Seminar Series

Agent-Based Models as an Insight into Managing Pavement Assets

Dr. Sue McNeil from the University of Delaware discussed the topic of asset management. In her talk "Agent-Based Models as an Insight into Managing Pavement Assets" she proposed a framework for capturing the complex interactions among decision makers. This was done in the context of the uncertainty inherent in the process of allocating resources in a spatially and socially equitable manner over the extended periods of time that the assets are expected to provide service. In her framework, a network of pavement segments is represented as an agent-based model, which enables one to examine the effects of agencies, politicians, user actions, deterioration, random failures and various policies on the performance of the system. The presentation defined potential agents - the pavement segments, users, politicians, and engineers - and their interactions, and explained why such agent behaviors are not captured in typical pavement management systems and life cycle cost analyses. Two prototypes agent based systems were presented and demonstrated the potential value of life cycle cost analysis and the importance of planning for catastrophic failure.