Intelligent Software Agents: Foundations and Applications

ISBN-13: 9783642804861 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 326 str.

Walter Brenner; R. Diger Zarnekow; Hartmut Wittig

Opis

2 chapter contains examples of intelligent agents, arranged according to their appli cation areas. Chapter 7 closes with a prospective view of the future development of intelligent agents. Everyone concerned with the Internet and the new possibilities of information and communication technology knows that nowadays there is no area that is devel oping faster. The authors are aware of the dynamics of this research area and its effects when they describe such a fast developing area in a slow, traditional me dium like a book. One thing is sure today: when the book appears on the market, new intelligent agents will already exist and some of the hypotheses made by this book will have been shown to be incorrect. Why, despite this, does it make sense to write a classical book on this subject? Is there an alternative? Experience shows that the majority of the people in business and public life who make decisions on the use of new technologies continue to prefer books and articles in periodicals rather than electronic sources such as the Internet. Or is there some other reason for the enormous success of Nicolas Negroponte's book Being Digital, which we thank for multimedia and many concepts of the digital and networked world, and even intelligent agents? Today, a book is still the only way to establish a new area."

Spis treści

1 Introduction.- I: Fundamentals.- 2 Agents as Tools of the Information Society.- 2.1 On the Way to the Information Society.- 2.2 Tools of the Information Society.- 2.3 Intelligent Software Agents.- 2.3.1 Intelligent Agents in the Business Area.- 2.3.2 Intelligent Agents in the Private Area.- 2.4 Economic Potential.- 2.4.1 Potential Benefit from the User’s Viewpoint.- 2.4.2 Potential Benefit from the Viewpoint of the Information and Communications Industry.- 2.5 State of the Research and the Practical Applications.- 2.6 Summary.- 3 Fundamental Concepts of Intelligent Software Agents.- 3.1 Definition of Intelligent Software Agents.- 3.2 Characteristics of Intelligent Software Agents.- 3.3 Classification.- 3.4 Summary.- 4 Base Modules of Agent Systems.- 4.1 Areas of Influence.- 4.1.1 Artificial Intelligence.- 4.1.2 Distributed Artificial Intelligence.- 4.1.3 Network and Communications Systems.- 4.2 Architecture.- 4.2.1 Deliberative and Reactive Agents.- 4.2.2 Stationary and Mobile Agents.- 4.2.3 Existing Architectures.- 4.3 Communication and Cooperation in Multi-Agent Systems.- 4.3.1 Introduction.- 4.3.2 Distributed Problem Solving.- 4.3.3 Communication.- 4.3.4 Cooperation Protocols.- 4.3.5 Negotiations.- 4.3.6 Matchmaking and Brokering.- 4.4 Learning and Planning in Multi-Agent Systems.- 4.5 Security.- 4.6 Demands Made on the Base Systems.- 4.6.1 Introduction.- 4.6.2 Agent Runtime Environment.- 4.6.3 Middleware.- 4.6.4 Computer Operating System and Communications System.- 4.7 Development Tendencies.- 4.7.1 Introduction.- 4.7.2 Intelligent Agents in Multimedia Environments.- 4.7.3 Multimedia and Intelligent Agents.- 4.8 Summary.- 5 Development Methods and Tools.- 5.1 Agent-Oriented Analysis and Design.- 5.1.1 Object-Oriented Analysis.- 5.1.2 Agent-Oriented Methods.- 5.2 Agent Languages.- 5.2.1 Requirements.- 5.2.2 Java.- 5.2.3 Telescript.- 5.2.4 Tcl/Tk, Safe-Tcl, Agent-Tcl.- 5.3 Component-Based Software Development.- 5.4 Summary.- II: Applications.- 6 Application Areas for Intelligent Software Agents.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Information Retrieval and Filtering.- 6.2.1 Introduction.- 6.2.2 Simple Search Engines.- 6.2.3 Meta Search Engines.- 6.3 NewsWatcher.- 6.3.1 Introduction.- 6.3.2 Market Overview.- 6.3.3 PointCast Network.- 6.3.4 FreeLoader.- 6.3.5 Concepts.- 6.3.6 Architecture.- 6.4 Advising and Focusing.- 6.4.1 Introduction.- 6.4.2 Market Overview.- 6.4.3 IBM Web Browser Intelligence.- 6.4.4 Letizia.- 6.5 Entertainment.- 6.5.1 Introduction.- 6.5.2 Market Overview.- 6.5.3 LifestyleFinder.- 6.5.4 Firefly.- 6.6 Groupware.- 6.6.1 Introduction.- 6.6.2 Market Overview.- 6.6.3 Lotus Notes Mail.- 6.6.4 MAXIMS.- 6.6.5 PLEIADES.- 6.7 Electronic Commerce.- 6.7.1 Introduction.- 6.7.2 Simple Buying Agents.- 6.7.3 Complex Buying Agents.- 6.7.4 Agent-Based Marketplace.- 6.8 Manufacturing.- 6.9 Summary.- 7 The Future.

O autorze

Dr. Rüdiger Zarnekow ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Wirtschaftsinformatik, an der Technischen Universität Freiberg, wo er 1999 bei Professor Dr. Walter Brenner promovierte. Hartmut Wittig ist Zentralbereichsleiter für Unternehmensstrategie bei der Deutschen Telekom Computer Service Management GmbH (DeTeCSM).Dort sammelte er Erfahrungen in leitenden Tätigkeiten der Internet-Softwareentwicklung. In den vergangenen Jahren war er außerdem als Dozent für Multimedia-Systeme an verschiedenen deutschen Universitäten sowie als Herausgeber der IEEE Multimedia Newsletter tätig. Walter Brenner, Prof. Dr. oec., ist Professor für Wirtschaftsinformatik an der Universität St. Gallen und geschäftsführender Direktor des Instituts für Wirtschaftsinformatik. Zudem ist er freiberuflich als Berater für Informationsmanagements und die Vorbereitung von Unternehmen auf die digitale vernetzte Welt (Internet) tätig.

Blurb

Starting from case studies, the authors develop a methodical representation of intelligent software agents. After laying the foundations they give a comprehensive description of the basic building blocks of agents and agent systems. These include in particular the architectural possibilities for constructing intelligent software agents and cooperation and communication in multiagent systems. Following the discussion of relevant development methods and tools, the application areas for intelligent software agents are explained. In numerous examples the reader will find extensive descriptions of individual software agents, among others the agents Firefly and Kasbah. Equal importance is attached to both the basic building blocks and the practical implementation of intelligent software agents. The book is equally suitable for both users and developers.