MAS&S'06

Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide powerful models for representing real-world environments with an appropriate degree of complexity and dynamism. Several industrial experiences have already shown that the use of MAS offers advantages in manufacturing processes, e-Commerce, and network management. Since MAS in such contexts are to be tested before their actual deployment and execution, methodologies that support validation through simulation of the MAS under development are highly required. In fact, validation through simulation can demonstrate that a MAS correctly behaves according to its specifications. Moreover, discrete-event simulators can be adopted to evaluate how complex MAS work on scales much larger than those achievable in real testbeds.

Agent-based simulation techniques and methodologies • Discrete-event simulation of Multi-Agent Systems • Simulation as Validation Tool for the development process of MAS • Agent-oriented Methodologies incorporating Simulation tools • MAS Simulation driven by formal models • MAS Simulation toolkits and frameworks • Testing vs. Simulation of MAS • Agents as modeling concept enabling communication between domain experts and simulationists • Industrial case studies based on MAS and simulation/testing • Agent Computational Economics/Agent Computational Finance