Decision-Centric Information Monitoring

We are interested in information management for decision support applications, especially those that monitor distributed, heterogeneous databases to assess time-critical decisions. Users of such applications can easily be overwhelmed with data that may change rapidly, may conflict, and may be redundant. Developers are faced with a dilemma: either filter out most information and risk excluding critical items, or gather possibly irrelevant or redundant information, and overwhelm the decision maker. This paper describes a solution to this dilemma called decision-centric information monitoring (DCIM). First, we observe that decision support systems should monitor only information that can potentially change some decision. We present an architecture for DCIM that meets the requirements implied by this observation. We describe techniques for identifying the highest value information to monitor and techniques for monitoring that information despite autonomy, distribution, and heterogeneity of data sources. Finally, we present lessons learned from building LOOKOUT, which is to our knowledge the first implementation of a top-to-bottom system performing decision-centric information monitoring.     

动态非线性智能体网络的渐近一致协议

提出了由一般非线性方程描述的多个智能体组成的网络达成渐近一致的概念,以及多动态智能体网络的渐近一致协议问题,介绍了表征网络信息流的图论知识,讨论了在一定的网络信息流拓扑结构情况下,使用非线性控制理论得出的多动态智能体网络最终达成渐近一致的协议的形式、计算方法及其存在条件。运用该一致协议对多无人机系统进行编队控制,其仿真结果表明了该一致协议的应用领域和有效性。     

A hierarchical, agent-based service oriented architecture for smart environments

Service Oriented Architectures, which allow for the integration of different subsystems and of applications running on different devices and platforms, may be very suitable to solve the problem of service personalization in large smart environments like cities, where the number of potential users and potentially available services is rapidly growing. Taking this into account, we have designed an agent-based service oriented architecture for smart spaces. Two of the greatest challenges in the design of such a solution are providing effective device, service and context federation and composition mechanisms and handling user mobility. For the first challenge, we have designed a hierarchical architecture and developed a set of inheritance, aggregation and access mechanisms for devices, services and context. To handle user mobility, we have followed three different strategies, using stationary, mobile or nomadic agents. In this paper, we describe the main aspects of our architecture and perform an experimental evaluation to determine the advantages and drawbacks of the different strategies.     

Modeling expert problem solving in a game of chance: a Yahtzee© case study

Although developments on software agents have led to useful applications in automation of routine tasks such as electronic mail filtering, there is a scarcity of research that empirically evaluates the performance of a software agent versus that of a human reasoner, whose problem-solving capabilities the agent embodies. In the context of a game of a chance, namely Yahtzee©, we identified strategies deployed by expert human reasoners and developed a decision tree for agent development. This paper describes the computer implementation of the Yahtzee game as well as the software agent. It also presents a comparison of the performance of humans versus an automated agent. Results indicate that, in this context, the software agent embodies human expertise at a high level of fidelity.     

A metagenetic algorithm for information filtering and collection from the World Wide Web

This paper describes the implementation of evolutionary techniques for information filtering and collection from the World Wide Web. We consider the problem of building intelligent agents to facilitate a person's search for information on the Web. An intelligent agent has been developed that uses a metagenetic algorithm in order to collect and recommend Web pages that will be interesting to the user. The user's feedback on the agent's recommendations drives the learning process to adapt the user's profile with his/her interests. The software agent utilizes the metagenetic algorithm to explore the search space of user interests. Experimental results are presented in order to demonstrate the suitability of the metagenetic algorithm's approach on the Web.     

Towards a Mobile Code Management Environment for Complex,Real-Time,Distributed Systems

We present a novel mobile code management environment,currently under design and development. Our design employs anopen architecture, suitable for ``plug-and-play' with COTS andother groups' tools. While we have studied new algorithms, costand objective functions, and other fundamental issues, the maincontribution of this experimental research work is in the environmentitself. It should be noted that networked platforms, such asthe World Wide Web, are inherently not suitable for traditional,predictable real-time applications. Thus, real-time concernsnecessarily need to be blended with others concerns, and thetarget applications, making use of our environment, will toobe a blend of partially hard real-time and partially (or mostly)soft-real- time ones. The prototype environment will thereforesupport performance-based analysis and management focusing notonly on predictability but also on compilation, efficiency, safetyand other tradeoffs. We have selected the Java language and itsbytecode format as a representation for mobile code as well asa language for our implementation.     

Information agent technology for the Internet: A survey

The vast amount of heterogeneous information sources available on the Internet demands advanced solutions for acquiring, mediating, and maintaining relevant information for the common user. Intelligent information agents are autonomous computational software entities that are especially meant to (1) provide pro-active resource discovery, (2) resolve information impedance of information consumers and providers, and (3) offer value-added information services and products. These agents are supposed to cope with the difficulties associated with the information overload of the user, preferably just in time.

Based on a systematic classification of intelligent information agents, this paper presents an overview of the basic key enabling technologies needed to build such agents, and respective examples of information agent systems currently deployed on the Internet.     

空间元数据研究及应用

分布式地理空间数据的快速导航一直是分布式GIS研究的重点。针对地理空间数据的特点,在已有空间元数据标准的基础上,构造了一个分层空间元数据库框架,设计实现了不同级别的空间元数据库,很好地组织和管理了分布在网络上的地理空间数据库及其数据;在分层空间元数据库的支持下,基于地图（图层）的4个基本要素（专题、空间范围、地层、时间）,设计了一个面向用户的地理空间数据请求描述规范,并据此实现了一个基于多Agent的分布工地理空间数据查找策略,该策略能够很好地确定性或非确定性地理空间数据快速导航的要求。     

Service level management with agent technology

This paper outlines a generic evaluation methodology for multimedia and real time applications. It concentrates on the application layer and the service aspect. Principles of software evaluation for quality assessment and measurement for networked services and distributed applications are used to present a specific method for measuring important characteristics. The method and the measurement procedure allow comparison of the actual characteristics of service quality with the required characteristics and thresholds. The proof of concepts will be made by the implementation of quality measurement agents following the approach outlined in this paper. Our approach of performing service level management (SLM) with agent technology is distributed, slim, minimizable to the maximum, independent in its methodology and offers comparable, objective results.