Abstract
In this paper it is shown how informal and formal specification of behavioural requirements and scenarios for agents and multi-agent systems can be integrated within multi-agent system design. In particular, it is addressed how a compositional perspective both on design descriptions and specification of behavioural requirements can be exploited. The approach has been applied in a case study: the development of a mediating information agent. It is shown that compositional verification benefits from the integration of requirements engineering within the design process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Benjamins, R., Fensel, D., and Straatman, R., Assumptions of problem-solving methods and their role in knowledge engineering. In: W. Wahlster (Ed.), Proceedings of the Twelfth European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, ECAI’96, John Wiley and Sons, 1996, pp. 408–412.
Brazier, F.M.T., Dunin-Keplicz, B., Jennings, N.R. and Treur, J. Formal specification of Multi-Agent Systems: a real World Case. In: Lesser, V. (ed.), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, ICMAS’95, MIT Press, Menlo Park, VS, 1995, pp. 25–32. Extended version in: International Journal of Cooperative Information Systems, M. Huhns, M. Singh, (eds.), special issue on Formal Methods in Cooperative Information Systems: Multi-Agent Systems, vol. 6, 1997, pp. 67–94.
Brazier, F.M.T., Jonker, C.M., and Treur, J., Principles of Compositional Multi-agent System Development. In: J. Cuena (ed.), Proceedings of the 15th IFIP World Computer Congress, WCC’98, Conference on Information Technology and Knowledge Systems, IT&KNOWS’98, 1998, pp. 347–360.
Brazier, F.M.T., Treur, J., Wijngaards, N.J.E. and Willems, M., Temporal semantics of compositional task models and problem solving methods. Data and Knowledge Engineering, vol. 29(1), 1999, pp. 17–42.
Davis, A. M., Software requirements: Objects, Functions, and States, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1993.
Dijkstra, E.W., A discipline of programming. Prentice Hall, 1976.
Dubois, E. (1998). ALBERT: a Formal Language and its supporting Tools for Requirements Engineering.
Dubois, E., Du Bois, P., and Zeippen, J.M., A Formal Requirements Engineering Method for Real-Time, Concvurrent, and Distributed Systems. In: Proceedings of the Real-Time Systems Conference, RTS’95, 1995.
Dubois, E., Yu, E., Petit, M., From Early to Late Formal Requirements. In: Proceedings IWSSD’98. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1998.
Engelfriet, J., Jonker, CM. and Treur, J., Compositional Verification of Multi-Agent Systems in Temporal Multi-Epistemic Logic. In: J.P. Mueller, M.P. Singh, A.S. Rao (eds.), Pre-proc. of the Fifth International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures and Languages, ATAL’98, 1998, pp. 91–106. To appear in: J.P. Mueller, M.P. Singh, A.S. Rao (eds.), Intelligent Agents V. Lecture Notes in AI, Springer Verlag. In press, 1999
Erdmann, M. and Studer, R., Use-Cases and Scenarios for Developing Knowledge-based Systems. In: Proceedings of the 15th IFIP World Computer Congress, WCC’98, Conference on Information Technologies and Knowledge Systems, IT&KNOWS (J. Cuena, ed.), 1998, pp. 259–272.
Eriksson, H. E., and Penker, M., UML Toolkit. Wiley Computer Publishing, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1998.
Gero, J.S., and Sudweeks, F., (eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Design’ 96, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1996.
Gero, J.S., and Sudweeks, F., (eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Design’ 98, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1998.
Harmon, P., and Watson, M., Understanding UML, the Developer’s Guide. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, 1998.
Herlea, D.E., Jonker, C.M., Treur, J., and Wijngaards, N.J.E. A Formal Knowledge Level Process Model of Requirements Engineering. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Industrial and Engineering Applications of AI and Expert Systems, IEA/AIE’99. Lecture Notes in AI, Springer Verlag, 1999, To appear.
Jonker, C.M. and Treur, J., Compositional Verification of Multi-Agent Systems: a Formal Analysis of Pro-activeness and Reactiveness. In: W.P. de Roever, H. Langmaack, A. Pnueli (eds.), Proceedings of the International Workshop on Compositionality, COMPOS’97. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 1536, Springer Verlag, 1998, pp. 350–380
Kontonya, G., and Sommerville, I., Requirements Engineering: Processes and Techniques. John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1998.
Musen, M., Ontology Oriented Design and Programming: a New Kind of OO. In: J. Cuena (ed.), Proceedings of the 15th IFIP World Computer Congress, WCC’98, Conference on Information Technology and Knowledge Systems, IT&KNOWS’98, 1998, pp. 17–20.
Nwana, H.S., and Ndumu, D.T., A Brief Introduction to Software Agent Technology. In Jennings, N.R., and Wooldridge, M. (eds.), Agent Technology: Foundations, Applications, and Markets. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1998, pp. 29–47.
Sommerville, I., and Sawyer P., Requirements Engineering: a good practice guide. John Wiley & Sons, Chicester, England, 1997.
Weidenhaupt, K., Pohl, M., Jarke, M. and Haumer, P., Scenarios in system development: current practice, in IEEE Software, pp. 34–45, March/April, 1998.
Wooldridge, M., and Jennings, N.R., Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages: a survey. In: Wooldridge, M., and Jennings, N.R. (eds.) Intelligent Agents, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 890, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1995, pp. 1–39.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Herlea, D.E., Jonker, C.M., Treur, J., Wijngaards, N.J.E. (1999). Specification of Bahavioural Requirements within Compositional Multi-agent System Design. In: Garijo, F.J., Boman, M. (eds) Multi-Agent System Engineering. MAAMAW 1999. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1647. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48437-X_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48437-X_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-66281-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48437-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive