Regulated multi-party communications and context awareness through the environment

Issue title: Engineering Environments in Multiagent Systems

Guest editors: Danny Weyns and Andrea Omicini

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Saunier, Julien^{a; *} | Balbo, Flavien^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Université Paris-Dauphine, Lamsade, Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, Paris Cedex 16, France | [b] Gretia, Inrets, 2, Avenue du Général Malleret-Joinville, F94114 Arcueil, France

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Julien Saunier. Tel: +33(0)1 44 05 48 53; Fax: +33(0)1 44 05 40 91; E-mail: saunier@lamsade.dauphine.fr

Abstract: Recent research in the multi-agent systems field has highlighted the relevance of complex interaction models such as multi-party communication and context awareness. Nevertheless, there are no generic interaction model and infrastructure that enable to apply them in a standardized way. Emerging as a first-order abstraction, the environment, in the sense of a common medium for the agents, is a suitable paradigm to support these new interaction models. We present an operational model called Environment as Active Support of Interaction, that enables each agent to actively modify the environment according to its interaction needs. This model provides a suitable framework for the regulation of MAS interactions, and priority policies are given to manage the rules. An algorithm is proposed and assessed with an example stemming from the ambient intelligence domain.

Keywords: Multi-Party communication, awareness, environment infrastructure, multiagent systems

DOI: 10.3233/MGS-2009-0120

Journal: Multiagent and Grid Systems , vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 75-91, 2009