Method and system for determining transportation route

Abstract

Transportation network information relating to a transportation network constructed by arranging a plurality of collection/delivery base points, a plurality of transportation hubs, a plurality of collection/delivery services and a plurality of relay transportation services are hierarchically stored in a transportation network storing unit. Schedule information relating to the collection/delivery services and the relay transportation services are stored in a transportation schedule storing unit. Transportation rules based on experimental knowledge, transportation restrictions for the article transportation and route rules based on business knowledge are stored in a knowledge storing unit. When transportation conditions for an article are input to a condition receiving unit, an optimum transportation route from a transportation starting point to a transportation arriving point, a relay of relay transportation services along the optimum transportation route, transportation starting time and date and transportation arriving time and date are determined according to the transportation network information, the schedule information, the transportation rules and restrictions and the route rules. Also, in cases where a transportation starting or arriving point is unknown, candidates of the unknown point are determined and displayed.