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- Akkermans, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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An Integrated Structured Analysis Approach to Intelligent Agent Communication
- 1998
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Intelligent multi-agent systems offer promising approaches for knowledge-intensive distributed applications. Now that such systems are becoming applied on a wider industrial scale, there is a practical need for structured analysis and design methods, similarly as exist for more conventional information and knowledge systems. This is still lacking for intelligent agent software. In this paper, we describe how the process of agent communication specification can be carried out through a structured analysis approach. The structured analysis approach we propose is an integrated extension of the CommonKADS methodology, a widely used standard for knowledge analysis and systems development. Our approach is based on and illustrated by a large-scale multi-agent application for distributed energy load management in industries and households, called Homebots, which is discussed as an extensive industrial case study.
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| 2. |
- Akkermans, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Homebots : Intelligent Decentralized Services for Energy Management
- 1996
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The deregulation of the European energy market, combined with emerging ad-vanced capabilities of information technology, provides strategic opportunities for new knowledge-oriented services on the power grid. HOMEBOTS is the name we have coined for one of these innovative services: decentralized power load management at the customer side, automatically carried out by a ‘society’ of interactive house-hold, industrial and utility equipment. They act as independent intelligent agents that communicate and negotiate in a computational market economy. The knowl-edge and competence aspects of this application are discussed, using an improved version of task analysis according to the COMMONKADS knowledge methodology. Illustrated by simulation results, we indicate how customer knowledge can be mo-bilized to achieve joint goals of cost and energy savings. General implications for knowledge creation and its management are discussed.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Akkermans, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Pragmatics of Agent Communication
- 1998
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The process of agent communication modeling has not yet received much attention in the knowledge systems area. Conventional knowledge systems are rather simple with respect to their communication structure: often it is a straightforward question-and-answer sequence between system and end user. However, this is different in recent intelligent multi-agent systems. Therefore, agent communication aspects are now in need of a much more advanced treatment in knowledge management, acquisition and modeling. In general, a much better integration between the respective achievements of multi-agent and knowledge-based systems modeling is an important research goal. In this paper, we describe how agent communications can be specified as an extension of well-known knowledge modeling techniques. The emphasis is on showing how a structured process of communication requirements analysis proceeds, based on existing results from agent communication languages. The guidelines proposed are illustrated by and based on a large-scale industrial multi-agent application for distributed energy load management in industries and households, called Homebots. Homebots enable cost savings in energy consumption by coordinating their actions through an auction mechanism.
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| 6. |
- Gustavsson, Rune, et al.
(författare)
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Societies of Computation (SoC). A Framework for Open Distributed systems-phase II:1995-98
- 1995
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The research program Societies of Computation (SoC) at the IDE department of HK/R has been in operation since more than one year [ 11, [2]. The SoC framework takes a Multi Agent System (MAS) approach when addressing issues in open distributed computing. The results so far are very promising and will shortly be outlined below. Assessment of those results combined by results and ideas from the international research society as well as needs from enterprises are background material for our next phase. The goals and expected results from this phase is briefly discussed in following sections. The research group, performing activities in the SoC framework, has been formed during the first phase of the project, and has at present the following active members: Rune Gustavsson, professor and principal investigator, Hans Akkermans, professor at Twente University and guest researcher, Eric Astor, Ph.D., University of Lund, Olle Lindeberg, Ph.L., HK/R, Staffan Hagg, Ph.L., HK/R, Fredrik Ygge, MSc., HK/R and Sydkraft, Barcin Kozbe, M.Sc., Ericsson Infocom Christer Lundberg, M.Sc, University College of Kalmar, Bengt Carlsson, M.Sc., University of Lund Occasionally also other researchers at IDE are involved in shorter R&D activities conducted under the SoC umbrella. Applications developed in SoC have also been sources for several projects performed by undergra-duate students, during the fiscal year of 1994-95 about 12 person years, from several undergraduate programs. Those activities of the SoC program have mainly been performed within the center SIKT. SIKT, Society Information and Knowledge Technologies, is a recently formed center at HK/R. The key industrial partner up to this point has been Sydkraft AB. The project Intelligent Distribution Automation (IDA) at Sydkraft has been a valuable partner for developing applications and assessing results. Ronneby Energi AB (REAB) and Affarsverken i Karlskrona AB are also actively supporting our R&D. The project Communication and Distributed Computing for Efficient Management of Energy Systems, supported by governmental agencies, has been instrumental for introducing and assessing MAS technologies in the Swedish research society as well as to Swedish industry.
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| 7. |
- Ygge, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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A Multi-Commodity Market Approach to Power Load Management
- 1998
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Power load management is the concept of controlling the loads at the demand side in order to run energy systems more efficiently. Energy systems are inherently highly distributed and contain large number of loads, up to some million. This implies that computationally and conceptually attractive methods are required for this application. In this paper we give two novel theorems for how to decompose general resource allocation problems into markets. We also introduce a novel multi-commodity market design to meet the demands of power load management. The approach is demonstrated to lead to very high quality allocations, and to have a number of advantages compared to current methods.
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| 8. |
- Ygge, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Duality in Multi-Commodity Market Computations
- 1997
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In search for general equilibrium in multi-commodity markets, price-oriented schemes are normally used. That is, a set of prices (one price for each commodity) is updated until supply meets demand for each commodity. It is well known that in a two-commodity market resource-oriented schemes are conceivable. In this paper we demonstrate the duality between price- and resource-oriented schemes in the general multi-commodity case. We also discuss important properties of the two approaches. In resource-oriented schemes the resource constraint, which says that supply must equal demand, is always fulfilled, implying that at any time the auctioneer can provide a feasible allocation. This is not the case in price-oriented schemes outside market equilibrium. In this paper we introduce a novel any-time algorithm, Proportion, for the price-oriented scheme as well, that allows the auctioneer to deliver a suitable allocation at some deadline (possibly unknown in advance) also before market equilibrium is reached. We also show how the findings for the any-time algorithms can enable more efficient price-oriented markets.
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