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Computational Models for Multiagent Coordination Analysis: Extending Distributed POMDP Models

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Formal Approaches to Agent-Based Systems (FAABS 2002)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 2699))

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Abstract

Recently researchers in multiagent systems have begun to focus on formal POMDP (Partially Observable Markov Decision Process) models for analysis of multiagent coordination. However, prior work has mostly focused on analysis of communication, such as via the COM-MTDP (Communicative Markov Team Decision Problem) model. This paper provides two extensions to this prior work that goes beyond communication and analyzes other aspects of multiagent coordination. In particular, we first present a formal model called R-COM-MTDP that extends COM-MTDP to analyze team formation and reorganization algorithms. R-COM-MTDP enables a rigorous and systematic analysis of complexity-optimality tradeoffs in team (re)formation approaches in different domain types. It provides the worst-case complexity analysis of the team (re)formation under varying conditions, and illustrates under which conditions role decomposition can provide significant reductions in computational complexity. Next, we propose COM-MTDP as a formal framework to analyze DCSP (Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem) strategies for conflict resolution. Different DCSP strategies are mapped onto policies in the COM-MTDP model, and agents compare strategies by evaluating their mapped policies. Thus, the two COM-MTDP based methods could open the door to a range of novel analyses of multiagent team (re)formation, and facilitate automated selection of the most efficient strategy for a given situation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Department and Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Hyuckchul Jung, Ranjit Nair, Milind Tambe & Stacy Marsella

Authors
  1. Hyuckchul Jung
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  2. Ranjit Nair
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  3. Milind Tambe
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  4. Stacy Marsella
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Loyola College in Maryland, MD 21210, Baltimore, USA

    Michael G. Hinchey

  2. Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD 20771, Greenbelt, USA

    James L. Rash

  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD 20771, Greenbelt, USA

    Walter F. Truszkowski

  4. Advanced Technology Laboratories, Lockheed Martin Corporation, VA 22203, Arlington, USA

    Christopher Rouff

  5. Computer Science Department, University ofWyoming, WY 82070, Laramie, USA

    Diana Gordon-Spears

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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Jung, H., Nair, R., Tambe, M., Marsella, S. (2003). Computational Models for Multiagent Coordination Analysis: Extending Distributed POMDP Models. In: Hinchey, M.G., Rash, J.L., Truszkowski, W.F., Rouff, C., Gordon-Spears, D. (eds) Formal Approaches to Agent-Based Systems. FAABS 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2699. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45133-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45133-4_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-40665-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45133-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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