Towards a Meta-Modeling and Verification Approach of Multi-Agent Systems Based on the Agent Petri Net Formalism

Abstract

The Agent Petri Nets (APN) formalism provides a set of adapted and specific tools, relations and functions for modeling multi-agent systems (MAS). However, there is a lack of tools for verifying the APN models. In order to fill some of these gaps, we propose in this paper, a meta-modeling approach based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA). The Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) permits to define a generic APN Meta-model in Ecore informal format. Its abstraction level is very high, it offers as a basis for developing system models dedicated to various specific domains. In addition, the Object Constraint Language (OCL) aims to increase the structural verification level of the model and the Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF), for its part, is concerned with generating a graphical editor associated with the APN meta-model. Thus, we combine the rigor of APN formalism with the power of the MDA-based metamodeling tools for verifying APN models.