WASP -- Web Agent Support Program
12. Plans for implementation
Participants of the project are
- SE/VU -- Software Engineering (VU)
- AI/VU -- Artificial Intelligence (VU)
- IS/TUE -- Information Systems (TUE)
a. Activities
The first year of the project we plan to have
two OIO's working at a number of the technical issues
concerning the software architecture needed
for realizing Web-aware agents for assisting a Web user
in finding and maintaining information.
One OIO, working in the SE/VU group, will concentrate on the
agent and communication techniques, while another OIO, working
in the IS/TUE group, will concentrate on the information
retrieval and discovery aspects.
In the second year and third year, we plan to have
a post-doc stationed at the AI/VU group to coordinate the two
OIO's and to work on the theoretical issues involved in modeling
the behavior of agents and intelligent information retrieval.
The remainder of the time, after the end of the post-doc's contract,
is devoted to publications and writing and defending the doctoral
theses.
The activities planned over four years, as divided
between the participating groups, are summarized below.
SE/VU
Year 1:
- The extension of DLP to an agent-based programming language
- The definition of high-level components
for developing Web-aware applications
Year 2:
- The definition of user interface components for managing agents
- Exploration of distributed object architectures
Year 3:
- An object-based framework for distributed agent applications
Year 4:
- Completion of Pamela, publications and thesis
AI/VU
Year 2 and 3:
- A modeling framework for cooperative agents
- Logical foundations of agent behavior
- The development of domain-specific generic agent models
- Verification and validation of agent specifications
IS/TUE
Year 1:
- Study of information retrieval tools
- The definition of a suitable data structure for storing found information
Year 2:
- Development of tools for agent-based information management
- Optimization of search strategies for agent-based retrieval engines
Year 3:
- Definition of an object-oriented data structure (and database) for
retrieved information
- Development of search tools for extracting information from the database
- Development of a communication protocol for combining the knowledge
acquired by different agents.
Year 4:
- Completion of Pamela, publications and thesis
Joint work on
- A methodology for developing agent-based systems
- Pamela - a generic agent-based application
b. Personel
Funding is requested for two OIO's for four years,
who will be placed at the SE/VU group and the IS/TUE group,
and one post-doc (for two years)
who will be placed in the
the Artificial Intelligence section of the VU (AI/VU).
c. Environment.
SE/VU
The software engineering group of
the VU involved in the DejaVu project consists of
one coordinator (A. Eliëns) two AIOs, that are working
in the area of time-based hypermedia systems (J.R. van Ossenbruggen)
and the integration of simulation and hypermedia
(S.P.C. Sch\"onhage, who is paid by the USF funded SINS project),
and one programmer (C.T. Visser) who is responsible for
the implementation of DLP and the technical aspects of
distributed object systems.
AI/VU
In the AI Section at the VU the research of a number of members of the
group focusses on multi-agent
systems: Dr. F.M.T. Brazier, drs. P.A.T. van Eck, dr. C.M. Jonker, prof. dr.
J. Treur, dr. L.C. Verbrugge. The topics are: compositional formal
modeling of multi-agent systems, models for specific types of intelligent
agents, cooperation models, information retrieval, human-computer
interaction, reflective agents, applications of multi-agent systems
(e.g., coordination of design projects), formal semantics of multi-agent
systems, verification and validation, defeasible reasoning, task analysis.
Some of these topics are addressed in cooperation with researchers from
other institutes, with whom joint papers have been and are being prepared;
for example, dr. N.R. Jennings (Queen Mary & Westfield), dr H. Johnson,
prof dr P. Johnson (Queen Mary & Westfield), prof. dr V.W. Marek and
dr. M. Truszczynski (University of Kentucky), prof. dr. H. Herre
(University of Leipzig), dr. B.M. Dunin-Keplicz (University of Warsaw).
IS/TUE
The database and hypermedia research group within the Information
Systems section of the TUE consists of one associate professor
(dr.P. De Bra), also the head of the entire Information Systems section,
three UDs (dr. A. Aerts, dr. F. Dignum and dr.ir. G.J. Houben),
one part-time professor (dr. J. Paredaens),
drs. R. Post, ir. J. Hidders, ir. C. Hoskens (NWO) and two
part-time aio's (drs. R. Selj\'ee and drs. L. Matthijssen).
A full-time programmer (P. Lemmens) is available to aid in the
implementation aspects of Pamela.
Dr. De Bra also holds a part-time position at CWI, initiating research
efforts on Databases and Internet.
d. Finances
The ASZ GAK group, Object+
and Rabofacet
have expressed interest in taking part in the project.
So they may be regarded as potential co-financers.
(See the appendix for a brief description.)
>document>
e. Output
We plan to produce the deliverables
concerning the following subjects:
- An agent-based programming language
- User interface components for managing agents
- Logical foundations of (cooperative) agent behavior
- An object-oriented framework for distributed agent applications
- A modeling framework for cooperative agents
- A methodology for developing agent-based systems
- Pamela - a generic agent-based application
mailto:eliens@cs.vu.nl
(
Thu Sep 26 14:04:25 MET DST 1996
)