Research on Environments in Multiagent Systems: Reflection on the State-of-the-Art

Recently, the perspective on the role of the environment in multiagent systems has undergone a fundamental change. Whereas functionalities of the environment are often dealt with implicitly or in an ad-hoc manner, recent research puts forward the environment as a first-order design abstraction in multiagent systems. Several researchers have demonstrated that the environment can be used in a creative manner in the design of multiagent system applications. Distinguishing between agent and environment responsibilities ameliorates separation of concerns in multiagent systems and improves engineering practice. In this paper, we reflect on state-of-the-art research on environments in multiagent systems. We explain what is meant by the environment as a first-order abstraction. We reflect on models and responsibilities of the environment, environment engineering, and applications. For each of these research tracks, we give pointers for further reading. To conclude, we point to a number of challenges for future research on environments in