This paper proposes a comprehensive and multi-dimensional feature analysis framework for evaluating and comparing methodologies for developing multi-agent systems (MAS). Developed from a synthesis of various existing evaluation frameworks, the novelty of our framework lies in the high degree of its completeness and the relevance of its evaluation criteria. The paper also presents a pioneering e...

What are auctions and how are they applicable in Multi-agent systems (MAS). This study reviews the various auction mechanisms such as forward auctions, reverse auctions, and double auctions, along with the roots of the newer auctions that have been evolved over time. Subsequently, a classification of various auction mechanism are presented that will enable us to get a perspective on how auction...

We consider the logistic issues for The London Underground (LU), which spans the entire city, and is a vast network of inter-related railway lines. By its very nature, it is a dynamic, complex and unpredictable environment; operating or being maintained 24 hours-a-day. This paper reports on an investigation in to how a Multi-Agent System (MAS) may be used for resolving scheduling issues for LU....

We study scalable and efficient coordination and negotiation protocols for collaborative multi-agent systems (MAS). The coordination problem we address is multi-agent coalition formation in a fully decentralized, resource-bounded setting. More specifically, we design, analyze, optimize and experiment with the Maximal Clique based Distributed Coalition Formation (MCDCF) algorithm. We briefly des...

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are of great interest as they can be used to model complex phenomena that involve several actors that interact in various ways. This paper describes a framework to support the development of Multi-Agent Systems. The framework is based on the Reaction Diffusion Machine (RDM) and defines the runtime support for the L*MASS language. The language formalizes the concepts of...

Multi-agent systems can be considered from a variety of perspectives. One such perspective arises from considering the architecture of an agent itself. Another is that of an instantiated agent architecture and its interaction with its peers in a MAS. A third perspective is that of an external observer. These three perspectives cover a potentially overlapping but essentially distinct set of issu...

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) is a promising software paradigm. Considered as a natural metaphor to modeling complex systems, MAS are applied to develop a wide range of applications. However, the developed system’s complexity is a hard obstacle to understand and maintain them. In this paper, some metrics are presented to measure the complexity of MAS. The proposition of these metrics is passed thro...

This paper presents AgentService, a framework for developing multi-agent systems. The key features introduced with AgentService are a flexible agent model and a modular platform. Agents can perform multi-task activities as well as move among different platforms. The MAS is hosted in a modular environment so that the platform can be customized. Several tools come with the programming suite: a vi...

Agent-based computing is a new paradigm to build complex distributed computer systems. The article explores one of the key issues of agent-based computing the problem of interactions in multi-agent systems (MAS) in dynamic organizational context. Particularly, the article describes an approach to the problem of coalition forming based on fuzzy coalition games with associated core, as well as fu...

In this article we present EcoSFERES, a framework that helps applying learning and evolutionary algorithms to the design of multi-agent systems (MAS). This framework includes tightly linked abstractions for evolutionary computing and multi-agent based simulations, and additionally, agent learning policies can also be included and reused straightforwardly. In particular, EcoSFERES makes it possi...