Engineering Societies in the Agents World III: Third International Workshop, ESAW 2002, Madrid, Spain, September 16-17, 2002, Revised Papers (Lecture Notes ... / Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence)

The Characteristics Of Software Systems Are Undergoing Dramatic Changes. We Are Moving Rapidly Into The Age Of Ubiquitous Information Services. Persistent Computing Systems Are Being Embedded In Everyday Objects. They Interact In An Autonomouswaywith Eachother To Provideus With Increasinglycomplexservices And Functionalities That We Can Access At Any Time From Anywhere. As A Con- Quence, Not Only Do The Numbers Of Components Of Software Systems Increase; There Is Also A Strong Qualitative Impact. Software Systems Are Increasingly Made Up Of Autonomous, Proactive, Networked Components. These Interact With Each Other In Patterns And Via Mechanisms That Can Hardly Be Modeled In Terms Of Classical Models Of Interaction Or Service-oriented Coordination. To Some Extent, Future Software Systems Will Exhibit Characteristics Making Them More Res- Blant Of Natural Systems And Societies Than Of Mechanical Systems And Software Architectures. This Situation Poses Exciting Challenges To Computer Scientists And Software Engineers. Already, Software Agents And Multi-agent Systems Are Recognized As Both Useful Abstractions And E?ective Technologies For The Modeling And Building Of Complex Distributed Applications. However, Little Is Done With Regard To E?- Tive And Methodic Development Of Complex Software Systems In Terms Of Mul- Agent Societies. An Urgent Need Exists For Novel Approaches To Software Modeling And Software Engineering That Enable The Successful Deployment Of Software S- Tems Made Up Ofa Massive Number Ofautonomous Components, And That Allowus To Control And Predict Their Behaviour. Views -- A Discussion Of Two Major Benefits Of Using Agents In Software Development -- Signs Of A Revolution In Computer Science And Software Engineering -- Models -- Rationality, Autonomy And Coordination: The Sunk Costs Perspective -- A Normative And Intentional Agent Model For Organisation Modelling -- Simulating Computational Societies -- Co-fields: Towards A Unifying Approach To The Engineering Of Swarm Intelligent Systems -- A Schema For Specifying Computational Autonomy -- Activity Theory As A Framework For Mas Coordination -- An Operational Framework For The Semantics Of Agent Communication Languages -- Access-as-you-need: A Computational Logic Framework For Accessing Resources In Artificial Societies -- Motivating Participation In Peer To Peer Communities -- Engineering -- Adelfe: A Methodology For Adaptive Multi-agent Systems Engineering -- Evaluating Multi-agent System Architectures: A Case Study Concerning Dynamic Resource Allocation -- Engineering Agent Systems For Decision Support -- Co-ordinating Heterogeneous Interactions In Systems Composed Of Active Human And Agent Societies -- Modelling And Design -- Sabpo: A Standards Based And Pattern Oriented Multi-agent Development Methodology -- Modelling A Multi-agent System Environment -- Towards A Methodology For Coordination Mechanism Selection In Open Systems -- Specification By Refinement And Agreement: Designing Agent Interaction Using Landmarks And Contracts -- An Agent And Goal-oriented Approach For Virtual Enterprise Modelling: A Case Study. Paolo Petta, Robert Tolksdorf, Franco Zambonelli (eds.). Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Discussion of Two Major Benefits of Using Agents in Software Development....Pages 1-12 Signs of a Revolution in Computer Science and Software Engineering....Pages 13-28 Rationality, Autonomy and Coordination: The Sunk Costs Perspective....Pages 29-38 A Normative and Intentional Agent Model for Organisation Modelling....Pages 39-52 Simulating Computational Societies....Pages 53-67 Co-Fields: Towards a Unifying Approach to the Engineering of Swarm Intelligent Systems....Pages 68-81 A Schema for Specifying Computational Autonomy....Pages 82-95 Activity Theory as a Framework for MAS Coordination....Pages 96-110 An Operational Framework for the Semantics of Agent Communication Languages....Pages 111-125 Access-as-you-need : A Computational Logic Framework for Accessing Resources in Artificial Societies....Pages 126-140 Motivating Participation in Peer to Peer Communities....Pages 141-155 ADELFE: A Methodology for Adaptive Multi-agent Systems Engineering....Pages 156-169 Evaluating Multi-agent System Architectures: A Case Study Concerning Dynamic Resource Allocation....Pages 170-183 Engineering Agent Systems for Decision Support....Pages 184-198 Co-ordinating Heterogeneous Interactions in Systems Composed of Active Human and Agent Societies....Pages 199-212 SABPO: A Standards Based and Pattern Oriented Multi-agent Development Methodology....Pages 213-226 Modelling a Multi-agent System Environment....Pages 227-240 Towards a Methodology for Coordination Mechanism Selection in Open Systems....Pages 241-256 Specification by Refinement and Agreement: Designing Agent Interaction Using Landmarks and Contracts....Pages 257-269 An Agent and Goal-Oriented Approach for Virtual Enterprise Modelling: A Case Study....Pages 270-283 This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Engineering Societies in the Agents World, ESAW 2003, held in Madrid, Spain in September 2002. The 20 revised full papers presented were carefully selected from 35 submissions during two rounds of reviewing and improvement. The papers are organized in topical sections on views, models, engineering, and modeling and design