rescheduling

[xueyue]

Here I have an idea which I want to implement in my project (MATS --
Multiagent and Activity-based Transport Simulation) which is implemented
by Swarm. There might be ready answer to 
my problem from Swarm already, but I do not know.
First, let me present you the problem:
Suppose I have three classes: Network (describing transport network),
ATT(network information system), Traveller (travellers using the
network). After initializing network objects, ATT objects, and traveller
objects (tr1, tr2, ....trn), then all these objects become alive and
evolve themselves (updating their knowledge, reschedule, executing their
plans, even dying). My current implementation of schedules of tr1, tr2,
... is in a way similar to that given 
in the heatbugs example, i.e.,
(1)building these objects in a swarm;
(2)building their actions;
(3) scheduling their actions;
The schedule for these objects are never changed througout. However,
this is not what I really wanted in the final draft
of MATS. I want to do it in the following way:
(1) building a swarm that holds all Traveller objects, 
initially the swarm is empty, i.e., there is no objects in it.
(there are other swarms as well, for example, there is network 
swarm, there is att swarm, ...). 
(2) activate these swarms;
(3) At a time,  an object (or more objects in general) is born, then the
object is inserted into the swarm, the swarm 
is informed of the actions, schedules of the new objects. Since the
swarm is active, therefore, the object become alive.
(4) At another time, this particular object wishes to either 
or/and (a) insert new actions and schedules, (b) delete 
old schedule, (c) modifying old schedules, and (d) delete the object
itself from the swarm (it is dead). 
In this way, memory space can be saved by deleting dead objects and
computational efficiency can be maintained by 
deleting unnecessary schedules. 

In terms of programming in Swarm, I can summarize the three technical
requirement from Swarm:
(1) building into and deleting objects from an activated swarm;
(2) building into and deleting actions for an object in the swarm;
(3) building into and deleting from an activated swarm schedules of
these actions.

Can anyone point me if I can implemented these by using 
a ready swarm library or whatever ways you think appropriate?

Thank you very much!


 


-- 
Dr Xueyue Huang
Center for Transport Studies
Imperial College 
London SW7 2BU

(+44) 171 594 6037

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