the integrated modeling of multi-agent systems and their environment
Many methodologies have been developed to support the design phase of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). Among them, are AUML [4], Gaia [6] and MAS-CommonKADS [1]. These methodologies offer a set of diagrams to help conceptualize and represent the system under development. A MAS may evolve in a dynamic environment which it must be reactive to. A design methodology should help the designer to represent this kind of information about a changing environment and its effects on the MAS, an aspect of the modeling task which is currently lacking from the mentioned methodologies. We propose to add, to MAS modeling methodologies, two new diagrams: an environment diagram and an agent diagram. The environment diagram is a state transition diagram where each state is represented as a set of critical parameters. The agent diagram shows the organization of the system according to the roles of the agents, their tasks and their relationships expressed in the form of control, collaboration and communication relations, in relation to the environment diagram. We propose to conceptualize the impact of a changing environment on the organization structure of a MAS in that manner.
design methodologies organizational theories environment structure