Cooperative Information Gathering : A Distributed Problem Solving

With the proliferation of electronically available information, an additional burden has been placed on the implementors of information gathering (IG) systems. The set of data that represents the best response to a query may be the aggregation of data acquired from distributed, heterogeneous information sources. In such environments, we distinguish between two approaches to the problem of information gathering that may be characterized as distributed processing and distributed problem solving(DPS). The former is characteristic of existing IG systems while the latter is the raison d'^ etre for Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). We examine features of problems that point to the need for a DPS approach, and discuss the beneets of viewing information gathering as distributed problem solving (which subsumes distributed processing). This approach, called Cooperative Information Gathering (CIG), involves concurrent and asynchronous access and composition of associated information spread across a network of information servers by a group of intelligent agents. Top level queries drive the creation of partially elaborated information gathering plans, resulting in the employment of multiple semi-autonomous, cooperative agents for the purpose of achieving goals and subgoals within those plans. Finally, we brieey survey current work on distributed and agent-based approaches to Information Gathering. content of the information does not necessarily reeect the position or the policy of the Government and no oocial endorsement should be inferred.