Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Agent Specification Using Multi-context Systems

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Foundations and Applications of Multi-Agent Systems

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 2403))

Abstract

In the area of agent-based computing there are many proposals for specific system architectures, and a number of proposals for general approaches to building agents. As yet, however, there are comparatively few attempts to relate these together, and even fewer attempts to provide methodologies which relate designs to architectures and then to executable agents. This paper discusses an attempt we have made to address this shortcoming, describing a general method of defining architectures for logic-based agents which can be directly executed. Our approach is based upon the use of multi-context systems and we illustrate its use through examples of the specification of some simple agents.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. M. Benerecetti, A. Cimatti, E. Giunchiglia, F. Giunchiglia, and L. Serafini. Formal specification of beliefs in multi-agent systems. In J. P. Müller, M. J. Wooldridge, and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents III, pages 117–130. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  2. G. Booch. Object-oriented analysis and design with application. Addison Wesley, Wokingham, UK, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  3. F. M. T. Brazier, B. M. Dunin-Keplicz, N. R. Jennings, and J. Treur. Formal specification of multi-agent systems. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, pages 25–32, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  4. P. Busetta, N. Howden, R. Ronnquist, and A. Hodgson. Structuring BDI agents in functional clusters. In N. R. Jennings and Y Lespérance, editors, Intelligent Agents VI. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  5. A. Cimatti and L. Serafini. Multi-agent reasoning with belief contexts: The approach and a case study. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures and Languages, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  6. A. Cimatti and L. Serafini. Multi-agent reasoning with belief contexts: The approach and a case study. In M. J. Wooldridge and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents, pages 62–73. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  7. P. R. Cohen and H. J. Levesque. Intention is choice with commitment. Artificial Intelligence, 42:213–261, 1990.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. M. d’Inverno, D. Kinny, M. Luck, and M. Wooldridge. A formal specification of dMARS. In M. P. Singh, A. S. Rao, and M. Wooldridge, editors, Intelligent Agents IV, pages 155–176. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  9. D. Dubois and H. Prade. Possibility Theory: An Approach to Computerized Processing of Uncertainty. Plenum Press, New York, NY, 1988.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. E. A. Emerson. Temporal and Modal Logic. In J van Leeuwen, editor, Handbook of Theoretical Computer Science, pages 996–1071. Elsevier, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  11. J. Ferber and O. Gutknecht. Operational semantics of a role-based agent architecture. In N. R. Jennings and Y Lespérance, editors, Intelligent Agents VI. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  12. M. Fisher. Representing abstract agent architectures. In J. P. Müller, M. P. Singh, and A. S. Rao, editors, Intelligent Agents V, pages 227–242. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  13. D. Gabbay. Labelled Deductive Systems. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 1996.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. F. Giunchiglia. Contextual reasoning. In Proceedings of the IJCAI Workshop on Using Knowledge in Context, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  15. F. Giunchiglia and L. Serafini. Multilanguage hierarchical logics (or: How we can do without modal logics). Artificial Intelligence, 65:29–70, 1994.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  16. F. F. Ingrand, M. P. Georgeff, and A. S. Rao. An architecture for real-time reasoning and system control. IEEE Expert, 7(6):34–44, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. N. R. Jennings. Controlling cooperative problem solving in industrial multi-agent systems using joint intentions. Artificial Intelligence, 75:195–240, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. N. R. Jennings. Agent-based computing: Promise and perils. In Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pages 1429–1436, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  19. J. J. Meyer. Agent languages and their relationship to other programming paradigms. In J. P. Müller, M. P. Singh, and A. S. Rao, editors, Intelligent Agents V, pages 309–316. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  20. P. Noriega and C. Sierra. Towards layered dialogical agents. In J. P. Müller, M. J. Wooldridge, and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents III, pages 173–188, Berlin, 1996. Springer Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  21. S. Parsons and P. Giorgini. An approach to using degrees of belief in BDI agents. In B. Bouchon-Meunier, R. R. Yager, and L. A. Zadeh, editors, Information, Uncertainty, Fusion. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  22. S. Parsons and N. R. Jennings. Negotiation through argumentation—a preliminary report. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Multi Agent Systems, pages 267–274, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  23. S. Parsons, C. Sierra, and N. R. Jennings. Agents that reason and negotiate by arguing. Journal of Logic and Computation, 8(3):261–292, 1998.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  24. A. Rao and M. Georgeff. Asymmetry thesis and side-effect problems in linear time and branching time intention logics. In Proceedings of the 12th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  25. A. S. Rao and M. P. Georgeff. Modeling Rational Agents within a BDI-Architecture. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, pages 473–484, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  26. A. S. Rao and M. P. Georgeff. Formal Models and Decision Procedures for Multi-Agent Systems. Technical Note 61, Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  27. J. Sabater, C. Sierra, S. Parsons, and N. R. Jennings. Using multi-context agents to engineer executable agents. In Proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Agent Theoreies, Archiectures and Languages, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  28. J. Sabater, C. Sierra, S. Parsons, and N. R. Jennings. Using multi-context agents to engineer executable agents. In N. R. Jennings and Y. Lesperance, editors, Intelligent Agents IV, pages 277–294. Springer-Verlag, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  29. J. Sabater, C. Sierra, S. Parsons, and N. R. Jennings. Engineering executable agents using multi-context systems. Journal of Logic and Computation, 2002. (to appear).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Y. Shoham. Agent-oriented programming. Artificial Intelligence, 60:51–92, 1993.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  31. S. R. Thomas. The PLACA agent programming language. In M. J. Wooldridge and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents, pages 355–370. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  32. J. Treur. On the use of reflection principles in modelling complex reasoning. International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 6:277–294, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. L. Vila. On temporal representation and reasoning in knowledge-based systems. IIIA Monographies, Barcelona, Spain, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  34. D. Weerasooriya, A. Rao, and K. Rammamohanarao. Design of a concurrent agent-oriented language. In M. J. Wooldridge and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents, pages 386–402. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  35. M. Wooldridge. A knowledge-theoretic semantics for Concurrent MetateM. In J. P. Müller, M. J. Wooldridge, and N. R. Jennings, editors, Intelligent Agents III, pages 357–374. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  36. M. Wooldridge. Agent-based software engineering. IEE Proceedings on Software Engineering, 144:26–37, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. M. Wooldridge. Reasoning about rational agents. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2000.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  38. M. J. Wooldridge and N. R. Jennings. Intelligent agents: Theory and practice. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 10:115–152, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Coordination Science, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA

    Simon Parsons

  2. Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Nicholas R. Jennings

  3. IIIA — Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, CSIC — Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Campus UAB, 08193, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain

    Jordi Sabater & Carles Sierra

Authors
  1. Simon Parsons
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nicholas R. Jennings
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jordi Sabater
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carles Sierra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cavendish School of Computer Science, University of Westminster, 9-18 Euston Centre, London, NW1 3ET, UK

    Mark d’Inverno

  2. Department of Computer Science, Southampton University, Southampton, S017 1BJ, UK

    Michael Luck

  3. Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZF, UK

    Michael Fisher

  4. Hewlett-Packard laboratories Bristol, Filton Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS12 6QZ, UK

    Chris Preist

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Parsons, S., Jennings, N.R., Sabater, J., Sierra, C. (2002). Agent Specification Using Multi-context Systems. In: d’Inverno, M., Luck, M., Fisher, M., Preist, C. (eds) Foundations and Applications of Multi-Agent Systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2403. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45634-1_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45634-1_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-43962-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45634-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics