Abstract
In this paper, the author describes a graphical conceptual modelling language called MODEL-ECS that is used to model the components of a mobile agent. The use of this language to model the PROJECTION COMPONENT of the Perception Mechanism of a mobile agent is demonstrated. This modelling language uses conceptual structures (i.e., Conceptual Graphs, Actor Graphs, and Problem Maps) as its primitive modelling constructs. The Knowledge Analysis and Design Support (KADS) conceptual modelling principles are adopted in building the Knowledge Sources and the Problem Solving Methods (PSMs) for constructing the components of a mobile agent. There are three main reasons (resulting in three major advantage) for using MODEL-ECS to construct the components of a mobile agent: (1) the executable components in the form of PSMs are much easier to transport from one Agent Server to the next, because you only have to send a flat file consisting of the conceptual structures that make up the PSM; (2) it is much easier to manipulate conceptual structures to construct a PSM, rather then writing a program; (3) the conceptual structures are specifically designed to maintain their current value, thus, enabling the PSMs of a mobile agent to be suspended at any time, so the agent can be transported to the next location, and it can commence execution from where it left off. These three advantages are crucial to the successful implementation of a robust extendable mobile agent architecture.
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Lukose, D. (1997). Modelling extendible mobile agents. In: Zhang, C., Lukose, D. (eds) Multi-Agent Systems Methodologies and Applications. DAI 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1286. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030080
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030080
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