Implementation of MAS issues M. Birna van Riemsdijk ProMAS TFG 2005
Introduction Software engineering ProMAS 2 analysisdesignimplementation Analysis and design - agent oriented methodology: agent oriented notions Implementation - agent oriented notions
Analysis and Design Agent oriented methodology - which notions used? organisational roles, norms, permissions, coordination communication protocols, speech acts, ontology, content language agent types reasoning, deliberation, reactive/proactive behavior rationality and cognition beliefs, plans, events - many possibilities, standards? - dependent on domain? ProMAS 3
Implementation (1) Infrastructure/platform - Jade - focus on support for: parallel execution of agents message passing - less support for: implementation of internal reasoning of agents - implementation in Java: platform and agents FIPA compliance Characteristics - freedom but less guidance in implementing internals of agents - no formal semantics ProMAS 4
Implementation (2) Extension of existing platform - Jadex: extension of Jade - support for: implementation of internal reasoning of agents beliefs, goals, plans proactive behavior - implementation in Java, using XML specification of beliefs, goals, plans: XML programming of plans: Java Characteristics - usage of well-established technologies - support for implementing “reasoning” agents - no formal semantics ProMAS 5
Implementation (3) Extension of existing (OO) language - Jack: extension of Java - support for: implementation of internal reasoning of agents: beliefs, events, plans implementation of social structure, coordination: teams - implementation in Java additional language constructs graphical tool support Characteristics - no formal semantics, but: based on PRS, dMars - support for implementing “reasoning” agents ProMAS 6
Implementation (4) Agent programming languages - e.g. AgentSpeak/Jason, 3APL - support for: implementation of internal reasoning of agents: beliefs, events, goals, plans message passing - implementation of platform + interpreter in Java Characteristics - formal semantics - support for implementing “reasoning” agents - little support for “standard” programming tasks - no libraries ProMAS 7
Conclusion From design to implementation - relation between notions used in design and impl.? organisation and coordination, roles, protocols,... - should there be a direct mapping from design to implementation? constraints on implementation language? different design methodology for different language? My perspective - studying formal semantics is necessary understanding of fundamental differences and similarities between different languages compositionality of semantics convergence of technologies benefits for implementation ProMAS 8