Skip to main content

Agent Roles, Qua Individuals and the Counting Problem

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 3914))

Abstract

Despite the relevance of the concept of role for conceptual modeling and agent-orientation, there is still in the literature a lack of consensus on the meaning of this notion and how it should be incorporated in existing conceptual modeling languages and frameworks. In this paper, we offer a contribution to this problem by employing a well-founded reference ontology (UFO) to analyze and reconcile two competing notions of role existing in the conceptual modeling literature. Moreover, a modeling solution based on this ontology is proposed, which incorporates the benefit of the two approaches analyzed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Albano, A., Bergamini, R., Ghelli, G., Orsini, R.: An object data model with roles. In: Agrawal, R., Baker, S., Bell, D. (eds.) Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Very Large Databases, pp. 39–51. Morgan Kaufmann, Dublin (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bock, C., Odell, J.: A More Complete Model of Relations and their Implementation: Roles. Journal of OO Programming, 51–54 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bodart, F., Patel, A., Sim, M., Weber, R.: Should Optional Properties Be Used in Conceptual Modelling? A Theory and Three Empirical Tests. Information Systems Research 12(4), 384–405 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chu, W.W., Zhang, G.: Associations and roles in object-oriented modeling. In: Embley, D.W., Goldstein, R.C. (eds.) ER 1997. LNCS, vol. 1331, pp. 257–270. Springer, Heidelberg (1997)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  5. Dignum, V.: A model for organizational interaction: based on agents, founded in logic, PhD Thesis. University of Utrecht, The Netherlands (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Elmasri, R., Weeldreyer, J.A., Hevner, A.R.: The Category Concept: An Extension to the Entity-Relationship Model. International Journal on Data and Knowledge Engineering 1(1), 75–116 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Essink, L.J.B., Erhart, W.J.: Object modelling and system dynamics in the conceptualization stages of information systems development. In: van Assche, F., Moulin, B., Rolland, C. (eds.) Proceedings of the IFIP TC8/WG8.1. Working Conference on the Object Oriented Approach in Information Systems, North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 89–116 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Ferrario, R., Oltramari, A.: Towards a Computational Ontology of the Mind. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems (FOIS), Torino, Italy (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Fitting, M., Mendelsohn, R.L.: First-Order Modal Logic. In: Synthese Library Studies in Epistemology Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, vol. 277. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Guarino, N., Welty, C.: An Overview of OntoClean. In: Staab, S., Studer, R. (eds.) Handbook on Ontologies, pp. 151–159. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Guizzardi, G.: Ontological Foundations for Structural Conceptual Models, PhD Thesis. University of Twente, The Netherlands (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Guizzardi, G., Wagner, G.: Towards Ontological Foundations for Agent Modeling Concepts using UFO. In: Bresciani, P., Giorgini, P., Henderson-Sellers, B., Low, G., Winikoff, M. (eds.) AOIS 2004. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 3508, pp. 110–124. Springer, Heidelberg (2005)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  13. Gupta, A.: The Logic of Common Nouns: an investigation in quantified modal logic. Yale University Press, New Haven (1980)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Heller, B., Herre, H.: Ontological Categories in GOL. Axiomathes 14, 71–90 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jungclaus, R., Saake, G., Hartmann, T., Sernadas, C.: Object-Oriented Specification of Information Systems: The TROLL Language, Informatik Berichte 91-04 TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kripke, S.: Naming and Necessity. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kristensen, B.B.: Object-oriented modeling with roles. In: Murphy, J., Stone, B. (eds.) OOIS 1995: Proceedings of the International Conference on Object-Oriented Information Systems, Dublin, pp. 57–71. Springer, Heidelberg (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Loebe, F.: An Analysis of Roles, Master thesis in Computer Science. University of Leipzig, Germany (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lowe, E.J.: The possibility of Metaphysics: Substance, Identity and Time. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2001)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Masolo, C., Vieu, L., Bottazzi, E., Catenacci, C., Ferrario, R., Gangemi, A., Guarino, N.: Social Roles and their Descriptions. In: Dubois, D., Welty, C., Williams, M.A. (eds.) 9th Intl. Conf. on the Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Whistler, Canada (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Masolo, C., Borgo, S., Gangemi, A., Guarino, N., Oltramari, A.: Ontology Library, WonderWeb Deliverible D18 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Masolo, C., Guizzardi, G., Vieu, L., Bottazzi, E., Ferrario, R.: Relational Roles and Qua Individuals. In: AAAI Fall Symposium on Roles, an Interdisciplinary Perspective, Virginia, USA (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  23. McNamara, J.: Logic and Cognition. In: McNamara, J., Reyes, G. (eds.) The Logical Foundations of Cognition. Vancouver Studies in Cognitive Science, vol. 4 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Object Management Group: UML 2.0 Infrastructure Specification, Doc.# ptc/03-09-15 (September 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Odell, J., Nodine, M., Levy, R.: A Metamodel for Agents, Roles, and Groups. In: Odell, J.J., Giorgini, P., Müller, J.P. (eds.) AOSE 2004. LNCS, vol. 3382, pp. 78–92. Springer, Heidelberg (2005)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  26. Odell, J., Parunak, H.V.D., Fleischer, M.: The Role of Roles in Designing Effective Agent Organizations. In: Garcia, A., Lucena, C., Zambonelli, F., Omicini, A., Castro, J. (eds.) Software Engineering for Large-Scale Multi-Agent Systems. LNCS, vol. 2603, pp. 27–28. Springer, Berlin (2003)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  27. Richardson, J., Schwartz, P.: Aspects: Extending objects to support multiple, independent roles. In: Clifford, J., King, R. (eds.) Proceedings of the 1991 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, SIGMOD Record, vol. 20(2), pp. 298–307. ACM Press, New York (1991)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  28. Schneider, L.: Formalised Elementary Formal Ontology, ISIB-CNR Technical Report 03/2002 (2002), http://www.loa-cnr.it/Publications.html

  29. Smith, B., Mulligan, K.: A Relational Theory of the Act. Topoi (5/2), 115–130 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Sowa, J.F.: Conceptual Structures: Information Processing in Mind and Machine. Addison-Wesley, New York (1984)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  31. Steimann, F.: On the representation of roles in object-oriented and conceptual modeling. Data & Knowledge Engineering 35(1), 83–106 (2000)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  32. van Leeuwen, J.: Individuals and sortal concepts: an essay in logical descriptive metaphysics, PhD Thesis, Univ. of Amsterdam (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Weber, R.: Ontological Foundations of Information Systems. Coopers & Lybrand, Melbourne (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Wieringa, R.J., de Jonge, W., Spruit, P.A.: Using dynamic classes and role classes to model object migration. Theory & Practice of Object Systems 1(1), 61–83 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Guizzardi, G. (2006). Agent Roles, Qua Individuals and the Counting Problem . In: Garcia, A., Choren, R., Lucena, C., Giorgini, P., Holvoet, T., Romanovsky, A. (eds) Software Engineering for Multi-Agent Systems IV. SELMAS 2005. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3914. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11738817_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11738817_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-33580-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-33583-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics