Distributed systems (3rd ed.): concepts and design
Distributed systems (3rd ed.): concepts and design
Multi-Agent Systems: An Introduction to Distributed Artificial Intelligence
Multi-Agent Systems: An Introduction to Distributed Artificial Intelligence
Dealing with space in multi--agent systems: a model for situated MAS
Proceedings of the first international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems: part 3
The RETSINA MAS Infrastructure
Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
Tuples On The Air: A Middleware for Context-Aware Computing in Dynamic Networks
ICDCSW '03 Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems
Programming Pervasive and Mobile Computing Applications with the TOTA Middleware
PERCOM '04 Proceedings of the Second IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (PerCom'04)
Middleware for protocol-based coordination in dynamic networks
MPAC '05 Proceedings of the 3rd international workshop on Middleware for pervasive and ad-hoc computing
Environments for multiagent systems state-of-the-art and research challenges
E4MAS'04 Proceedings of the First international conference on Environments for Multi-Agent Systems
Spatial computing: the TOTA approach
Self-star Properties in Complex Information Systems
Challenges for Exception Handling in Multi-Agent Systems
Software Engineering for Multi-Agent Systems V
Environment in agent-oriented software engineering methodologies
Multiagent and Grid Systems - Engineering Environments in Multiagent Systems
Regulation function of the environment in agent-based simulation
E4MAS'06 Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on Environments for multi-agent systems III
Indirect interaction in environments for multi-agent systems
E4MAS'05 Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Environments for Multi-Agent Systems
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
There is a lot of confusion on what the environment of a multi-agent system (MAS) comprises. Sometimes, researchers refer to the environment as the logical entity of a MAS in which the agents and other resources are embedded. Sometimes, the notion of environment is used to refer to the software infrastructure on which the MAS is executed. Sometimes, environment even refers to the underlying hardware infrastructure on which the MAS runs. Our research focuses on situated MASs, i.e. MASs in which agents have an explicit position in the environment. In this paper, we propose a three-layer model for situated MASs that considers agents as well as the environment as first-order abstractions. The aim of this model is to clarify the confusion between the concept of the environment and the infrastructure on which the MAS is deployed. The top layer of the model consists of the MAS application logic, the middle layer contains the software execution platform, and the physical infrastructure is located in the bottom layer. Starting from this model, we propose a classification of situated MASs based on the physical infrastructure of the MAS. We illustrate the different classes with examples from the research community and our own practice. We apply the three-layer model to each example. The models show that agents and the environment are abstractions that crosscut the three layers of the model.