Multi-item Auctions for Automatic Negotiation

Available resources can often be limited with regard to the number of demands. In this paper we propose an approach for solving this problem which consists of using the mechanisms of multi-item auctions for allocating the resources to a set of software agents. We consider the resource problem as a market in which there are vendor agents and buyer agents trading on items representing the resources. These agents use multi-item auctions which are viewed here as a process of automatic negotiation, and implemented as a network of intelligent software agents. In this negotiation, agents exhibit different acquisition capabilities which let them act differently depending on the current context or situation of the market. For example, the "richer" an agent is, the more items it can buy, i.e. the more resources it can acquire. We present a model for this approach based on the English auction, then we discuss experimental evidence of such a model. Dans un environnement multiagent, les ressources peuvent toujours s'avérer insuffisantes relativement à un nombre élevé de demandes. Dans ce cahier, nous proposons une approche mixant les enchères et les agents logiciels en vue de contribuer à résoudre ce problème. Cette approche consiste en fait à utiliser le mécanisme d'enchères multi-articles en vue d'allouer les ressources à un ensemble d'agents. À cet effet, nous considérons le problème de ressources comme un marché dans lequel évoluent des agents acheteurs et des agents vendeurs négociant des articles représentant des ressources. Ces agents utilisent des enchères multi-articles et par conséquent ils constituent un processus de négociation automatisé et programmé comme un réseau d'agents logiciels. Dans ce type de négociation, chaque agent exhibe différentes capacités d'acquisition lui permettant ainsi d'agir différemment selon le contexte ou la situation de marché. Par exemple, plus on est riche, plus on peut acheter d'articles. Nous présentons pour ce modèle une enchère anglaise et nous discuterons ses résultats expérimentaux.Multi-agent systems, Negotiations, Multi-item auctions, Systèmes multiagents, négociations, enchères multi items

Multi-item Auctions for Automatic Negotiation

Dans un environnement multiagent, les ressources peuvent toujours s'avérer insuffisantes relativement à un nombre élevé de demandes. Dans ce cahier, nous proposons une approche mixant les enchères et les agents logiciels en vue de contribuer à résoudre ce problème. Cette approche consiste en fait à utiliser le mécanisme d'enchères multi-articles en vue d'allouer les ressources à un ensemble d'agents. À cet effet, nous considérons le problème de ressources comme un marché dans lequel évoluent des agents acheteurs et des agents vendeurs négociant des articles représentant des ressources. Ces agents utilisent des enchères multi-articles et par conséquent ils constituent un processus de négociation automatisé et programmé comme un réseau d'agents logiciels. Dans ce type de négociation, chaque agent exhibe différentes capacités d'acquisition lui permettant ainsi d'agir différemment selon le contexte ou la situation de marché. Par exemple, plus on est riche, plus on peut acheter d'articles. Nous présentons pour ce modèle une enchère anglaise et nous discuterons ses résultats expérimentaux.Available resources can often be limited with regard to the number of demands. In this paper we propose an approach for solving this problem which consists of using the mechanisms of multi-item auctions for allocating the resources to a set of software agents. We consider the resource problem as a market in which there are vendor agents and buyer agents trading on items representing the resources. These agents use multi-item auctions which are viewed here as a process of automatic negotiation, and implemented as a network of intelligent software agents. In this negotiation, agents exhibit different acquisition capabilities which let them act differently depending on the current context or situation of the market. For example, the "richer" an agent is, the more items it can buy, i.e. the more resources it can acquire. We present a model for this approach based on the English auction, then we discuss experimental evidence of such a model

Sound Multi-Party Business Protocols for Service Networks

Service networks comprise large numbers of long-running, highly dynamic complex end-to-end service interactions reflecting asynchronous message flows that typically transcend several organizations and span several geographical locations. At the communication level, service network business protocols can be flexible ranging from conventional inter-organizational point-to-point service interactions to fully blown dynamic multi-party interactions of global reach within which each participant may contribute its activities and services. In this paper we introduce a formal framework enriched with temporal constraints to describe multiparty business protocols for service networks. We extend this framework with the notion of multi-party business protocol soundness and show how it is possible to execute a multi-party protocol consistently in a completely distributed manner while guaranteeing eventual termination

An Evaluation of Inter-Organizational Workflow Modelling Formalisms

This paper evaluates the dynamic aspects of the UML in the context of inter-organizational workflows. Two evaluation methodologies are used. The first one is ontological and is based on the BWW (Bunge-Wand-Weber) models. The second validation is based on prototyping and consists in the development of a workflow management system in the aerospace industry. Both convergent and divergent results are found from the two validations. Possible enhancements to the UML formalism are suggested from the convergent results. On the other hand, the divergent results suggest the need for a contextual specification in the BWW models. Ce travail consiste en une évaluation des aspects dynamiques du language UML dans un contexte de workflow inter-organisationnel. Le choix du language par rapport à d'autres est motivé par sa richesse grammaticale lui offrant une très bonne adaptation à ce contexte. L'évaluation se fait par une validation ontologique basée sur les modèles BWW (Bunge-Wand-Weber) et par la réalisation d'un prototype de système de gestion de workflows inter-organisationnels. À partir des résultats convergents obtenus des deux différentes analyses, des améliorations au formalisme UML sont suggérées. D'un autre coté, les analyses divergentes suggèrent une possibilité de spécifier les modèles BWW à des contextes plus particuliers tels que ceux des workflows et permettent également de suggérer d'autres améliorations possibles au langage.Ontology, Conceptual study, Prototype Validation, UML, IS development methods and tools., Ontologie, étude conceptuelle, validation du prototype, UML, méthodes et outils de développement IS

Evaluating social choice techniques into intelligent environments by agent based social simulation

The primary hypothesis stated by this paper is that the use of social choice theory in Ambient Intelligence systems can improve significantly users satisfaction when accessing shared resources. A research methodology based on agent based social simulations is employed to support this hypothesis and to evaluate these benefits. The result is a six-fold contribution summarized as follows. Firstly, several considerable differences between this application case and the most prominent social choice application, political elections, have been found and described. Secondly, given these differences, a number of metrics to evaluate different voting systems in this scope have been proposed and formalized. Thirdly, given the presented application and the metrics proposed, the performance of a number of well known electoral systems is compared. Fourthly, as a result of the performance study, a novel voting algorithm capable of obtaining the best balance between the metrics reviewed is introduced. Fifthly, to improve the social welfare in the experiments, the voting methods are combined with cluster analysis techniques. Finally, the article is complemented by a free and open-source tool, VoteSim, which ensures not only the reproducibility of the experimental results presented, but also allows the interested reader to adapt the case study presented to different environments

An Evaluation of Formalisms for Negotiations in E-Commerce

. The diversity of negotiation types in e-commerce calls for a clear description of the rules that govern them. The participant has to know the rules before engaging in a negotiation, and to this end, a formalism is needed which allows for the serialization and visualization of the rules. Furthermore, this formal description should be executable, in order to simulate the negotiation process and investigate its compliance with the underlying requirements. As a consequence of such formalization, the negotiation process and the software supporting it may be separated. This paper discusses the requirements for a formalism that is appropriate for capturing negotiation processes. It then presents five major techniques and formalisms for describing such processes and evaluates them according to the requirements. The paper concludes that the Statechart formalism is most suitable for the negotiation types considered. 1 Introduction According to the Object Management Group (OMG) and..