Virtual tourists are helping the Swiss to plan their landscape.
The Swiss government, which subsidises farmers heavily to graze their cows in the mountains, wonder just how much cows improve the view and where they provide most value for money.

So the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich, have developed computer models of the Alps and populated them with virtual tourists that can wander the electronic landscape. These “autonomous agents” are programmed to behave like real tourists, and to record their impressions as they go.

To make their model realistic, a team from the Institute walked through the Alps and interviewed the hikers they met. Now that the model is up and running, the accuracy of the agent-building will be tested by real people who will explore the virtual Alps. The feedback from their electronic hikes will be used to program the agents to behave more realistically and thus point out those places where the cow-bells would ring to greatest effect.

From The Economist, via Pasta & Vinegar.