Plain move predicate and its consistency concerning the moving agents in a network

Abstract

Advances in GIS and databases for dealing with spatiotemporal frameworks are leading to efficient querying, analyzing, and reasoning about moving objects/agents. However, contemporary frameworks on spatiotemporal logics are usually limited to qualitative approaches, such as the numerous studies on spatiotemporal databases that focus on observations, ignoring the intended movements of the agents. Moving object databases, on the other hand, can handle queries about the location, velocity, and time by assuming some agents to be targets. However, reasoning about the plan of moving agents, especially on the network and the achievability of such a plan, still remains a challenge. Studies on vehicle routing are often about the centralized planning of moving agents from scratch and do not deal with intended plans. Based on a plain move predicate, this paper presents a generic framework that can be used for representing and reasoning about plans of moving agents. Concepts from motion, network structure, graph theory, predicate logic, and constraint satisfaction are used to create the framework. We have also provided efficient algorithms for checking the consistency of the movement and extracting compatible plans along with some discussions on computational analysis, logical deduction, and flexibility. Finally, we have demonstrated the application of the methodology by developing NETwork-based Move Atoms Planning System (NETMAPS). The experiments show how NETMAPS can overcome an inconsistent movement plan and deliver advantageous suggestions to an executive agent.

Keywords:

• moving objects/agents
• network
• predicate
• spatiotemporal GIS