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Environments for multiagent systems: State-of-the-art and research challenges. In: Revised papers of the E4MAS workshop at AAMAS’04. Volume LNCS
, 2005
"... Abstract. It is generally accepted that the environment is an essential compound of multiagent systems (MASs). Yet the environment is typically assigned limited responsibilities, or even neglected entirely, overlooking a rich potential for the paradigm of MASs. Opportunities that environments offer, ..."
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Cited by 99 (26 self)
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Abstract. It is generally accepted that the environment is an essential compound of multiagent systems (MASs). Yet the environment is typically assigned limited responsibilities, or even neglected entirely, overlooking a rich potential for the paradigm of MASs. Opportunities that environments offer, have mostly been researched in the domain of situated MASs. However, the complex principles behind the concepts and responsibilities of the environment and the interplay between agents and environment are not yet fully clarified. In this paper, we first give an overview of the state-of-the-art on environments in MASs. The survey discusses relevant research tracks on environments that have been explored so far. Each track is illustrated with a number of representative contributions by the research community. Based on this study and the results of our own research, we identify a set of core concerns for environments that can be divided in two classes: concerns related to the structure of the environment, and concerns related to the activity in the environment. To conclude, we list a number of research challenges that, in our opinion, are important for further research on environments for MAS. 1
Environment as a first class abstraction in multiagent systems
- AUTON AGENT MULTI-AGENT SYST
, 2007
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On the Role of Environments in Multiagent Systems
- First International Workshop, E4MAS 2004
, 2005
"... For a long time, the role of the environment has been underestimated in multiagent systems research. Originating from research on behavior-based agents and situated multiagent systems, the importance of the environment is now gradually being accepted in the multiagent system community in general. In ..."
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Cited by 51 (10 self)
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For a long time, the role of the environment has been underestimated in multiagent systems research. Originating from research on behavior-based agents and situated multiagent systems, the importance of the environment is now gradually being accepted in the multiagent system community in general. In this paper, we elaborate on the role of environments in multiagent systems. We present a model for multiagent systems that puts forward agents and the environment as first-order abstractions. Starting from this model, we elaborate on the logical functionalities of the environment. Competence in engineering environments is a prerequisite to apply environments in practical multiagent system applications. We briefly discuss how current agent-oriented methodologies deal with the environment, and we discuss an approach for engineering environments that puts forward artifacts as building blocks for environments. After that we present the concern-based approach for engineering environments developed in our research group. This approach models the environment as a set of modules that represent different functional concerns of the environment. We illustrate how we have applied this approach in a real-world multiagent system application. The paper concludes with a number of research challenges that are important for the further exploration of environments for multiagent systems. Povzetek: Opisuje vlogo okolij v multiagentnih sistemih. 1
Situating cognitive agents in GOLEM
- Comm. Math. Phys
, 2007
"... Abstract. We investigate the application of a logic-based framework representing an agent environment as a composite structure that evolves over time. Such a complex structure contains the interaction between two main classes of entities: agents and objects. Interactions between these entities are s ..."
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Cited by 15 (7 self)
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Abstract. We investigate the application of a logic-based framework representing an agent environment as a composite structure that evolves over time. Such a complex structure contains the interaction between two main classes of entities: agents and objects. Interactions between these entities are specified in term of events whose occurrence is governed by a set of physical laws specifying the possible evolutions of the environment, including how these evolutions are perceived by agents and affect objects and processes in the environment. We illustrate the work using GOLEM, a protype platform whose aim is to implement the framework to build situated cognitive agents in a distributed environment. 1
From reactive robotics to situated multiagent systems: A historical perspective on the role of environment in multiagent systems
- In Engineering Societies in the Agents World VI, Revised Selected and Invited Papers, volume 3963 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science
, 2006
"... Abstract. Historically, the idea of situated multiagent systems—in which the environment gets a prominent role—originates from the domain of reactive robotics. In this paper, we give a historical perspective of research on agency that devotes pertinent attention to the environment, and show how the ..."
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Cited by 7 (6 self)
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Abstract. Historically, the idea of situated multiagent systems—in which the environment gets a prominent role—originates from the domain of reactive robotics. In this paper, we give a historical perspective of research on agency that devotes pertinent attention to the environment, and show how the role of the environment evolved along with subsequent evolutions of agent systems. Today, it is quite obvious that the environment offers opportunities and challenges for all types of agency. We discuss recent research in this area, which advocates that the environment is not only an essential part of every multiagent system, but also provides an exploitable design abstraction to build multiagent systems. The notion of environment exceeds specific types of agency, and as such offers opportunities for synergetic research in the interest of multiagent systems in general. 1
CArtAgO: An Infrastructure for Engineering Computational Environments
- 3rd Inter. Workshop “Environments for Multi-Agent Systems” (E4MAS
, 2006
"... Abstract. Artifacts have been recently proposed as first-class abstractions to model and engineer general-purpose computational environments for multiagent systems. In this paper, we consider the design and development of an infrastructure called CArtAgO, directly supporting the artifact notion for ..."
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Cited by 7 (0 self)
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Abstract. Artifacts have been recently proposed as first-class abstractions to model and engineer general-purpose computational environments for multiagent systems. In this paper, we consider the design and development of an infrastructure called CArtAgO, directly supporting the artifact notion for the engineering of multiagent applications. We first propose an abstract model of the infrastructure, and then describe an implementation prototype of it. 1
T.: A reference architecture for situated multiagent systems
- In: 3rd International Workshop on Environments for Multiagent Systems
, 2006
"... Abstract. A reference architecture integrates a set of architectural patterns that have proven their value for a family of applications. Such family of applications is characterized by specific functionality and quality requirements. A reference architecture provides a blueprint for developing softw ..."
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Cited by 7 (5 self)
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Abstract. A reference architecture integrates a set of architectural patterns that have proven their value for a family of applications. Such family of applications is characterized by specific functionality and quality requirements. A reference architecture provides a blueprint for developing software architectures for applications that share that common base. As such, a reference architecture provides a means for large-scale reuse of architectural design. This paper gives an overview of a reference architecture for situated multiagent systems we have developed in our research. We discuss various architectural views of the reference architecture. Per view, we zoom in on the main view packets, each of them containing a bundle of information of a part of the reference architecture. For each view packet we explain the rationale for the design choices that were made and we give built-in mechanisms that describe how the view packet can be exercised to build a concrete software architecture. We illustrate the use of the reference architecture with an excerpt of the software architecture of an industrial AGV transportation system. 1
Environment as active support of interaction
- In E4MAS
, 2006
"... Abstract. Indirect interactions have been shown to be of interest in MultiAgent Systems (MAS), in the simulation area as well as in real ap-plications. The environment is also emerging as a first-order abstraction. Intuitively, the environment being a common medium for the agents, it should be a sui ..."
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Cited by 6 (2 self)
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Abstract. Indirect interactions have been shown to be of interest in MultiAgent Systems (MAS), in the simulation area as well as in real ap-plications. The environment is also emerging as a first-order abstraction. Intuitively, the environment being a common medium for the agents, it should be a suitable paradigm to provide a support of both direct and indirect interactions. However, it still lacks of a consensus on how the two relate to each other, and how the environment can support effec-tively notions as communication or awareness. We propose a general and operational model, Environment as Active Support of Interaction, that enables the agents to actively participate in the definition of their per-ceptions. Then, we show how the model provides a suitable framework for the regulation of the MAS interactions. 1
Context-Driven Dynamic Organizations Applied to Coordinated Monitoring of Traffic Jams
"... Abstract. Organizations are at the heart of multi-agent systems. To deal with the ongoing dynamics and changes in the system, organizations have to adapt. Typically, agents are responsible to deal with the complexity of organization dynamics. In this paper, we present an approach for context-driven ..."
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Cited by 4 (0 self)
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Abstract. Organizations are at the heart of multi-agent systems. To deal with the ongoing dynamics and changes in the system, organizations have to adapt. Typically, agents are responsible to deal with the complexity of organization dynamics. In this paper, we present an approach for context-driven dynamic organizations in which the agent environment takes the burden of managing organization dynamics. Driven by the context, the agent environment manages the evolution of organizations and actively advertises roles to the agents, supporting the necessary collaborations between agents needed in the current context. We introduce a conceptual model for context-driven dynamic organizations and present a software architecture that supports the model in a distributed setting. The proposed approach separates the management of dynamic evolution of organizations from the actual functionality provided by the agents playing roles in the organizations. Separating these concerns makes it easier to understand, design, and manage organizations in multi-agent systems. We show how we have applied context-driven dynamic organizations in a concrete case of monitoring traffic jams. In this case, camera agents associated with traffic monitoring cameras collaborate in organizations. Depending on the context, camera agents play different roles, with responsibilities ranging from simple measurement to data aggregation. When a traffic jam covers the viewing range of multiple cameras, organizations are dynamically merged, assuring cameras detecting the same traffic jam can collaborate. Vice versa, when a traffic jam dissolves, the organization is dynamically split up. Test results indicate that context-based dynamic organizations is a promising approach to support decentralized traffic monitoring. 1
Architectural design of a distributed application with autonomic quality requirements
- Design and Evolution of Autonomic Computing Software, St
, 2005
"... An autonomic system is essentially characterized by quality requirements that specify that the system should be able to adapt itself (configure, optimize, heal, etc.) under varying circumstances and situations. These quality requirements call for an architecture centric software engineering approach ..."
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Cited by 4 (3 self)
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An autonomic system is essentially characterized by quality requirements that specify that the system should be able to adapt itself (configure, optimize, heal, etc.) under varying circumstances and situations. These quality requirements call for an architecture centric software engineering approach. In this paper, we discuss and illustrate the architectural design of a complex real-world distributed application with autonomic quality requirements. In particular, we present an architecture with autonomous entities (agents) for managing warehouse logistics. We illustrate how the subsequent architectural decisions are guided by a reference architecture for situated multi-agent systems on the one hand, and by functional and quality requirements of the application on the other hand. 1.
