Multi-agent reinforcement learning framework based on information fusion biometric ticketing data in different public transport modes

Abstract

In smart cities, biometric technologies have become extensively used for ticket authentication on public transport. Information fusion plays a key role in biometric ticketing, allowing ticket validation with more data source validation in different public transport modes. This paper proposes a novel biometric technology-based mobile ticket application-based system. We formulate the problem as a multi-agent reinforcement learning framework for biometric ticketing in multi-transport environments. Specifically, we propose the Asynchronous Advantage Critic Biometric Ticketing Framework (A3CBTF) algorithm, which consists of different schemes based on the proposed system. The proposed algorithm framework operates in hybrid transport modes using a parallel reinforcement learning scheme. A key advantage of A3CBTF is that it enables passengers to use a single ticket for various public transport modes. Additionally, even when a passenger’s mobile device is stolen, lost, or has a dead battery, they can still validate their tickets through different information fusion sources, such as fingerprint and face recognition. A3CBTF is a multi-agent system that integrates mobile, transport, edge, and cloud servers to facilitate ticket validation in a distributed environment. By optimizing both convex and concave optimizations, A3CBTF ensures efficient ticket validation with minimal processing time and maximizes validation rewards across different biometric technologies. Experimental results demonstrate that A3CBTF outperforms mobile off with other options such as fingerprint and face recognition in public transport as compared to other ticketing systems.