ABVE-Frame: An agent-based virtual enterprise development framework

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Oprea, Mihaela

Affiliations: Department of Automatic Control, Computers and Electronics, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, Ploiesti, Romania. E-mail: mihaela@upg-ploiesti.ro

Abstract: The paper presents a methodological framework, ABVE-Frame, for the development of virtual enterprises based on intelligent agents that are implemented as a simulation. The proposed framework combines an agent-based approach with an ontological approach and is flexible enough to be adapted for a specific domain of application. The VE lifecycle phases (creation, operation and evolution, dissolution) are mapped on the agent-based VE development lifecycle and are described as a set of algorithms. A formal description of the agent-based VE model (ABVE-Model) is proposed and a case study of applying the framework to the IT domain for computer networks development is discussed.

Keywords: Virtual enterprise, intelligent agents, ontology, VE lifecycle, development framework

DOI: 10.3233/AIC-160719

Journal: AI Communications, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 117-140, 2017