moveshedges

Moveshed is a spatial concept used in geographic information systems and robotics to denote the region of space that a mobile agent can reach from a given starting location within a fixed time horizon, given constraints on motion such as maximum speed, acceleration, turning radius, and the presence of obstacles or terrain. The moveshed boundary reflects both the agent’s capabilities and the environment’s layout, outlining the feasible area of operation over the specified time.

The term blends move and hedge, emphasizing how impediments like buildings, walls, or rough terrain shape the reachable space. In practice, movesheds relate to isochrones or travel-time maps in GIS and to reachability sets in motion planning, but they differ by foregrounding dynamic feasibility under motion constraints rather than merely distance.

Construction and computation: movesheds can be built by simulating the agent’s dynamics over the time window or by constructing a time-expanded representation of the environment. In discrete models, the base region is incrementally expanded through feasible movements; in continuous models, numerical methods or sampling-based approaches approximate the boundary. Accuracy depends on discretization, the fidelity of the motion model, and the granularity of obstacle representation.

Applications: movesheds are used to assess evacuation and emergency response plans, optimize delivery and service areas, and precompute safe operating regions for autonomous vehicles and drones. They support scenario comparison, sensitivity analysis, and planning under time pressure.

Limitations: movesheds assume a known, static environment during the time horizon and a fixed motion model; dynamic obstacles or uncertain speeds require repeated recomputation or probabilistic extensions. Related concepts include isochrones, reachability, and motion planning.