Engineering Multi-Agent Systems (Dagstuhl Seminar 12342)

Abstract

This report documents the programme and outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 12342 ``Engineering multiagent  Systems''. The seminar brought together researchers from both academia and industry to identify the potential for and facilitate convergence towards standards for agent technology. As such it was particularly  relevant to industrial research.

A key objective of the seminar, moreover, has been to establish a road map for engineering multiagent  systems. Various research areas have been identified as important topics for a research agenda with a focus on the development of multiagent  systems. Among others, these include the integration of agent technology and legacy systems, component-based agent design, standards for tooling, establishing benchmarks for agent technology, and the development of frameworks for coordination and organisation of multiagent  systems. This report presents a more detailed discussion of these and other research challenges that were identified.

The unique atmosphere of Dagstuhl provided the perfect environment for leading researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds to discuss future directions in programming languages, tools and platforms for multiagent  systems, and the road map produced by the seminar will have a timely and decisive impact on the future of this whole area of research.