Environments for Multi-Agent Systems II
Résumé
In the past two years the environment in multiagent systems has become increas-
ingly important and is now becoming a focus of research in its own right. Yet,
the environment in multiagent systems has been studied before. So the obvious
question then is: Why does the environment attract the attention of a broader
community of researchers right now?
The answer to this question is manifold. First, current research on environ-
ments is built on the receptive ground of early work. Pioneers such as Demazeau,
Parunak, Ferber, Odell, Omicini and Zambonelli have been stressing the impor-
tance of the environment in multiagent systems for almost a decade.
Second, current research on environments is well organized. The workshop
series on Environments for Multiagent Systems (E4MAS) provides the breeding
ground for coordinating research on environments. E4MAS provides an active
forum for discussion and exchange of ideas. The constructive atmosphere of the
E4MAS workshops and the critical attitude of the attendees stimulate research
in the growing community.
Third, researchers interested in environments come from various backgrounds.
The notion of environment exceeds specific types of agency. The environment is
important for simple ant-like agents as well as for complex cognitive agents. The
environment provides a challenging area for synergetic research on multiagent
systems in general.
And last but not least, the perspective on the role of the environment in
multiagent systems has undergone a fundamental change in the last two years.
Whereas environment and “infrastructure” are traditionally considered equiva-
lent, recent research considers the environment as a first-order design abstraction
in multiagent systems. Several researchers have demonstrated that the environ-
ment provides a building block that can be used creatively in the design of
multiagent system applications. Distinguishing between agent and environment
responsibilities supports separation of concerns in multiagent systems, which is
a prerequisite for good engineering practice.
This volume collects selected and revised papers of the second E4MAS
Workshop, completed with a number of invited papers of prominent researchers
active in the domain. The papers represent the full life-cycle of environment
engineering, including theoretical analysis, models, mechanisms, architecture and
design, and applications. We hope that the work presented in this book stimulates further exploration and exploitation of the environment in multiagent
systems.