Objectives of AGENT

The purpose of AGENT is to produce an innovative map design software based on multi-agent technology.

AGENT comes at a time of increasing understanding in map generalisation, together with sophisticated software techniques for implementation. An important industrial consequence is that the autonomous design and display of maps according to themes and scales specific to the users’ needs at multiple scales are within reach.

More precisely, the project will achieve the definition and modelling of behaviours of "geographical agents and structures" in the context of generalisation. This includes :

• mechanisms to select and to display agents,
• mechanisms to validate agents’ actions, and
• the definition of strategies and dynamics that resolve competition among agents.

In order to validate the methodological research, the project will focus on two prototypes for the fully automated design of multi-scale thematic representations: a professional tool and a public information desk.