A multiagent system for maritime navigation simulation

The paper introduces the principles underlying the TRANS prototype, a multi-agent system oriented to concurrent maritime navigations. TRANS integrates several multi-agent modelling notions such as role and group behaviours, it extends those to the concepts of permanent and temporary roles and allows for priority and constraint management. Agents model either mobile entities or static geographical references. Mobile agents, i.e., ships behave according to international navigation rules. A Java-based prototype implements those modelling concepts and supports simulation of concurrent navigations. Overall the TRANS prototype acts as a simulation environment that can be used for either training or real monitoring purposes.