A common problem studied particularly in robotics and artificial intelligence involves calculating navigational routes from a starting point to a destination point for an entity to pursue through a given space. The process typically involves discretizing the navigational space into a graph of intermediate waypoints linked together through single-step transitions. In typical implementations of systems to solve such problems, waypoints are modeled as nodes of a graph, while transition paths between waypoints become arcs connecting the nodes. Representation of waypoints (states) and transitions (arcs) is typically highly domain dependent. Algorithms such as A*, IDA*, Recursive Best First Search (RBFS), and Dijkstra's Algorithm may be used to search for a solution that fits desired criteria. A few example criteria are: minimum distance, minimum transit time, minimum fuel use, and maximum agent safety.
Our work in this area focuses on calculating routes for aircraft to fly from any source point to any destination point on the earth. We take into account weather around the world, as well as various aviation rules of operation, to guarantee that the aircraft will use the minimal amount of fuel during its flight.