Drivers software to help route planning

By: Eamon Hourihane
Date: Monday, 27. September 2010

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To help drivers get from A to B more quickly and efficiently, Software Engineers are developing programs based on mimicking the ‘swarm’ behavior of insects such as ants and bees.

This ‘Swarm’ behavior provides the intelligence behind the technology, and is in many ways similar to ‘Crowd’ behavior as outlined in James Surowiecki’s book The Wisdom of Crowds. Surowiecki’s ‘Crowd’ theory contends that large groups of people are smarter than individual experts. He uses the example of a group guessing the weight of an ox at a fair. Individuals bought a ticket and guessed the weight of the animal. The average was taken - as if the group were one unit. It was found that the judgment of the crowd was more accurate than invited experts - namely butchers who would deal with animals as part of their everyday professional lives.

The problem with human behavior in group decision making is the fact that our susceptibility to outside influence can have a bearing on the decisions made. Swarms of ants, on the other hand, operate for the common good, with little if any outside influence effecting decision making. Ants primary daily routine is to locate food, to determine the shortest route to base and to then communicate this information to the other ants in the group.

Dr Marco Dorigo of the Free University of Brussels linked the Ants scenario to that of the traveling salesman, who will also try to find the shortest and quickest route between various destinations. Dorigo has used this link to try to work towards more effective route planning for drivers and freight companies, or indeed any large organizations planning multiple daily driving routes.

Ants solve their route planning and mapping by using a chemical trail of pheromones. Upon successful location of food, an ant returns to base leaving a trail of pheromones that will serve as a ‘road map’ for the other ants. The more ants that travel the route the stronger this chemical trail becomes. The longer the trail the less powerful the pheromone trail. Hence, shorter routes are more attractive and more productive than longer routes. Pheromones act as a bond to help the ant colony behave as an efficient unit - maximizing resources and expending less energy as a whole.

A type of ’swarm’ simulation software is being used commercially to help companies and drivers complete their routes more efficiently and thus more cost-effectively. One such system is called AntRoute. Developed by Antoptima, AntRoute’s clients use the software to assist in more efficient route planning from central warehousing to geographically dispersed retailers.

In the case of AntRoute, the software determines the optimum route for a fleet on a daily basis, taking into account changing variables such as time, quantities, destinations, delivery window, trucking costs and available personnel. According to Luca Gambardella, Director of Antoptima, it takes 15 minutes to coordinate routes for 1200 trucks and every day the routes change as various factors are taken into account. [source: the economist]

The AntRoute software is an evolving system which efficiently manages logistics within complex distribution organizations. Route planning software based on the group navigation systems of insects, is a new and fascinating area for both software developers and the transportation industry alike. The software aims to save on time and money - two key factors for transportation companies, particularly in todays economic climate.

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