A knowledge hierarchy model for adaptive multi-agent systems

Abstract

Adaptivity in software is important since business processes, business rules and business terms constantly evolve. A radical solution is described that makes use of the inherent adaptivity of software agents. The Adaptive Agent Model (AAM) represents business knowledge in a hierarchical structure consisting of a business concepts layer, a business rules layer, and a business processes layer. Collectively, these form a knowledge base sourced from the business requirements, that is available to running agents. Such externalised knowledge is easily maintained. Using a case study, the knowledge hierarchy is described and its contribution to the goal of software adaptivity assessed.Keywords: adaptivity; software agent; agent-oriented software engineering; business rule; business process; object-oriented; OO; software engineering; requirements modelling; knowledge engineering; KE. Biographical notes: Liang Xiao is a research fellow with the Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia Group, at the University of Southampton. He received his BSc from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), his MSc from the University of Edinburgh, and PhD from Queen's University, Belfast. He has worked in the telecommunications industry as a software designer and programmer. His experience in solving real domain problems has stimulated his interests in the area of software engineering. Specifically, his research work focuses on software adaptivity, agent-oriented modelling and requirements engineering (RE). The results of his research have been presented and published in journals and international conferences.Des Greer is a Lecturer in Computer Science at the Queen's University, Belfast. He is a graduate of QUB and received his Master's and Doctorate Degrees from the University of Ulster. Before his career in academia at Queens and previously at Ulster, he worked in industry as an analyst-programmer and his research is inspired by real problems in software engineering. His particular research interests are in iterative and incremental software processes, software evolution planning, software risk management and software adaptivity. He teaches software engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels and is a member of the ACM and IEEE.