Title :
Coordinated flows in a formal multi-agent system based on a modal algebra
Author :
Patsouris, Panos A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. Sci., Witwatersrand Univ., Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract :
We develop a formal multi-agent system based on a modal algebra enabling us to preserve the essential characteristics of its autonomous software agents (autonomy, mobility, etc.), as well as to explore the formal properties and management of the cooperations (non-hierarchical or flat structures) and coordinations (hierarchical structures) among those simple agents, that can be constructed through the operations of the model. We show the potential of these operations that allow us to construct different cooperations and coordinations based on the same set of autonomous agents (as alternative solutions with respect to the same given problem), while, in parallel we provide the means in order to explicitly specify different types of coordinated flows of information specified and governed by these structures. We illustrate all the above via a number of algorithms referring to the development of a simple (in structure) data mining system. We simply selected an adequate application area with no purpose to compare data mining methods and techniques. The various algorithmic solutions we suggest, unveil the resilience of the alternative design approaches aiming at improving issues like decentralization of services, as well as enhancing performance through concurrent organization by thus exploiting the different possibilities of the model
Keywords :
data mining; multi-agent systems; software agents; autonomous software agents; coordinated flows; data mining system; formal multi-agent system; formal properties; modal algebra; Africa; Algebra; Autonomous agents; Environmental management; Kernel; Microwave integrated circuits; Multiagent systems; Ores; Reactive power; Resilience;
Conference_Titel :
Parallel Processing, 1999. Proceedings. 1999 International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Aizu-Wakamatsu City
Print_ISBN :
0-7695-0350-0
DOI :
10.1109/ICPP.1999.797436