Aiming at the requirements of urgency and dynamics in emergency logistics, this paper presents a multi-agent system (MAS) concept model for emergency logistics collaborative decision making. The suggested model includes three kinds of agents, i.e., role agent, function agent and assistant agent. Role agent excutes emergency logistics activities, function agent achieves the task requirements in every work phase and assistant agent helps organizing and visiting data. Two levels agent views serve as the basic skeleton of the MAS. Top level is the global decision-making view, which describes the task distribution process with multiple agents. Local level is the execution planning view, which simulates task executing process of the performer. Finally, an extended BDI agent structure model is proposed to help the implementation at application level.
Currently, the decision making of emergency logistics is faced with increasing challenges caused by deficient information, uncertain requirement and shortest response time. Agent-based modeling and multi-agent system have been proved as a promising ways in this field. Based on the previous work of emergency logistics decision framework, this paper presents a detailed design of agent internal structure of the emergency logistics multi-agent system. Some typical agents, such as logistics entity agent, task distribution agent and ontology visiting agent, are discussed from the composed function modules to the specific implementation. As the illustrative examples, the design of these primary agents can characterizes the basic structure of another agent in the emergency logistics multi-agent system, and it will be considered as the effective reference for system implementation.
Due to the command and control relationship in emergency logistics process, the emergency logistics agent shows some semi-autonomous features as it is not completely autonomous. Aiming at the implementation of the semi-autonomous feature, this paper presents a control structure as the basis of communication among the role agents in emergency logistics multi-agent system. The suggested control structure is composed by the controller, communicator and control property set. The control property set and its corresponding ACL primitive is the core of the whole structure for representing the semi-autonomous feature, which can simulate the control behavior in the practical emergency logistics process. By means of the control property set, the controller can set the control property to the preparing information for transmission, and the communicator can encapsulate the preparing information into the FIPA ACL message with the extended control primitive. Finally, an illustrative example of multi-agent communication is proposed to validate the effectiveness of the suggested semi-autonomous structure.
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