Efficient wayfinding in complex environments

Abstract

This paper discusses the problem of wayfinding in complex environments. Movement is complicated in many ways, including the existence of obstacles that impede travel across continuous space. To support route planning and navigation for the blind, shipping, robotics, etc., methods have been developed to identify the shortest or most efficient path. This paper details a GIS based method for finding an optimal path for this problem. The developed approach offers substantial computational advances over existing approaches, making it appealing for real time travel support. Application results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.