Geospatial data are often used to predict or recommend movements of robots, people, or animals (‘walkers’). Analysis of such systems can be combinatorially explosive. Each decision that a walker makes generates a new set of possible future decisions, and the tree of possible futures grows exponentially. Complete enumeration of alternatives is out of the question. One approach that we have found promising is to instantiate a large population of simple computer agents that explore possible paths through the landscape. The aggregate behaviour of this swarm of agents estimates the likely behaviour of the real‐world system. This paper will discuss techniques that we have found useful in swarming geospatial reasoning, illustrate their behaviour in specific cases, compare them with existing techniques for path planning, and discuss the application of such systems.

A central issue in distributed systems engineering is enabling agents with only a local view of their environment to take actions that advance global system objectives. One example of this tension is that individual agents may take actions that consume system resources, even when they are not advancing the overall system objectives. Thus, paradoxically, system performance can sometimes improve if individual agents reduce their activity. Agents in such systems need a way to modulate their individual behavior in the light of the system's state, preferably in a way that does not require centralized control. We illustrate the problem of hyperactive agents in three application domains. We describe a simple, decentralized scheme, inspired by insect pheromones, that enables individual agents to adjust their level of activity as the system operates, and extend this mechanism to provide a general approach for dealing with approaching deadlines. Then, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in the example domains.

The major components of the MAP 2.1 conformance test system are described. Protocol conformance testing and program testing are compared. The scope and process of dynamic conformance testing is reviewed. The architecture of the tests system is presented, first in terms of the developing ISO (International Organization for Standardization) framework, and then in terms of run-time components. Several specific tools which comprise the test system are described. These tools include test engines, a high-level control tool, monitoring and analysis tools, and document handling tools. Benefits and limitations of the test tools are examined. Conclusions and suggestions for future efforts are provided.>