regarding eutrophication condition and to evaluate the manageable level of the nutrient loading entering in the bay.     

Optimal filtering correction for marine dynamical positioning control system

The paper focuses on the problem of control law optimization for marine vessels working in a dynamical positioning (DP) regime. The approach proposed here is based on the use of a special unified multipurpose control law structure constructed on the basis of nonlinear asymptotic observers, that allows the decoupling of a synthesis into simpler particular optimization problems. The primary reason for the observers is to restore deficient information concerning the unmeasured velocities of the vessel. Using a number of separate items in addition to the observers, it is possible to achieve desirable dynamical features of the closed loop connection. The most important feature is the so-called dynamical corrector, and this paper is therefore devoted to solving its optimal synthesis in marine vessels controlled by DP systems under the action of sea wave disturbances. The problem involves the need for minimal intensity of the control action determined by high frequency sea wave components. A specialized approach for designing the dynamical corrector is proposed and the applicability and effectiveness of the approach are illustrated using a practical example of underwater DP system synthesis.     

Observability in traffic networks. Plate scanning added by counting information

The paper deals with the observability problem in traffic networks, including route, origin?Cdestination and link flows, based on number plate scanning and link flow observations. A revision of the main observability concepts and methods is done using a small network. Starting with the full observability of the network based only on number plate scanning on some links, the number of scanned links is reduced and replaced by counted link flows, but keeping the full observability of all flows in the network. In this way, the cost can be substantially reduced. To this end, several methods are given and discussed, and two small and one real case of networks are used to illustrate the proposed methodologies. Finally, some conclusions and final recommendations are included.