X-MAS ALFA PROJECT
Exchanging Multi-Agent Systems Technology
X-MAS is a network of six partners from both, Europe and Latin America,
which is funded for the year 1996 by the European Union through the ALFA
European Program.
X-MAS Project has already finished. A complete report assembling all
the contributions have been produced and sent to the ALFA Program secretariat
in Brussels. As a consequence of the technology transfer one PhD has started
(from TecPar/Curitiba) and another has been finished (UFRGS). Moreover
one Masters Thesis (from CEFET/Curitiba) has also been presented based
on the precise topic that had been selected by the consortium as illustrative
of the Multi-Agent Systems technology (Decentralized Corrosion Control
in oil refineries).
X-MAS Partners
of five different countries are the following:
-
Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
- (NIAD&R-LIACC) Porto, Portugal,
Eugenio Oliveira
-
Queen Mary Westfield College/University of London - London, UK
Nick Jennings
-
Universite de Technologie de Compiegne - Compiegne, France
Jean-Paul Barthes
-
Centro Federal de Tecnologia do Parana' - Curitiba, Brasil
Celso Kaestner
-
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre
Rosa Viccari
-
Universidad Nacional del Sur - Bahia Blanca, Argentina
Guillermo Simari
Coordinator is
who is Professor at the University
of Oporto, Department of Computing and Electrical Engineering, Faculty
of Engineering, and the responsible for the
NIAD&R-Distributed
Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Laboratory.
E-mail: eco@fe.up.pt
Mail: Faculdade de Engenharia, Rua dos Bragas, 4099 PORTO codex,
PORTUGAL
Fax: (351) 2 319280
X-MAS OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of X_MAS is the transference of know-how, both methods
and techniques in the field of Distributed Artificial Intelligence in general
and of Multi-Agent Systems in particular to interested Latin American partners.
More specificaly, what has to be achieved is the identification of classes
of relevant problems in Brasil and/or Argentina Industry and/or Services
that can benefit from the Multi-Agent Systems approach. Activities that
are envisaged include meetings and workshops open to representatives of
potential application domains, in Latin America. It is foreseen that Energy
distribution, oil refinaries, banks could be important sectors that could
be receptive to Multi-Agent Systems technology. It is expected that Latin
American partners will be able to be in close touch with these application
fields in order to raise their interest on future projects. Moreover, one
of the Brasilian partners (CEFET) will make the interface with TECPAR,
a technological Institute from Parana' which is directly working with industry.
UTC has also experience on collecting problems from industry, as well as
to select and present to them possible solutions. Jean-Paul Barthes is
the head of IIIA, the Institut International d'Intelligence Artificielle,
sponsored by several important European companies. FEUP and QMWC will be
more on the theoretical side, due to their know-how on Agents architecture,
Agents Cooperation (including both, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution),
and other advanced features like Truth Maintenance and Agents intensionality.
FEUP is also in charge of the project coordination. It is also expected
some contribution on Agents communication languages by the UFRG partner.
At the end of the project we intend to deliver descriptions of possible
solutions for relevant problems through the use of Multi-Agent Systems
Technology.
X-MAS MEETINGS
Relevant BIBLIOGRAPHY
Papers from Nick Jennings are directly available in Post-script (and zipped)
format, from the following address:
-
Nick
Publications
-
J. Huang, N. R. Jennings and J. Fox, (1995) "An agent-based approach to
Health Care Management" Int. Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence
9 (4) 401-420.
-
N. R. Jennings (1994) "The ARCHON System and its Applications" Proc Second
Int. Working Conf. on Cooperating Knowledge Based Systems (CKBS-94), Keele,
UK, 13-29 (Invited Paper).
-
N. R. Jennings, J. Corera, I. Laresgoiti, E. H. Mamdani, F. Perriolat,
P. Skarek and L. Z. Varga (1996) "Using ARCHON to develop real-word DAI
applications for electricity transportation management and particle accelerator
control" IEEE Expert.
-
N. R. Jennings, P. Faratin, M. J. Johnson, P. O'Brien and M. E. Wiegand
(1996) "Using Intelligent Agents to Manage Business Processes " Proc. First
Int. Conf. on The Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent
Technology (PAAM96), London, UK.
-
N. R. Jennings, L. Z. Varga, R. P. Aarnts, J. Fuchs and P. Skarek, (1993),
"Transforming Standalone Expert Systems into a Community of Cooperating
Agents", Int. Journal of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence
6 (4) 317-331.
-
N. R. Jennings and M. J. Wooldridge (1995) "Applying Agent Technology"
Int. Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence 9 (4) 351-369.
Papers from Eugenio Oliveira are directly available in Post-script
format, by clicking the following link:
Last Updated: 08/05/96