Space-Time Analysis of Situations on a Set of Moving Objects

A new approach to the qualitative space-time reasoning on relations between moving objects of different nature is offered for the purpose of analysis of situations arising in the process of a change in these relations. The development of an apparatus for description of allowable space-time relations at different abstraction levels and the application of this description to identification of arising situations are considered. The hierarchical organized sets of fuzzy automata are used as the apparatus for description of allowable space-time relations. The higher the hierarchy level of an automation the higher is the abstraction level of relations which it specifies using relations given by the automata of the lower level. If we manage to identify the relation of interest of any level of abstraction at any time of interest, then it may be interpreted as identification of a certain situation for making any decisions, e.g., control actions. The brief comparative analysis of known methods, the proposed approach concepts, the fundamental methods, the principles of practical implementation, and future development of the proposed approach are given.