Running the First Phase Demo

Download the distribution from: http://agents.felk.cvut.cz/~semsch/across_ix/

There are two files to download

  • across_ix_distribution.zip (the program)
  • visio_across.zip (the visualization)

    • Steps to get it running:

  • Download both files to a PC running Windows (the ACROSS visualization is a Windows program (ACROSS scenario uses a couple of Windows native libraries - we'll try to remove these ASAP).
  • Make sure you have JAVA 1.5 or higher installed.
  • Unpack both zip files to separate directories.
  • Run ACROSS visualization (visio for short) either with across2d.exe or across3d.exe (2D runs faster and is easier to follow).
  • Run 1_simulation.bat and wait until the window of NodePod agent appears then run 2_cars.bat and 2_cities.bat.
  • Wait until all the cars and cities are started.
  • Start simulation using NodePod agent Start button.
  • Check visio - you will see a -$ sign coming from the city where the bus crash happened.
  • After seeing the -$ sign, check the I-X PlanAgent, expand the plan and right-click the plan to send it to HumRed agent.
  • Check visio to see how the agent handles the accident by sending ambulances and medical material to the site of disaster and bringing back wounded people to hospital.

    • Running the final demo

    Final demo is availiable at http://agents.felk.cvut.cz/~semsch/across_ix/ (I-globe Final Demo distribution 17 MB). It requires Java 1.6 JRE . Use the visualization that we provided in the first phase (ACROSS visualization).

    There are two batch files in the distribution folder action.bat and straight.bat. The action.bat runs the demo with more action (rescue actions and common traffic). The straight.bat runs only the rescue actions.

    Steps to run the demo:

    1. Run the visualization first (preferrably at the same computer, otherwise you need to change the configuration in xml/3dvisio.xml.
    2. Run either of the .bat files (should be easy to change it tu run in linux).
    3. You should get five Java windows on the screen. Click the EntMan (entity manager) and press Start Scenario at the bottom of the window.
    4. Once the IP2s (there are two planners in the scenario) are up, set them to the automatic mode (Using Test at the right upper corner) so that you don't have to plan and send the plan after every accident.
    5. You may want to zoom the visualization (with X and Y on keyboard) or toggle communication (C) or toggle charts (G) so you can see it more clearly. Or you can pause the simulation using EntitySimulator window.

    What you will see:

  • the Terrorist car (sometimes more of them) roaming around the map and creating BusCrashes.
  • the police-teams patrolling and removing terrorists (the terrorist with the name Terrorist cannot be destroyed to keep the simulation running).
  • once any car except for terrorists comes across the BusCrash accident it reports it to the EmergencyCentres.
  • the EmergencyCentres have a chart above them that shows the mission progress (blue=planning, yellow=scheduling, orange=executing plan, green=done, red=failed). Sometimes you can see that yellow is not followed with orange but with blue and that is the case of replanning.
  • The BusCrashes have their chart too - it shows number of wounded and the level of insurgency at the place.
  • the police-team quells the insurgency and the ambulance takes the wounded.
  • if the BusCrash (with insurgency) is left alone for a while it produces another terrorist.
  • The MOST IMPORTANT part is the execution of the plan of handling the BusCrash - you will see smiley faces and unhappy faces floating above the ambulances/trucks and police-teams - the unhappy face means that the car has been given a task to do (the task is diplayed at the vehicle chart in green letters), the smiley face means that the vehicle has been released (the task is over).
  • If you run the action.bat you can also see the common trucks running into the BusCrashes and turning back and replanning their route.

    • Few recommendations:

  • Flashing windows - you'll need to lower the graphical acceleration (go to Control Panels -> Display -> Settings -> Advanced -> Troubleshooting and drag the Hardware acceleration slider to the third step from the left.
  • The action.bat is quite CPU consuming - you may want to slow the simulation down using EntitySimulator window.
  • If you run the simulation too fast there might be some strange behaviour - the units have sensors with given range - but if the movement is too fast they may "jump" over the BusCrash and never find it.
  • The simulation is not much balanced so after longer run there may be a lot of BusCrashes which can lead to errors since the simulation is allowed only 300 running entities.