Scenario Authoring

Joseph K Kearney; Timofey F Grechkin

The Problem. Simulators offer the opportunity to study driving behavior in a safe, controlled environment that puts the driver in realistic situations comparable, in many ways, to what they experience on natural roadways. To effectively use a driving simulator, researchers must be able to create a scenario that tests the hypotheses of interest. Role of Driving Simulators. Researchers use simulators to study how a wide range of factors influence both normative characteristics of driving (such as the size of gaps accepted) and how drivers respond to exceptional circumstances (such as abrupt braking by a lead vehicle or unexpected incursions of pedestrians and vehicles into the path of the driver). A key step in designing a simulation experiment is the specification of the scenario that determines what happens, when it happens, and where it happens during a trial. This chapter examines what a scenario is, why it is important, and what makes it difficult to create realistic, replicable scenarios in a driving simulator. Key Aspects of Driving Simulator Systems. The scenario authoring components of four driving simulation systems are presented. Methods to place objects in the simulated environment and to coordinate the behaviors of objects to create desired conditions are highlighted. An online companion section presents case studies describing how three prototypical scenarios can be implemented in the four systems. Platform Specificity. Scenario systems are designed with specific purposes in mind that are reflected in the tools provided for authoring scenarios. When selecting a scenario system, it is important to consider how well the tool set provided by the system matches the goals of the project.

Scenario Authoring

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