Abstract
Various agent-oriented methodologies and metamodels exist to design and develop multiagent systems (MAS) in an abstract manner. Frequently, these frameworks specialise on particular parts of the MAS and only few works have been invested to derive a common standardisation. This limits the impact of agent-related systems in commercial applications. In this paper, we present a metamodel for agent systems that abstracts from existing agent-oriented methodologies, programming languages, and platforms and could thus be considered as platform-independent. This metamodel defines the abstract syntax of a proposed domain-specific modelling language for MAS that is currently under development and provides furthermore the base to generate code out of the generated designs. This is done by applying the principles of model-driven development (MDD) and providing two model transformations that allow transforming the generated models into textual code that can be executed with JACK and JADE.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Object Management Group (OMG) (2003). MDA guide version 1.0.1, Document omg/03-06-01, June 2003, http://www.omg.org/docs/omg/03-06-01.pdf. Accessed 1 Dec 2007.
D’Souza, D. (2001). Model-driven architecture and integration—opportunities and challenges, Version 1.1, Kineticum.
Bellifemine, F., Poggi, A., & Rimassa, G. (1999). JADE—a FIPA-compliant agent framework. In: Proceedings of the Practical Applications of Intelligent Agents.
AOS: JACK Intelligent Agents, The Agent Oriented Software Group (AOS) (2006). http://www.agent-software.com/shared/home/. Accessed 1 Dec 2007.
Hahn, C., Madrigal-Mora, C., & Fischer, K. (2007). A platform-independent model for agents. Technical Report RR-07-01, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH), Stuhlsatzenhausweg 3, D-66123 Saarbrücken.
Trencansky I. and Cervenka R. (2005). Agent modeling language (AML): A comprehensive approach to modeling MAS. Informatica, 29(4): 391–400
Bauer, B., Müller, J., & Odell, J. (2001). Agent UML: A formalism for specifying multiagent interaction. In Agent-oriented Software Engineering: First international workshop, AOSE 2000 (pp. 91–103). Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1957. Springer-Verlag.
Bauer, B. (2002). UML class diagrams revisited in the context of agent-based systems. In Agent-oriented Software Engineering II: Second international workshop, AOSE 2001 (pp. 101–118). Lecture Notes in Computer Science 2222. Springer-Verlag.
Ferber, J., & Gutknecht, O. (1998). A meta-model for the analysis and design of organizations in multi-agent systems. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems (ICMAS’98) pp. 128–135.
Picard, G., & Gleizes, M. P. (2004). 8, The ADELFE methodology. In Methodologies and Software Engineering for Agent Systems, The Agent-oriented Software Engineering Handbook. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Zambonelli F., Jennings N. and Wooldridge M. (2003). Developing multiagent systems: The Gaia methodology. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 12(3): 417–470
Wooldridge M., Jennings N. and Kinny D. (2000). The Gaia methodology for agent-oriented analysis and design. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 3(3): 285–312
Cossentino, M. (2005). From requirements to code with the PASSI methodology. In B. Henderson-Sellers & P. Giorgini (Eds.), Agent-oriented Methodologies. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc.
Bernon, C., Cossentino, M., Gleizes, M. P., Turci, P., & Zambonelli, F. (2005). A study of some multi-agent meta-models. In J. Odell, P. Giorgini, & J. Müller (Eds.), Agent-oriented Software Engineering V: 5th International Workshop, AOSE 2004 (pp. 62–67). Revised Selected Papers. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 3382. Springer-Verlag.
Papasimeon, M., & Heinze, C. (2001). Extending the UML for designing JACK agents. In Proceedings of the Australian Software Engineering Conference (ASWEC 01).
Bratman M.E. (1987). Intentions, Plans and Practical Reason. Cambridge, MA
Huber, M. J. (1999). JAM: a BDI-theoretic mobile agent architecture. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Autonomous Agents (Agents’99), Seattle, USA, pp. 236–243.
Georgeff, M., Pell, B., Pollack, M., Tambe, M., & Wooldridge, M. (1999). The belief-desire-intention model of agency. In Proceedings of Agents, Theories, Architectures and Languages.
Amor, M., Fuentes, L., & Vallecillo, A. (2004). Bridging the gap between agent-oriented design and implementation using MDA. In Agent-oriented Software Engineering (AOSE-2004) (pp. 93–108). Number 3382 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science.
Guessoum, Z. (2005). MAS meta-models and MDA, agentLink III AOSE TFG2. http://www.pa.icar.cnr.it/cossentino/al3tf2/docs/ahia_slovenia.pdf. Accessed 1 Dec 2007.
Bernon, C., Cossentino, M., Gleizes, M. P., Turci, P., & Zambonelli, F. (2005). A study of some multi-agent meta-models. In Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Agent-oriented Software Engineering (AOSE 2004) (pp. 62–67). Number 3382 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Berlin: Springer.
Pavón, J., Gómez-Sanz, J. J., & Fuentes, R. (2006). Model driven development of multi-agent systems. In A. Rensink & J. Warmer. (Eds.), ECMDA-FA (pp. 284–298). Volume 4066 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer.
Moraitis P. and Spanoudakis N.I. (2006). The Gaia2Jade process for multi-agent systems development. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 20(2–4): 251–273
Beydoun, G., Gonzalez-Perez, C., Low, G., & Henderson-Sellers, B. (2005). Synthesis of a generic mas metamodel. In: SELMAS ’05: Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Software Engineering for Large-scale Multi-agent Systems (pp. 1–5). New York, NY: ACM Press.
Hahn, C., & Fischer, K. (2007). Service composition in holonic multiagent systems: Model-driven choreography and orchestration. In V. Mavrík, V. Vyatkin, & A. W. Colombo, (Eds.), Holonic and Multi-Agent Systems for Manufacturing, Third International Conference on Industrial Applications of Holonic and Multi-Agent Systems, HoloMAS 2007, Regensburg Germany, September 3–5, 2007, Proceedings, pp. 47–58.
Davis R. and Smith R. (1983). Negotiation as a metaphor for distributed problem solving. Artificial Intelligence, 20: 63–109
Rao A.S. and Georgeff M.P. (1995). BDI-agents: From theory to practice. In: Lesser, V. (eds) Proceedings of the First International Conference on Multiagent Systems, pp 312–319. AAAI Press/The MIT Press, San Francisco
Padgham, L., & Winikoff, M. (2002). Prometheus: A methodology for developing intelligent agents. In F. Giunchiglia, J. Odell, & G. Weiß, (Eds.), Agent-oriented Software Engineering (AOSE-2002) (pp. 174–185). Volume 2585 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Berlin: Springer.
Bresciani P., Perini A., Giorgini P., Giunchiglia F. and Mylopoulos J. (2004). TROPOS: An agent-oriented software development methodology. Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, 8(3): 203–206
Cervenka, R., Trencanský, I., Calisti, M., & Greenwood, D. A. P. (2004). AML: Agent modeling language toward industry-grade agent-based modeling. In Agent-oriented Software Engineering (AOSE-2004) (pp. 31–46). Number 3382 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science 3382. Berlin: Springer.
Bauer, B., Müller, J. P., & Odell, J. (2001). Agent UML: A formalism for specifying multiagent software systems. In Agent-Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE-2000) (pp. 91–103). Berlin: Springer.
Cheong, C., & Winikoff, M. (2005). Hermes: A methodology for goal oriented agent interactions. In F. Dignum, V. Dignum, S. Koenig, S. Kraus, M. P. Singh, & M. Wooldridge (Eds.), International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Mulitagent Systems (AAMAS-05), pp. 1121–1122, ACM.
Fischer K., Hahn C. and Madrigal-Mora C. (2007). Agent-oriented Software Engineering: A model-driven approach. International Journal of Agent-oriented Software Engineering, 1(3/4): 334–369
JADE project: JADE Application Programmer Interface 3.4.1 (November 2006).
FIPA: FIPA ACL Message Structure Specification (fipa00061). FIPA. (2001).
Madrigal-Mora, C., León-Soto, E., & Fischer, K. (2008). Organisations in JADE. In Proceedings of the Agent-based Technologies and Applications for Enterprise InterOPerability (ATOP 2008). Workshop to be held at the Seventh International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents & Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2008).
Zambonelli F., Jennings N. and Wooldridge M. (2001). Organizational rules as an abstraction for the analysis and design of multi-agent systems. International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, 11: 303–328
Warwas, S., & Hahn, C. (2008). The contrete syntax of the platform independent modeling language for multiagent systems. In Proceedings of the Agent-based Technologies and Applications for Enterprise InterOPerability (ATOP 2008). Workshop to be held at the Seventh International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents & Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2008).
Hahn, C. (2008). A platform independent agent-based modeling language. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS) (accepted as full paper).
Poslad, S., Buckle, P., & Hadingham, R. (2000). The FIPA-OS agent platform: Open source for open standards. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference and Exhibition on the Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agents, pp. 355–368.
Pokahr, A., Braubach, L., & Lamersdorf, W. (2005). In Jadex: A BDI Reasoning Engine. Volume 15 of Multiagent Systems, Artificial Societies, and Simulated Organizations, (pp. 149–174). Berlin: Springer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hahn, C., Madrigal-Mora, C. & Fischer, K. A platform-independent metamodel for multiagent systems. Auton Agent Multi-Agent Syst 18, 239–266 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10458-008-9042-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10458-008-9042-0