The effect of task and environment factors on M.A.S. coordination and reorganization

Research on organization of Multiagent Systems (M.A.S.) has shown that by adapting its organization, a M.A.S. is better able to operate in dynamic environments. In this paper we describe an experiment with a M.A.S. that consists of agents where the capability to reorganize is integrated in their coordination mechanism. In the RoboCupRescue simulator we have implemented a M.A.S. where work can be coordinated according to three different coordination styles; direct supervision and standardization of skills with and without a reorganization extension. An experiment shows the effects of unknown workload distribution and incomplete information on the performance of the three styles. Results show significant interaction effects between both workload distribution and coordination mechanism, and completeness of information and coordination mechanism. Furthermore, results show that standardization of skills with reorganization performs better and is more robust to heterogeneous workload distribution and incompleteness of information.