Modeling human and organizational behavior using a relation-centric multi-agent system design paradigm
By: Kimberly A. Roddy, Michael R. Dickson
Contributors: Dickson, Michael R.
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 140
Description: Today's modeling and simulation communities are being challenged to create rich, detailed models incorporating human decision-making and organizational behavior.  Recent advances in distributed artificial intelligence and complex systems theory have demonstrated that such ill-defined problems can be effectively modeled with agent-based simulation techniques using multiple, autonomoous, adaptive entities.  RELATE, a relation-centric design paradigm for multi-agent systems (MAS), is presented to assist developers incorporate MAS solutions into their simulations.  RELATe focuses the designer on six key concepts of MAS simulations: relationships, environment, laws, agents, things, and effectors.  A library of Java classes is presented which enables the user to rapidly prototype an agent-based simulation.  This library utilizes the Java programming language to support cross-platform and web based designs.  All Java classes and interfaces are fully documented using HTML Javadoc format.  Two reference cases are provided that allow for easy code reuse and modification.  Finally, an existing metworked DIS-Java-VRML simulation was modified to demonstrate the ability to utilize the RELATE library to add agents to existing applications.  LCDR Kim Roddy focused on the development and refinement of the RELATE design paradigm, while LT Mike Dickson focused on the actual Java implementation.  Joint work was conducted on all research and reference cases.
Notes: "September 2000."

Thesis advisor(s): Michael Zyda, John Hiles.

CD-ROM titled: RELATE: A relation-centric MAS simulation development package.

Thesis (M.S. in Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES))--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2000.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-137)

"Approved for public release; distribution unlimited"--Cover.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

Includes computer laser optical disk located at the circulation desk.

US Navy (USN) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 1/18/01