Tactical-level Simulation for Intelligent Transportation Systems

Abstract

SHIVA (Simulated Highways for Intelligent Vehicle Algorithms) is a kinematic simulation of vehicles moving and interacting on a user-defined stretch of roadway. The vehicles can be equipped with simulated human drivers as well as sensors and algorithms for automated control. These algorithms influence the vehicles' motion through simulated commands to the accelerator, brake and steering wheel. SHIVA's user interface provides facilities for visualizing and influencing the interactions between vehicles. SHIVA not only models the elements of the domain most useful to tactical driving research but also provides tools to rapidly prototype and test algorithms in challenging traffic situations. Additionally, the scenario control tools allow repeatable testing of different reasoning systems on a consistent set of traffic situations. These features are vital in the development and evaluation of intelligent vehicle technology for ITS applications.