Beyond Citizen Participation in Planning

2010 ◽  
pp. 195-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domenico Camarda
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Formal Representation ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Planning Methods ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
Continuous Feedback ◽  
Problem Setting

The new complexity of planning knowledge implies innovation of planning methods, in both substance and procedure. The development of multi-agent cognitive processes, particularly when the agents are diverse and dynamically associated to their interaction arenas, may have manifold implications. In particular, interesting aspects are scale problems of distributed interaction, continuous feedback on problem setting, language and representation (formal, informal, hybrid, etc.) differences among agents (Bousquet, Le Page, 2004). In this concern, an increasing number of experiences on multi-agent interactions are today located within the processes of spatial and environmental planning. Yet, the upcoming presence of different human agents often acting au paire with artificial agents in a social physical environment (see, e.g., with sensors or data-mining routines) often suggests the use of hybrid MAS-based approaches (Al-Kodmany, 2002; Ron, 2005). In this framework, the chapter will scan experiences on the setting up of cooperative multi-agent systems, in order to investigate the potentials of that approach on the interaction of agents in planning processes, beyond participatory planning as such. This investigation will reflect on agent roles, behaviours, actions in planning processes themselves. Also, an attempt will be carried out to put down formal representation of supporting architectures for interaction and decision making.

scholarly journals Finite-Time Coordinated Path Following Control of Leader-Following Multi-Agent Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weibin Chen ◽  
Yang-Yang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Finite Time ◽  
Barrier Function ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Path Following Control ◽  
Leader Following ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Continuous Feedback ◽  
Virtual Leader

Abstract The applications of the continuous feedback method to achieve both path following and a formation moving along desired orbits at a finite time is presented. It is assumed that the topology among the virtual leader and the followers is directed. An additional condition of so called barrier function to yield all the agents moving within a limited area is designed. A novel continuous finite-time path following control law is first designed based on the barrier function and backstepping. Then a novel continuous finite-time formation algorithm is designed by regarding the path following errors as disturbances. The settling time properties of the resulting system are studied in detail. Simulations are presented to validate the proposed strategies.

Computational logics and verification techniques of multi-agent commitments: survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed El Menshawy ◽  
Jamal Bentahar ◽  
Warda El Kholy ◽  
Pinar Yolum ◽  
Rachida Dssouli
Keyword(s):  
Formal Semantics ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Temporal Logics ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Agent Communication Languages ◽  
Current Specification ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Contractual Obligations ◽  
Verification Techniques

AbstractAgent communication languages (ACLs) are fundamental mechanisms that enable agents in multi-agent systems totalk, communicate with each other in order to satisfy their individual and social goals in a cooperative and competitive manner. Social approaches are advocated to overcome the shortcomings of ACL semantics delineated by using mental approaches in the figure of agents’ mental notions. Over the last two decades,socialcommitments have been the subject of considerable research in some of those social approaches as they provide a powerful representation for modeling and reasoning upon multi-agent interactions in the form of mutual contractual obligations. They particularly provide a declarative, flexible, verifiable, and social semantics for ACL messages while respecting agents’ autonomy, heterogeneity, and openness.In this manuscript, we go through prominent and predominate proposals in the literature to explore the state of the art on how temporal logics can be devoted to define a formal semantics for ACL messages in terms of social commitments and associated actions. We explain each proposal and point out if and how it meetssevencrucial criteria, four of them introduced by Munindar P. Singh to have a well-defined semantics for ACL messages. Far from deciding the best proposal, our aim is to present the advantages (strengths) and limitations of those proposals to designers and developers using a concrete running example and to compare between them, so that they can make the best choice with regard to their needs. We explore and evaluate current specification languages and different verification techniques that have been discussed within those proposals to, respectively, specify and verify commitment-based protocols. We also investigate logical languages of actions advocated to specify, model, and execute commitment-based protocols in other contributed proposals. Finally, we suggest some solutions that can contribute to address the identified limitations.

Spatial Ontologies in Multi-Agent Environmental Planning

2011 ◽  
pp. 272-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dino Borri ◽  
Domenico Camarda
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Spatial Behaviour ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Dynamic Complexity ◽  
Agent Systems ◽  
Spatial Features ◽  
Planning Effort ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Living Single

Landscapes and townscapes have been studied by many disciplinary areas over time. This study addresses the cognitive and perceptual dimensions of environmental spacescapes in planning by human agents. In fact, because of their dynamic complexity, environmental spacescapes create challengesfor the typical spatial behaviour of an agent perceiving and navigating in it. Therefore, environmental planning activities need to identify and manage the ‘fundamentals’ of spacescapes from the viewpoints of living single agents or multi-agent organizations, those to whom the planning effort is addressed. In this framework, the chapter deals with spatial ontologies in multi-agent systems. Some recent experiments are described and discussed here, highlighting spatial features of navigated environments from an environmental planning perspective.

Aspects of Openness in Multi-Agent Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 119-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos De Oliveira ◽  
Martin Purvis
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Agents ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Coordination Mechanisms ◽  
Coloured Petri Nets ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Agent Systems ◽  
Agent Societies ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Complex Agent ◽  
Multi Agent

In the distributed multi-agent systems discussed in this chapter, heterogeneous autonomous agents interoperate in order to achieve their goals. In such environments, agents can be embedded in diverse contexts and interact with agents of various types and behaviours. Mechanisms are needed for coordinating these multi-agent interactions, and so far they have included tools for the support of conversation protocols and tools for the establishment and management of agent groups and electronic institutions. In this chapter, we explore the necessity of dealing with openness in multi-agent systems and its relation with the agent’s autonomy. We stress the importance to build coordination mechanisms capable of managing complex agent societies composed by autonomous agents and introduce our institutional environment approach, which includes the use of commitments and normative spaces. It is based on a metaphor in which agents may join an open system at any time, but they must obey regulations in order to maintain a suitable reputation, that reflects its degree of cooperation with other agents in the group, and make them a more desired partner for others. Coloured Petri Nets are used to formalize a workflow in the institutional environment defining a normative space that guides the agents during interactions in the conversation space.

Coordinating Agent Interactions Under Open Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 1430-1443
Author(s):  
Quan Bai ◽  
Minjie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Social Ability ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Interaction Protocols ◽  
The Social ◽  
Open Environments ◽  
Agent Interaction ◽  
Coloured Petri Net ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Rich Interaction

An intelligent agent is a reactive, proactive, autonomous, and social entity. The social ability of an agent is exercised in a multi-agent system (MAS), which constitutes a collection of such agents. Current multi-agent systems mostly work in complex, open, and dynamic environments. In an open environment, many facts, such as domain constraints, agent number, and agent relationships, are not fixed. That brings a lot of difficulties to coordinate agents’ interactions and cooperation. One major problem that impedes agent interaction is that most current agent interaction protocols are not very suitable for open environments. In this chapter, we introduce an approach to ameliorate agent interactions from two perspectives. First, the approach can enable agents to form knowledge “rich” interaction protocols by using ontologies. Second, we use coloured Petri net (CPN) based methods to enable agents to form interaction protocols dynamically, which are more suitable for agent interaction under open environments.

Coordinating Agent Interactions Under Open Environments

2006 ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Bai ◽  
Minjie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Social Ability ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Interaction Protocols ◽  
The Social ◽  
Open Environments ◽  
Agent Interaction ◽  
Coloured Petri Net ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Rich Interaction

An intelligent agent is a reactive, proactive, autonomous, and social entity. The social ability of an agent is exercised in a multi-agent system (MAS), which constitutes a collection of such agents. Current multi-agent systems mostly work in complex, open, and dynamic environments. In an open environment, many facts, such as domain constraints, agent number, and agent relationships, are not fixed. That brings a lot of difficulties to coordinate agents’ interactions and cooperation. One major problem that impedes agent interaction is that most current agent interaction protocols are not very suitable for open environments. In this chapter, we introduce an approach to ameliorate agent interactions from two perspectives. First, the approach can enable agents to form knowledge “rich” interaction protocols by using ontologies. Second, we use coloured Petri net (CPN) based methods to enable agents to form interaction protocols dynamically, which are more suitable for agent interaction under open environments.

scholarly journals PDT Logic: A Probabilistic Doxastic Temporal Logic for Reasoning about Beliefs in Multi-agent Systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 39-112
Author(s):  
Karsten Martiny ◽  
Ralf Möller
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Formal Semantics ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Formal Representation ◽  
Exact Probability ◽  
Agent Systems ◽  
New Information ◽  
Probabilistic Knowledge ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Satisfiability Checking

We present Probabilistic Doxastic Temporal (PDT) Logic, a formalism to represent and reason about probabilistic beliefs and their temporal evolution in multi-agent systems. This formalism enables the quantification of agents’ beliefs through probability intervals and incorporates an explicit notion of time. We discuss how over time agents dynamically change their beliefs in facts, temporal rules, and other agents’ beliefs with respect to any new information they receive. We introduce an appropriate formal semantics for PDT Logic and show that it is decidable. Alternative options of specifying problems in PDT Logic are possible. For these problem specifications, we develop different satisfiability checking algorithms and provide complexity results for the respective decision problems. The use of probability intervals enables a formal representation of probabilistic knowledge without enforcing (possibly incorrect) exact probability values. By incorporating an explicit notion of time, PDT Logic provides enriched possibilities to represent and reason about temporal relations.

scholarly journals Identifying Norms from Observation Using MCMC Sampling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Cranefield ◽  
Ashish Dhiman
Keyword(s):  
Robot Manipulator ◽  
Multi Agent Systems ◽  
Context Free Grammar ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Mcmc Sampling ◽  
Agent Interactions ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
Identification Techniques ◽  
Context Free ◽  
Probabilistic Context

To promote efficient interactions in dynamic and multi-agent systems, there is much interest in techniques that allow agents to represent and reason about social norms that govern agent interactions. Much of this work assumes that norms are provided to agents, but some work has investigated how agents can identify the norms present in a society through observation and experience. However, the norm-identification techniques proposed in the literature often depend on a very specific and domain-specific representation of norms, or require that the possible norms can be enumerated in advance. This paper investigates the problem of identifying norm candidates from a normative language expressed as a probabilistic context-free grammar, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) search. We apply our technique to a simulated robot manipulator task and show that it allows effective identification of norms from observation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document