... has increased rapidly because agents bring intelligence, reasoning and autonomy to software systems. Recent advances in middleware and run-time systems have helped in designing agent-based systems. However, until recently, little work has been reported in defining a software architecture, modeling and analysis tools that can be used by software engineers. In this paper, we present a framework for modeling, analysis and construction of agent-based systems. The framework is rooted in the Belief Desire Intention (BDI) formalism and extends the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to model MAS. We introduce several modeling constructs including Agent, Belief, Goal, Plan, FIPA Performative, KQML-Performative, and Blackboard. In addition, we introduce Agent Goal Diagram to model the relationships between the goals and the environment of an agent; Use Case Goal Diagram to model the relationships between use cases and goals; Agent Domain Model to facilitate understanding of domain knowledge of an agent; Agent Sequence Diagram to model interactions within an agent. Similarly, Agent Activity Diagram and Agent Statechart Diagram are introduced. We illustrate the framework through an agent-based intelligent elevator system.

Recent developments in multi-agent real-time systems have been promising by achieving autonomous, collaborative behavior between agents in various environments. Agents are being used in an increasingly wide variety of applications from mobile systems to complex mission control and safety systems. However current methods and tools that aid in the development of complex real-time multi-agent systems are still underdeveloped. In this paper, we propose an approach for analyzing and designing multi-agent real-time systems based on UML. The