FINAL CALL FOR ABSTRACTS


                                WORKSHOP ON 
            SCENARIO AND TRAFFIC GENERATION FOR DRIVING SIMULATION

        Sponsored by The University of Iowa and Renault Research Center 
                      and Ford Research Laboratory

                             Orlando, Florida
               Marriott Courtyard at Walt Disney World Village

                               December  6-7, 1996



             


WORKSHOP ORGANIZERS
-------------------
  
S. Bayarri (U. Valencia), J. Cremer (U. Iowa), J. Kearney (U. Iowa), 
A. Kemeny (Renault), O. Munier (Renault), Y. Papelis (U. Iowa)


SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOP
---------------------

Driving simulation requires creation of scenarios involving traffic that
can be controlled to meet the needs of an experimenter.  Individual
vehicles must exhibit plausible driving behavior and the traffic
properties such as density and flow must be appropriate. In addition,
the driver must encounter critical events that require coordination of
groups of vehicles.

The workshop will focus on three aspects of this problem:
 (1) modeling of semi-autonomous vehicle behavior 
 (2) generation of ambient traffic
 (3) scenario specification and creation

The goal of the meeting will be to assess the state of the art and
identify critical challenges, key issues, and promising approaches for
scenario and traffic generation.  

In order to provide some alternative perspectives, we expect that one
session will be devoted to scenario control for interactive environments
outside the domain of driving simulation (e.g. crisis response or
medical training).

This workshop extends the first and second traffic generation seminars
(June 17 and December 14, 1994, Renault Research Center) and the first
and second Special Interest Group meetings (March 24, 1995, TRL, and
September 14, 1995, DSC'95).


ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP 
---------------------------- 

The meeting will consist of several sessions of short (15 minute)
talks. Each session will include ample time for discussion.  The collection
of abstracts will be sent to all participants before the workshop.


TOPICS OF INTEREST 
------------------

 * Semi-Autonomous vehicle behavior modeling
   - representations and modeling methods for autonomous vehicles
   - communications and control mechanisms for directability
   - tactical-level driving behavior

 * Ambient traffic generation
   - microscopic, macroscopic, and hybrid approaches
   - complexity management

 * Scenario authoring and modeling
   - frameworks/methodology for scenario creation
   - how to reliably create scenario events in the face of unpredictable
     variations in driver behavior
   - non-driving applications:
       crisis response, dismounted infantry, interactive drama, ...


PARTICIPATION
-------------


To facilitate active exchange of ideas, the workshop will be limited
to 40 participants.  Prospective participants should submit a short (1
page maximum) description of current activities and interests in
scenario and/or traffic generation.  Those interested in giving a
presentation at the meeting should include a very short position
statement identifying specific problems, perspectives, or approaches.

Submissions (plain Ascii text or Postscript) should be sent to 

  cremer@cs.uiowa.edu  


IMPORTANT DATES
---------------

September 30, 1996     submission deadline

October 21, 1996       notification of acceptance and preliminary program


COST
----

The registration fee of $100 will cover the cost of the meeting room,
lunch, breaks, and printed workshop abstracts.


TENTATIVE AGENDA
----------------

   Friday, December 6 	full day of technical presentations and discussion
	
     8:30am   Continental breakfast
     8:45am   Welcome and opening remarks (Dr. Andras Kemeny)
     9:00     Presentations and discussion
     10:30    Break
     10:45    Presentations and discussion
     12:15pm  Lunch (catered)
     1:45pm   Presentations and discussion
     3:15pm   Break
     3:30pm   Presentations, discussion, and first day wrap-up
     5:00pm   End of first day 

   Saturday December 7  half day presentations, discussion, and future plans

     9:00am   Presentations and discussion
     10:30am  Break
     10:45am  Discussion and future plans
     12:00pm  End of workshop



I/ITSEC CONFERENCE
------------------

The workshop immediately follows the I/ITSEC conference, Dec. 2-5 in
Orlando at the Marriott World Center (2 miles from workshop hotel).
The I/ITSEC meeting has a substantial exhibition including many large
real-time simulation vendors, and may be of interest to some workshop
participants.  Registration for exhibition portion of I/ITSEC is free.
An official schedule for I/ITSEC is not yet available.  However, we
understand that tutorials will take place on Monday, Dec. 2, papers
will presented Tuesday-Thursday, and the exhibition will run from
Monday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.  I/ITSEC Web page:
http://tspg.wpafb.af.mil./related/iitsec/iitsec.htm


WORKSHOP WWW HOMEPAGE 
--------------------- 

Updated meeting information, schedule, registration form, hotel and
transportation information about the organizers and participants are
available via the World Wide Web at URL:

             http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~cremer/scenario96.html