Study On Internet Integration Of Ship-handling Simulators Based On Multi-agent System

Ship-handling simulators, developed around the 1970s and applied to computer-simulative training in navigation education, assuming an important role in training and qualification evaluation of sailors, has entered a new development stage in terms of category, function and performance.Navigation is an international activity, with ships from different countries sailing and interacting with each other in the same maritime space. Sailors from different countries or regions differ substantially in their practices, techniques and navigational habits. Therefore, important as it is, to understand navigational intention of other ships requires plenty of practical experiences. Across the world, all the ship-handling simulators are independent, merely enabling trainees to carry out interaction practice with those in the same group even after the realization of interaction between multi-ownship in the local area network, which, of course, does not accord with real navigation environment.Therefore, we apply to International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) for the initiation of and financial support for the project of Internet Integration of Ship-handling Simulators Based on MAS, so as to establish such an integration system realizing integration of and interaction among all independent simulators across the world through Internet communication.Utilizing Agent/MAS technology and JADE development platform, this paper designs and basically implements a prototype integrated system of multi-ship-handling simulators based on MAS. Main accomplishments are listed as follows:(1) Describes services and restrictions of integration system, analyzes the requirements of the system, compares availabletechnologies based on the demand, and demonstrates the technology route of integration system of ship-handling simulators based on MAS.(2) Implements an Ontology Library of MAS based on properties of navigation handling and the demand for information interaction among simulators, which gives out definitions of ship, ship-handling simulator, virtual sea area and other object data to ensure knowledge sharing based on the system.(3) Designs and implements SHS Agent, Facilitator Agent, VHF Agent, and so forth to be basic agents in MAS, and provides the detailed definition and design for the interacted protocols among them, including the definition for format of interchanged data based on Ontology.(4) Defines and implements an interface between simulator terminal Agent and ship-handling simulator for information exchange. Develops a simple SHS system for testing and debugging in place of real SHS and to facilitate a two-dimensional interface reflecting the interaction at the disposal of system administrators.(5) Implements the communication among Agents through Internet, and tests the developed software.The realization of the integration prototype system will provide a platform for long-distance interaction between handling simulators. Meanwhile, international integration of handling simulator training will improve the factuality of ship-handling simulation and in turn substantially enhance the technical level and professional qualification of trainees.