From the specification to the implementation of norms: an automatic approach to generate rules from norms to govern the behavior of agents

Open multi-agent systems composed of heterogeneous, autonomous and independently designed agents are usually governed by a set of norms. The established norms regulate the behavior of the agents by pointing out their permissions, prohibitions and obligations. This paper presents a normative language to specify norms and proposes the implementation of such norms by using a rule-based system. The implementation is achieved by automatically transforming the specification of each norm of the system into a set of rules used to govern the behavior of the agents according to the norm. The governance system is able to activate and deactivate norms, to point out the norms violations and fulfillments and to inform about punishments and rewards.