dynamically providing contextual information for agents in open mas carolina howard felicíssimo...

Dynamically Providing Contextual

Information for Agents in Open MAS

Carolina Howard Felicíssimo

Advisor: Prof. Carlos José Pereira de Lucena

Co-Advisor: Prof. Jean-Pierre Briot

August 8, 2006 2/27Carolina Howard Felicíssimo © LES/PUC-Rio

Agenda

• Introduction

• Motivation

• Case Study

• The DynaCIPOM Approach

• Readings


Introduction

• Multi-Agent Systems (MAS)

– A powerful technology that has emerged as a promising approach to develop information systems that are composed of several goal-oriented problem-solving entities (agents)

• Open MAS

– A MAS where agents are able to join and leave it freely

– Key characteristics are: agent heterogeneity (different

implementations – agents must be threaten as black-boxes), conflicting individual goals and limited trust. Moreover, no centralized control is feasible


Motivation

Network Link

Open MAS Open MAS


Motivation

Network Link

Open MAS Open MAS

Contextual Information

Contexts: implicit information used to characterize situations of participants

Context Information: Environment, Organization, Roles and Interaction Protocols* Dynamically Provide Refined Protocol Information - a Reason & Effect approach

* Protocol: a set of contextual directives for acting* Directive: information for providing direction or indication


Case Study

The Supply Chain Management Game for the 2006 Trading Agent Competition (TAC SCM-06)

A Competitive Benchmarking for The Trading Agent Community

• 8 supplier agents / (6) manufacturer agents / 16 different PC configurations.

• Each PC model is built from 4 component types: CPU, motherboards, memories, and hard disks. 10 different components (Pintel CPUs 2 and 5 GHz; IMD

CPUs 2 and 5 GHz; Pintel and IMD motherboards; Memories 1 and 2 Gb; Hard Disks 300 and 500

Gb).

• Basic Requirements for the Manufacturer Agents:

– Need to know how to place RFQs and Orders for different Suppliers

– Need to know how to read Offers from different Suppliers

• Desired Requirement for the Manufacturer Agents:

– Choose offers considering internal stimulus and external stimulus (e.g., current economic and politic laws)

© TAC SCM-06


Case Study

Pintel Supplier

Open Agent Main Platform

Agent Manufacturer

Memory 1 Gb

PC1

Open Agent Platform

MEC Supplier

Hard Disk 300 Gb

Open Agent PlatformWatergate Supplier

Open Agent PlatformMintor Supplier

Open Agent Platform

Open Agent PlatformBasus Supplier

Open Agent PlatformMacrostar Supplier

Pintel CPU 2.0

Pintel Motherboard

manufactures

supplies

supplies

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

dealWith

dealWithdealWith Queenmax Supplier

Open Agent Platform


Case Study


Agent Manufacturer

Memory 2 Gb

PC16

Queenmax Supplier

Open Agent Platform

Hard Disk 500 Gb



Open Agent PlatformIMD Supplier


IMD CPU 5.0

IMD Motherboard

manufactures

supplies

supplies

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

dealWith

dealWithdealWith


Open Agent Platform

MEC Supplier


Case Study

Base Price: 80

Profit: +X%

Reputation: -Y%

Offer Price: 4000

sendRFQs(IMDMotherboard,50)

calculatePrice (IMDMotherboard,50)

sendOffer(4000)

AManufacturerAMacrostarSupplier

sendOrder(IMDMotherboard,50)

analyseOffers() criterion(cheaperPrice)

ABasusSupplier

sendRFQs(IMDMotherboard,50)

Base Price: 80

Profit: +A%

Reputation: -B%

Offer Price:3990

calculatePrice (IMDMotherboard,50)

sendOffer(3990)


Case Study


Agent Manufacturer

Memory 2 Gb

PC16

Queenmax Supplier

Open Agent Platform

Hard Disk 500 Gb



Open Agent PlatformIMD Supplier


IMD CPU 5.0

IMD Motherboard

manufactures

supplies

supplies

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

supplies

dealWith

dealWith

supplies

dealWith

dealWithdealWith


Open Agent Platform

MEC Supplier

Missouri

Colorado

California

Beijing

Osaka

Hiroshima

Shanghai

California

Contextual Information


Case Study

― Environment Directives for Payments:1. In USA, all negotiations are paid in American dollars (USD), its national currency.

Negotiations outside USA have to have their values converted from USD to the national currency of the country where the seller is.

2. In Japan, all negotiations are paid in Yen, its national currency. Negotiations outside Japan have to have their values converted from Yen to the national currency of the country where the seller is.

3. In China, all negotiations are paid in Chinese yuan (CNY), its national currency. Negotiations outside China have to have their values converted from CNY to the national currency of the country where the seller is.

― Environment Directives for Calculating Prices:1. In Missouri, a state corporate income tax rate of 6.25 is imposed on all sales.

2. In Colorado, a state corporate income tax rate of 4.63 is imposed on all sales.

3. In Missouri, a three day sales tax holiday occurs, every year, from August 4 to 6. Orders of computers and computers' components, with the maximum cost of $3,050, are eligible for tax free during the holiday. Example that can be implemented as a Meta-Rule!


Case Study

― Interaction Directives for Providing Discounts:1. Basus and IMD offer 15% discount if their products are bought in bundles.

2. Macrostar and Pintel offer 10% discount if their products are bought in bundles.

― Role Directives for Providing Discounts:1. MEC suppliers can give up to 5% discount.

2. Queenmax suppliers can give up to 8% discount on orders paid in cash.

3. Queenmax suppliers apply duty free discounts for tourists.

― Organization Directives for Providing Warranty:1. Mintor give a two year limited warranty if a plus tax of 5% is accepted.

2. Watergate give one year limited warranty.

― Organization Directive for Payments of Ship Costs:1. Mintor pay ship costs when warranty verification detects defective products.

― Organization Directive for Payments:1. Every placed order for Queenmax have a down payment of 10%.


Case Study

― Economic Directives for Operating in the Market:1. Organizations can’t form trusts and monopolies (concentrations of wealth in the

hands of a few).

2. Organizations can’t make price fixing agreements.

3. Organizations can’t form cartels.

44 (Meta-Rule) Pintel organizations increase 5% of their prices when IMD organizations are in crisis or goes bankrupt.

― Politic Directives for Operating in the Market:1. Due to political crisis, American organizations don’t deal anymore with Japanese

organizations.

(Meta-Rule) Mintor organizations increase 10% of their prices when Watergate organizations are not operating in the American market.

DynaCIPOM An Approach for Dynamic Contextual

Information Provision in Open MAS


Case Study

• A priori knowledge needed (pre-implemented methods) for the “calculating price” protocol:

calculatePrice(String product, int quantity):int

– requestBasePrice(String product):int

– getBasePrice(String product):int

– requestBasePrice(String product, String mainOrganization):int

– answerBasePrice():int

– calculateCostPrice(int basePrice, int quantity): int

– calculatePriceWithProfit(int currentPrice, int profitPercentage): int

– applyDiscount(int currentPrice, int percentageOfDiscount, String

discountIdentifier) ////(”quantity” or “bundle” or “clientHistory”)

– applyTax(currentPrice):int

– requestIncomeSaleTax():int

– requestCurrencyForPayment():String

– convertPriceValue(int mainOrgLocalCurrency, int orgLocalCurrency):int

– answerPrice(int currentPrice, String currency)


Case Study


Case Study

• Macrostart “calculating price” protocol



– getBasePrice(String product):int


– calculatePriceWithProfit(int currentPrice, 20): int

– applyDiscount(int currentPrice, int percentageOfDiscount, ”quantity”)

– applyDiscount(int currentPrice, int percentageOfDiscount, ” bundle”)





Case Study


Case Study

• BasusChina “calculating price” protocol



– requestBasePrice(String product, String mainOrganization):int


– calculatePriceWithProfit(int currentPrice, 18): int

– applyDiscount(int currentPrice, int percentageOfDiscount,

“clientHistory”)

– applyDiscount(int currentPrice, int percentageOfDiscount, “bundle”)



– requestCurrencyForPayment():String

– convertPriceValue(int mainOrgLocalCurrency, int orgLocalCurrency):int



DynaCIPOM

• An Approach for Dynamic Contextual Information Provision in Open MAS

• It is based on:

– A Top-Down Contextual Modeling of Protocols– Environment Protocols

– Organization Protocols

– Role Protocols

– Interaction Protocols

– A Meta-Ontology to Explicitly Represent Contexts

– A Rule Support to Compose and Retrieve Contextual Protocols


DynaCIPOM

349 customized compositions of contextual

norms can be achieved with only 19 rules

(Environment: =1C

= 1; Organization:

C

= 31; Role: =1C

= 63; Interaction:

2* =1C

= 254).

Formula: =1C

Rule1- [ruleForOrgWithMOrgLaws: hasNorm(?Org,?MOrgLaws) <- hasNorm(?MOrg,?MOrgLaws), hasMainOrganization(?Org,?MOrg)]

Rule2- [ruleForOrgWithEnvLaws hasNorm(?Org,?OrgEnvLaws) <- hasNorm(?OrgEnv,?OrgEnvLaws), isIn(?Org,?OrgEnv)

Rule3- [ruleForOrgWithOEnvOfOrgEnvLaws hasNorm(?Org,?OEnvOfOrgEnvLaws) <- hasNorm(?OEnvOfOrgEnv,?OEnvOfOrgEnvLaws), belongsTo(?OrgEnv,?OEnvOfOrgEnv) isIn(?Org,?OrgEnv)]

Rule4- [ruleForOrgWithMOrgEnvLaws: hasNorm(?Org,?MOrgEnvLaws) <- hasNorm(?MOrgEnv,?MOrgEnvLaws), isIn(?MOrg,?MOrgEnv) hasMainOrganization(?Org,?MOrg)]

Rule5- [ruleForOrgWithOEnvOfMOrgEnvLaws: hasNorm(?Org,?OEnvOfMOrgEnvLaws) <- hasNorm(?OEnvOfMOrgEnv,?OEnvOfMOrgEnvLaws), belongsTo(?MOrgEnv,?OEnvOfMOrgEnv) isIn(?MOrg,?MOrgEnv) hasMainOrganization(?Org,?MOrg)]


DynaCIPOM – Current Implemented Architecture

Dyn

aC

IPO

M B

eh

avi

or

DynaCIPOM

JADE Agent Architecture


DynaCIPOM – Current Implemented Architecture

Network Host (CATOJUNIOR) Network Host (noteles)

JADE Platform Architecture

Network Link

DynaCIPOM Answer

USA hasProtocols:

1- USAProtForPayment

2- USAProtForCalculatingPrice

Colorado hasProtocols:

1- USAProtForCalculatingPrice

2- ColoradoProtocolForGivingWarranty

3- ColoradoProtForCalculatingPrice


DynaCIPOM – Further Work

• Implement the Meta-Rule Solution

• Try JADEX to Support Protocol-Based for Agent Decision-Making in Open MAS

DynaCIPOM answers will be added to agent beliefs

– Start enhancing a JADEX implemented example with DynaCIPOM

– Implement the TAC-SCM, 2006 example in JADEX with DynaCIPOM

Network Link

Open MAS Open MAS

Contextual InformationDynaCIPOM Answer:


Readings

• About DynaCIPOM:– Dynamically Providing Contextual Protocol Information for Agents in Open Multi-

Agent Systems. For the JAAMAS Journal. To appear.

• About the DynaCROM Approach:– Regulating Open Multi-Agent Systems with DynaCROM. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina;

LUCENA, Carlos; BRIOT, Jean-Pierre; NOYA, Ricardo. In: Second Workshop on Software Engineering for Agent-oriented Systems (SEAS, 2006), 2006, Florianopolis.

– Toward a Normative Ontology for Implementing Contextual Regulations in Open MAS. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; BRIOT, Jean Pierre; BREITMAN, Karin; CASANOVA, Marco; CHOREN, Ricardo. Biblioteca de Informatica da PUC-Rio, 2006 (Monografias em Ciência da Computação no. 31/06).

– An Approach for Contextual Regulations in Open MAS. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; BRIOT, Jean-Pierre; CHOREN, Ricardo . In: Eight International Bi-Conference Workshop on AGENT-ORIENTED INFORMATION SYSTEMS at AAMAS-2006 (AOIS-06), 2006, Japan, 2006.

• About a Case Study for the DynaCROM Approach:– Supporting Regulatory Dynamics in Open MAS. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; CHOREN, Ricardo;

BRIOT, Jean-Pierre; LUCENA, Carlos. In: AAMAS06 Workshop on Coordination, Organization, Institutions and Norms in agent systems (COIN-06), 2006, Japan, 2006.


Readings

• About the DynaCROM Ontology:– Normative Ontologies to Define Regulations Over Roles in Open Multi-Agent

Systems. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; CARVALHO, Gustavo; PAES, Rodrigo. In: AAAI Fall Symposium Roles, an Interdisciplinary Perspective: Ontologies, Programming Languages, and Multiagent Systems. 2005, Virginia, Arlington. AAAI Press, 2005. v. 1. p. 68-72.

– An Approach to Regulate Open Multi-Agent Systems Based On A Generic Normative Ontology. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos. In: First Workshop on Software Engineering for Agent-oriented Systems (SEAS 2005), 2005, Uberlândia.

• About the DynaCROM Rules:– Inferring Contextual Laws with Rules for Regulations in Open Multi-Agent

Systems. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; BRIOT, Jean Pierre; BREITMAN, Karin; CASANOVA, Marco; CHOREN, Ricardo. Biblioteca de Informatica da PUC-Rio, 2006 (Monografias em Ciência da Computação no. 32/06).

– Automating Regulations in Open Multi-Agent Systems. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; BRIOT, Jean-Pierre; BREITMAN, Karin; NOYA, Ricardo. Rio de Janeiro: Assessoria de Biblioteca, Documentação e Informação. PUC-Rio Departamento de Informática, 2006 (Monografias em Ciência da Computação no. 11/06).

• About the DynaCROM First Ideas:– Sweetening Regulated Open Multi-Agent Systems with Support for Agents to Reason

about Laws. FELICÍSSIMO, Carolina; LUCENA, Carlos; SARDINHA, José. Rio de Janeiro: Assessoria de Biblioteca, Documentação e Informação PUC-Rio Departamento de Informática, 2005 (Monografias em Ciência da Computação n 32/05).

Questions ?

dynamically providing contextual information for agents in open mas carolina howard felicíssimo...

Documents

supplier agents

trading agent community

manufacturer agents

feasible slide

sendoffer3990 slide

indication slide

national currency

gb hard disks