A heuristic for problem formalization in agent based simulation studies
Agent Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) is considered an effective approach for conducting simulation studies in many fields. In order to develop high quality simulation models, methodological approaches are demanded. In such direction we are moving by proposing a heuristic for the formalization of agent based simulation problems. The proposed heuristic is based on some guidelines developed for identifying the main elements of the problem domain description by analysing verbs and their common taxonomy in grammar.
A UML-based notation for representing MAS organizations
A notation for representing agents' organizations to be implemented using Moise+ and Jason is proposed. For this purpose a UML profile was defined for representing the elements of Moise+ organizational model such as role, mission and group. The proposed notation will be fully illustrated and applied to the classical example provided by the J-Moise+ team.
A Norm-Governed Holonic Multi-agent System Metamodel
Modeling and designing systems that require a high level of coordination, control and automation is a very difficult task. The problem is the lack of design processes able to cover all the features these systems present. This paper presents an extension of the ASPECS metamodel for supporting organizational and normative principles and it allows to define models not only from an holonic agent viewpoint but also from a normative organization perspective. Moreover, our work emphasizes and makes it explicit the norms that regulate the structural, behavioral and finally adaptive aspect of an organizational system. The extended metamodel was experimented creating a Virtual Enterprise model for th…
Common and Domain-specific Metamodel Elements for Problem Description in Simulation Problems
It is well known that the multi-agent system paradigm is well suited for modelling and developing simulations of complex systems belonging to several application domains. Simulation study aims at developing simulation models useful for representing, studying and analyzing entities and their behavior in a system according to specific purposes. With our work we are trying to understand what are the right elements to be considered and included in the description of a simulation problem. In order to root our resulting metamodel in the state of the art of multi-agent simulations we started from the study of twelve papers dealing with four different application domains: Crowd Dynamics, Traffic an…
Towards a design process for modeling MAS organizations
The design of MAS organizations is a complex activity where a proper methodological approach may offer a significant advantage in enabling the conception of the best solution. Moreover, the aid provided by a supporting tool significantly contributes to make the approach technically sound and it is a fundamental ingredient of a feasible strategy to the development of large MASs. In this paper, we introduce a portion of methodological approach devoted to design MAS organizations and a preliminary version of a specific case tool, named MoT (Moise+ Tool), for supporting activities from design production to automatic code generation. MoT provides four kinds of diagrams based on a definite graphi…
Simulation Goals and Metrics Identification
Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) is a very useful means for producing high quality models during simulation studies. When ABMS is part of a methodological ap- proach it becomes important to have a method for identifying the objectives of the simulation study in a disciplined fashion. In this work we propose a set of guidelines for properly capturing and representing the goals of the simulations and the metrics, allowing and evaluating the achievement of a simulation objective. We take inspiration from the goal-question-metric approach and with the aid of a specific problem formalization we are able to derive the right questions for relating simulation goals and metrics.
Requirement analysis abstractions for AmI system design
Current trends in the AI’s evolution are going towards enriching environments with intelligence in order to support humans in their everyday life. AmI systems are plunged in the real world and humans expect to interact with them in a way that is similar to the one they have with other humans. In this kind of systems, where eliciting requirements involves several documents and stakeholders (mainly users that will be the first consumers of the system), the requirement analysis phase can be affected by incomplete, ambiguous and imprecise information. Hence, the need to find a fruitful way for knowledge management and its representation at design time. In this paper we propose a set of abstract…
A Notation for Modeling Jason-Like BDI Agents
The design and development of a large Multi Agent System (MAS) is a complex and difficult activity where a proper modeling notation may offer a significant contribution to the formulation of the best solution. The support provided by a specific CASE tool can significantly contribute to make the chosen approach technically valid and it is also a fundamental element of a feasible development strategy. The present work reports a UML profile and the related graphical notation for describing a MAS based on the Jason meta model. Moreover a specific CASE tool has been developed for supporting MASs design and automatic code generation. The proposed notation is shown in details using a classical exa…
A method for identifying objectives and metrics of agent-based simulation studies
Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) is a promising approach for effectively analyzing, and under- standing complex systems. To date, only few method- ological approaches have been proposed in order to de- sign credible and correct simulation studies. Each of them commits the identification of objectives and met- rics of the simulation study to the expertise of the de- signer. In this paper, we propose a GQM-based heuris- tic for overcoming the lack of appropriate guidelines able to lead designers in properly capturing and representing the simulation objectives and metrics. Such a heuris- tic exploits the power of an ontological representation of the problem domain to highlight key el…
A possible approach for implementing self-awareness in JASON
In Philosophy, the term awareness is often associated to theories of consciousness and self-referential behavior. In computer science, the awareness is a topic of increasing relevance in both Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, being closely related to autonomy and proactiveness.,We can distinguish two orders of awareness: the first order is the awareness of the environment also known as context-awareness; conversely, self-awareness is a higher order awareness (knowledge about one's own mental states).,Nowadays, many agent oriented languages offer native instruments to implement context-awareness. However, self-awareness is not adequately supported and it requires further cons…
A Humanoid Social Robot Based Approach for Indoor Environment Quality Monitoring and Well-Being Improvement
The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) monitoring inside buildings where people spend most of their time is essential for ensuring their well-being. Traditional approaches based on Building Automation and Control Systems consider buildings equipped with many different sensors. Unfortunately, the sensors are not always placed for taking the measurements at the right positions. Besides, users could feel a negative perception due to continuous supervision. The present work proposes an approach based on a social humanoid robot that monitors indoor environmental quality. It friendly interacts with occupants providing appropriate suggestions. Particularly, the social robot has been endowed with c…
A recurrence-free variant of strassen’s algorithm on hypercube
In this paper a non-recursive Strassen’s matrix multiplication algorithm is presented. This new algorithm is suitable to run on parallel environments. Two computational schemes have been worked out exploiting different parallel approaches on hypercube architecture. A comparative analysis is reported. The experiments have been carried out on an nCUBE-2 supercomputer, housed at CNUCE in Pisa, supporting the Express parallel operating system. © 1995, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.