A transportation decision support system in agent-based environment

This paper presents a Transportation Decision Support System (TDSS) called SATIR that reports the network activity in real-time and thus assists the bus network regulators in their various tasks. We propose a global approach to help regulators to manage the bus network under normal conditions (network monitoring, dynamic schedule management), with data inconsistencies management and under disrupted conditions (disturbance diagnosis and action planning). This global bottom-up approach is based on a multi-agent model where agents encompass the domain knowledge and where the interactions between agents are based on our new model of the environment, the ESAC model (Environment as Active Support of Communication). A formal modeling of the disturbance concept, which makes it possible to capitalize the knowledge available within a monitoring station and to follow up the evolution of the disturbances in real time, is presented, followed by a description of its application to a problem of bus network diagnosis in the STIB network (Brussels Intercity Transportation Company network). The paper concludes by looking briefly at how using the multi-agent paradigm could help to develop new functionalities to improve Transportation Decision Support Systems design.