面向Agent软件工程综述

面向Agent 软件工程是近年来软件工程领域出现的一个重要的前沿研究方向,受到了学术界和工业界的高度关注和重视,研究活跃,发展迅速.本文从应用需求和技术发展两个方面阐述了面向Agent软件工程的产生和发展背景;从技术、开发和工具3个视点综述了现阶段面向Agent软件工程的研究内容;分析了面向Agent 软件工程的研究现状;最后讨论了它的应用前景和面临的挑战以指导进一步研究.     

面向Agent的软件设计模式

设计模式针对一类在特定上下文中反复出现的问题给出了通用解决方案,模式的提取和重用有助于提高软件开发的效率和质量,其思想和方法已在面向对象软件工程中得到广泛应用和验证。我们认为同一问题采用不同的实现技术往往具有不同的设计形态,不同软件开发范型也有其各自不同的设计模式。作为一种新颖的软件开发范型,近年来面向Agent软件工程的研究取得了长足进展,如何提高软件Agent技术实用性,发挥其技术潜力,扩大其应用范围成为当前人们关注的焦点。本文将模式思想引入到面向Agent软件工程,针对软件Agent技术的特点,从组织结构、交互协作和个体Agent体系结构三个视点提出了一组面向Agent的软件设计模式,以支持多Agent系统的设计;并进一步给出了面向Agent设计模式的描述框架,进行了典型设计模式和应用案例的分析。     

集成Agent技术和软件工程技术

为了满足日益复杂应用的软件开发需求,近年来Agent技术研究的一项重要趋势是与软件工程技术相结合.讨论了集成Agent技术和软件工程技术的背景和需求;介绍了正在开展的基于组织抽象和Caste机制的面向Agent软件工程研究.该项工作的特点是借助于组织学的高层抽象和概念来支持基于Agent系统的分析、建模和体系结构设计,将Caste视为支持基于Agent系统实现的基本模块构件,并建立沟通这二者之间的技术桥梁.     

面向Agent的软件工程

面向Agent的软件工程师近年来软件工程领域出现的一个重要的前沿研究方向,它试图将Agent理论和技术与软件工程的思想、原理和原则相结合,从而为基于Agent系统的开发提供工程化手段。本文综述了面向Agent的软件工程现状,分析了其面临的问题和挑战以指导进一步研究工作。     

面向Agent的软件工程方法学

面向agent的软件工程技术是软件工程和人工智能领域最重要的新技术之一,与现有的开发方法相比,Agent具有较强能力可以对复杂软件系统中的活动实体进行高层抽象。该文讨论了Agent及面向Agent的软件工程技术,说明了软件开发中面向Agent的分析与设计方法。同时给出了面向Agent软件工程分析方法的一个应用实例来进行说明。     

面向Agent软件工程:现状、挑战与展望

面向Agent软件工程是近年出现的一种新颖软件开发范型,它借助于Agent技术来支持软件系统的工程化开发,被视为是支持复杂软件系统开发的一种重要方法和手段,受到了学术界和工业界的高度关注和重视。尽管在过去十年多的时间里面向Agent软件工程的研究取得了诸多进展,但其技术潜力尚有待进一步发挥,走向大规模工业化应用仍面临诸多问题和挑战。在分析面向Agent软件工程产生背景和技术特点的基础上,从方法、过程和工具三个不同的角度,综述了面向Agent软件工程的研究现状,识别和分析了它当前所面临的一组关键挑战,展望和讨论了其未来的研究方向。     

面向对象与面向Agent的比较

本文通过对面向对象技术和面向Agent技术在程序设计、对软件性能的提高和软件工程等三个方面的分析和比较,说明面向Agent技术是面向对象技术的继承和发展,并指出从面向对象到面向Agent的过渡是软件技术发展的趋势.     

软件工程方法的新进展:面向Agent的软件工程

面向Agent的软件工程方法是软件工程领域的一种新方法，与现有的开发方法相比，Agent具有较强能力对复杂软件系统中的活动实体进行高层抽象。分析了面向Agent软件工程方法对复杂软件系统建模的成功之处，并又对面向Agent的高层建模方法和基于面向对象方法的面向Agent的设计方法作了一些研究。     

第三届Agent理论与应用学术会议(Agent2010)征文通知

Agent理论、技术和应用的研究近年来在人工智能、软件工程、信息系统、分布计算、人机交互等领域非常活跃,它日趋与软件工程、信息系统、面向服务计算、数据挖掘、网格计算、对等计算、自治计算和通讯、模拟仿真、自适应和自组织系统等方面的研究相融合,通过交叉和借鉴其他学科知识,为复杂、灵活和具有智能特征的计算机系统开发提供基础理论和关键技术．     

面向Agent的软件工程方法学

软件Agent技术正在成为软件开发领域中一个新的发展方向，现在大多数的Agent研究都是以创建Agent应用程序为目标，即用Agent的概念创建更为强大，更具灵活性和智能性的程序。但是随着Agent技术在各种应用中的发展和成熟，就需要在方法论上对之进行指导。因此，面向Agent的软件方法学就成为Agent研究中最活跃的一个研究领域之一。本文通过对几种在面向Agent软件工程中使用的主流方法学进行分析，指出了Agent方法学在面向Agent软件系统开发中的重要性。与此同时，通过对面向对象和面向Agent的方法学比较，指出现有的面向对象方法学的一些不足，以及如何通过面向Agent的概念进行改进。     

自适应多Agent系统的面向Agent软件开发方法学ODAM

面向Agent软件工程被视为是一种可有效支持复杂系统开发的新颖软件开发范型.为支持复杂多Agent系统的开发,面向Agent软件工程的研究需发挥Agent技术的潜力和灵活性,借鉴软件工程领域已取得的成果,提出了一个面向Agent软件开发方法学ODAM以支持自适应多Agent系统的开发.ODAM以动态绑定机制作为自适应多Agent系统的核心机制,借助于组织学的概念和思想对自适应多Agent系统进行高层抽象和自然建模,以管理和控制系统的复杂度;集成了迭代开发和MDA方法以适应Agent技术平台的多样性,简化复杂自适应系统的开发.介绍了ODAM的方法学框架和具体的技术细节,包括动态绑定机制、基于组织抽象的元模型和建模语言、基于迭代开发和MDA的软件开发过程,并进行了案例分析.     

面向Agent软件工程在企业素质诊断系统中的应用

在企业素质诊断系统的开发中引入AOSE,分析了AOSE方法在实际工作中的不足.在开发过程中以软件智能体系统工程方法学(MESSAGE)建模语言为一致性规则,采用愿望-意图-信念(D-I-B)次序的建模方法进行Agent设计.以JADE和Jadex为开发平台,给出了BDI Agent等关键技术的实现,总结出一个完整和系统的面向Agent软件开发过程.     

Process models for agent-based development

A great deal of research in the area of agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) focuses on proposing methodologies for agent systems, i.e., on identifying the guidelines to drive the various phases of agent-based software development and the abstractions to be exploited in these phases. However, very little attention has been paid so far to the engineering process subjacent to the development activity, disciplining the execution of the different phases involved in the software development. In this paper, we focus on process models for software development and put these in relation with current researches in AOSE. First, we introduce the key concepts and issues related to software processes and present the various software process models currently adopted in mainstream software engineering. Then, we survey the characteristics of a number of agent-oriented methodologies, as they pertain to software processes. In particular, for each methodology, we analyze which software process model it (often implicitly) underlies and which phases of the process are covered by it, thus enabling us to identify some key limitations of currently methodology-centered researches. On this basis, we eventually identify and analyze several open issues in the area of software process models for agent-based development, calling for further researches and experiences.     

Medee Method Framework: a situational approach for organization-centered MAS

This paper presents a situational approach, called Medee Method Framework, which allows the development of organization-centered MAS in a disciplined way, even though some agent organizational (AO) models are not currently incorporated into agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) methods. In order to do that, such a method framework proposes the composition of MAS situational methods out of method fragments according to a given project situation, by applying the principles proposed by situational method engineering. The proposed approach provides a high degree of reuse and flexibility, allowing the composition of new methods as well as the reengineering of AOSE methods based on the standards proposed by SPEM. Furthermore, it allows the user to leverage advantages of both AOSE methods and AO models in order to develop organization-centered MAS. The Medee Method Framework offers a method repository that covers different development phases, such as requirements, analysis, design, implementation, as well as the main components of a MAS application, like agents, environments, interactions, and organizations. This repository has been sourced from several AOSE methods and AO models, as Gaia, Tropos, Ingenias, PASSI, MOISE, and OperA.     

大数据视域下软件工程技术应用的实现路径

随着大数据时代的来临,大数据技术深入贯穿社会生产、生活的方方面面,尤其是随着5G通信技术的广泛应用,软件工程技术的应用迎来了前所未有的发展机遇和挑战。文章将大数据视域下软件工程技术应用的实现路径作为研究对象,从大数据及软件工程技术概述入手,充分分析了软件工程的核心技术,进而提出大数据视域下软件工程技术应用的实现路径,希望以此来不断提高软件工程技术的应用水平。     

面向Agent软件工程研究现状与展望

文章介绍了面向Agent软件工程(AOSE)的关键抽象集,综述了形式化和非形式化AOSE方法、Agent统一模型语言(AUML)、AOSE开发工具的研究现状和存在的主要问题,最后根据面向Agent编程范型表示一种计算的社会观点,基于社会学理论展望了AOSE的下一步发展。     

Development of a peer-to-peer information sharing system using ontologies

Most existing agent-oriented methodologies ignore system extensibility, interoperability and reusability issues. Ontologies have been found to play a significant role in facilitating interoperability, reusability, MAS development activities (including MAS analysis and agent knowledge modeling) and MAS run-time operation (including agent communication and reasoning). However, most of the existing AOSE methodologies do not provide support for ontology-based MAS development. We present software engineering requirements for ontology-based development for MAS and examine an existing methodology, MOBMAS – a “Methodology for Ontology-Based MASs”, which makes use of ontologies as a modeling tool. In this examination, we highlight how MOBMAS can be extended to utilizing ontology roles in facilitating interoperability, reusability and verification. This will be based on using MOBMAS to develop peer-to-peer (P2P) community-based information sharing application which lead us to identify ontology related steps that can be added to enhance MOBMAS. MOBMAS is used by two experienced software developers who were not authors of the methodology, to guide the development of the P2P application.     

Engineering the social: The role of shared artifacts

This paper presents a multidisciplinary approach to engineering socio-technical design. The paper addresses technological design for social interactions that are non-instrumental, and thereby sometimes contradictory or surprising and difficult to model. Through cooperative analysis of cultural probe data and development of agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) models, ethnographers and software engineers participate in conversations around shared artifacts, which facilitate the transition from data collected in a social environment to a socially oriented requirements analysis for informing socio-technical design.To demonstrate how this transition was made, we present a case study of the process of designing technology to support familial relationships, such as playing, gifting, showing, telling and creating memories. The case study is based on data collected in a cultural probes study that explores the diverse, complex and unpredictable design environment of the home. A multidisciplinary team worked together through a process of conversations around shared artifacts to cooperatively analyze collected data and develop models. These conversations provided the opportunity to view the data from the perspective of alternative disciplines that resulted in the emergence of novel understandings and innovative practice.The artifacts in the process included returned probe items, scrapbooks, videos of interviews, photographs, family biographies and the AOSE requirements models. When shared between the two communities of practice, some of these artifacts played important roles in mediating discussions of mutual influence between ethnographers and software engineers. The shared artifacts acted as both triggers for conversations and information vessels—providing a variety of interpretable objects enabling both sides to articulate their understandings in different ways and to collaboratively negotiate understandings of the collected data. Analyzing the interdisciplinary exchange provided insight into the identification of bridging elements that allowed ‘the social’ to permeate the processes of analysis, requirements elicitation and design.     

Suitability assessment framework of agent-based software architectures

ContextA common distributed intelligent system architecture is Multi Agent Systems (MASs). Creating systems with this architecture has been recently supported by Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) methodologies. But two questions remain: how do we determine the suitability of a MAS implementation for a particular problem? And can this be determined without AOSE expertise?ObjectiveGiven the relatively small number of software engineers that are AOSE experts, many problems that could be better solved with a MAS system are solved using more commonly known but not necessarily as suitable development approaches (e.g. object-oriented). The paper aims to empower software engineers, who are not necessarily AOSE experts, in deciding whether or not they should advocate the use of an MAS technology for a given project.MethodThe paper will construct a systematic framework to identify key criteria in a problem requirement definition to assess the suitability of a MAS solution. The criteria are first identified using an iterative process. The features are initially identified from MAS implementations, and then validated against related work. This is followed by a statistical analysis of 25 problems that characterise agent-oriented solutions previously developed to group features into key criteria.ResultsKey criteria were sufficiently prominent using factor analysis to construct a framework which provides a process that identifies within the requirements the criteria discovered. This framework is then evaluated for assessing suitability of a MAS architecture, by non-AOSE experts, on two real world problems: an electricity market simulation and a financial accounting system.ConclusionSubstituting a software engineer’s personal inclination to (or not to) use a MAS, our framework provides an objective mechanism. It can supplant current practices where the decision to use a MAS architecture for a given problem remains an informal process. It was successfully illustrated on two real world problems to assess the suitability of a MAS implementation. This paper will potentially facilitate the take up of MAS technology.     

基于构件组装的应用软件开发过程研究*

基于构件的软件开发方法是目前一种流行的软件生产技术,其核心围绕着构件的开发与组装技术。但如何结合实际应用要求实施基于构件组装的软件开发过程是一个值得进一步研究的课题。为此,根据基于构件的软件组装技术的概念和原理,提出一种应用系统组装框架,从软件体系结构的角度研究了构件的开发与组装方法,并将这一技术应用到软件工程网络课堂教学系统的开发上。相关实践活动表明,提出的方法可有效地获得一个适应性强的应用系统。