MASQ: towards an integral approach to interaction

ABSTRACT

In this paper we describe MASQ (Multi-Agent Systems based on Quadrants), a model that defines four perspectives over an agent-based interaction according to two axes: internal/external and individual/collective. With MASQ, we mainly show how to integrate the essential elements that intervene in the description of the interaction process such as agents, environments, organizations and institutions. We also discuss some methodological aspects of such an approach and show that it is possible to apply it to build practical models.

REFERENCES

• 1: Alexander Artikis , Jeremy Pitt , Marek Sergot, Animated specifications of computational societies, Proceedings of the first international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems: part 3, July 15-19, 2002, Bologna, Italy [doi>10.1145/545056.545070]
• 2: G. Boella and L. van der Torre. Organizations as socially constructed agents in the agent oriented paradigm. In Proceedings of ESAW04, volume 3451 of LNAI. Springer, 2005.
• 3: H. L. Cardoso and E. Oliveira. Institutional reality and norms: Specifying and monitoring agent organizations. Journal of Cooperative Information Systems, 16(1):67--95, 2007.
• 4: C. Castelfranchi. Grounding organizations in the minds of the agents. In V. Dignum, editor, MAS - Semantics and Dynamics of Organizational Models, pages 241--261. IGI Global, 2009.
• 5: V. Dignum. A model for organizational interaction: based on agents, founded in logic. PhD thesis, Utrecht University, SIKS dissertation series 2004--1, 2004.
• 6: Marc Esteva , Bruno Rosell , Juan A. Rodriguez-Aguilar , Josep Ll. Arcos, AMELI: An Agent-Based Middleware for Electronic Institutions, Proceedings of the Third International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, p.236-243, July 19-23, 2004, New York, New York [doi>10.1109/AAMAS.2004.56]
• 7: J. Ferber , O. Gutknecht, A Meta-Model for the Analysis and Design of Organizations in Multi-Agent Systems, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Multi Agent Systems, p.128, July 03-07, 1998
• 8: J. Ferber, O. Gutknecht, and F. Michel. From agents to organizations: an organizational view of multi-agent systems. In P. Giorgini, J. Müller, and J. Odell, editors, Agent Oriented Software Engineering IV, volume 2935 of LNCS, pages 214--230. Springer, 2004.
• 9: J. Ferber and J.-P. Müller. Influences and reactions: A model of situated multi-agent systems. In Proceedings of ICMAS'96, pages 72--79. The AAAI Press, 1996.
• 10: FIPA. The foundation for intelligent physical agents (fipa). http://www.fipa.org, 1996.
• 11: Nicoletta Fornara , Francesco Viganò , Marco Colombetti, Agent communication and artificial institutions, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, v.14 n.2, p.121-142, April 2007 [doi>10.1007/s10458-006-0017-8]
• 12: Davide Grossi , Frank Dignum , Mehdi Dastani , Lambèr Royakkers, Foundations of organizational structures in multiagent systems, Proceedings of the fourth international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems, July 25-29, 2005, The Netherlands [doi>10.1145/1082473.1082578]
• 13: Alexander Helleboogh , Giuseppe Vizzari , Adelinde Uhrmacher , Fabien Michel, Modeling dynamic environments in multi-agent simulation, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, v.14 n.1, p.87-116, February 2007 [doi>10.1007/s10458-006-0014-y]
• 14: Jomi F. Hubner , Jaime S. Sichman , Olivier Boissier, Developing organised multiagent systems using the MOISE⁺ model: programming issues at the system and agent levels, International Journal of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering, v.1 n.3/4, p.370-395, December 2007 [doi>10.1504/IJAOSE.2007.016266]
• 15: A. J. I. Jones and M. Sergot. A formal characterisation of institutionalised power. Journal of the Interest Group in Pure and Applied Logics, 4(3):429--445, 1996.
• 16: MadKit. The MadKit project (a multi-agent development kit). http://www.madkit.org, 1998.
• 17: P. Noriega. Agent Mediated Auctions: The Fishmarket Metaphor. PhD thesis, IIIA Monograph Series, Number 8, 1997.
• 18: D. C. North. Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge University Press, 1990.
• 19: Olga Pacheco , José Carmo, A Role Based Model for the Normative Specification of Organized Collective Agency and Agents Interaction, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, v.6 n.2, p.145-184, March 2003 [doi>10.1023/A:1021884118023]
• 20: W. R. Scott. Institutions and Organizations. Sage Publications, 2007.
• 21: J. R. Searle. The Construction of Social Reality. The Free Press, 1995.
• 22: R. Tuomela. The Philosophy of Sociality: The Shared Point of View. Oxford University Press, 2007.
• 23: Danny Weyns , Andrea Omicini , James Odell, Environment as a first class abstraction in multiagent systems, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, v.14 n.1, p.5-30, February 2007 [doi>10.1007/s10458-006-0012-0]
• 24: D. Weyns, H. V. D. Parunak, F. Michel, T. Holvoet, and J. Ferber. Environments for multiagent systems: State-of-the-art and research challenges. In D. Weyns, H. Parunak, and F. Michel, editors, Environments for Mutiagent Systems, volume 3477 of LNAI, pages 1--47. Springer, 2005.
• 25: K. Wilber. A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality. Shambhala Publications, 2001.
• 26: Franco Zambonelli , Nicholas R. Jennings , Michael Wooldridge, Developing multiagent systems: The Gaia methodology, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), v.12 n.3, p.317-370, July 2003 [doi>10.1145/958961.958963]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
        I.2.11 Distributed Artificial Intelligence
            Subjects: Multiagent systems

General Terms:
Theory

Keywords:
4-quadrant approach, MASQ, institutions, organizations