Concurrent and distributed shortest-path searches in multiagent-based transport systems

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the consequent integration of the Internet of Things and Services into industrial processes increase the requirements of transport processes. Customer demanding same-day deliveries, shorter transit-times, individual qualities of shipments, and higher amounts of small size orders raise the complexity and dynamics in logistics. In these highly dynamic environments, multiagent systems (MAS) and multiagent-based simulation (MASB) offer a suitable approach to handle the complexity and to provide the required flexibility, robustness, as well as customized behavior. This article focuses on the impact and the relevance of shortest-path queries in MAS and MABS. It compares the application of state-of-the-art algorithms and investigates different modeling approaches for efficient and concurrent shortest-path searches. The results prove that the application of a highly efficient algorithm such as hub labeling with contraction hierarchies is an essential key component in the agent-based control of dynamic transport processes. Moreover, the results reveal that choosing a modeling approach which slightly restricts the agents’ autonomy increases significantly the runtime performance without losing the advantages of multiagent systems. This allows for applying MAS to solve large scale real-world transport problems and for performing MABS with low hardware requirements.