PROMAS 2011

The ProMAS workshop series has produced, throughout this decade, a number of solid contributions towards programming languages and development tools that are appropriate for the development of complex autonomous systems that operate in dynamic environments. With applications of autonomous software (e.g., UAVs, companion robots, ambient intelligence, and semantic applications, to name just a few) becoming required with wide commercial interest, it is imperative to support the ever more complex task of professional programmers of multi-agent systems. Importantly, such languages and tools must be developed in a principled but practical way. ProMAS aims to address both theoretical and practical issues related to developing and deploying multi-agent systems.  

Now in its 9th edition, ProMAS has been an invaluable venue bringing together leading researchers from both academia and industry to discuss issues on the design of programming languages and tools for multi-agent systems. In particular, the workshop promotes the discussion and exchange of ideas concerning the techniques, concepts, requirements, and principles that are important for multi-agent programming technology. These include the theory and applications of agent programming languages, how to effectively implement a multi-agent system design or specification, the verification and analysis of agent systems, as well as the implementation of social structures in agent-based systems (e.g., organisations, coordination, and communication in multi-agent systems). 

We encourage the submission of proposals for programming languages and tools that provide specific programming constructs to facilitate the implementation of the essential concepts used in multi-agent system analysis and specifications (e.g., mental attitudes, distribution, and social interaction). We also welcome submissions describing significant multi-agent applications, as well as agent programming tools that allow the integration of agents with legacy systems. Further, we are particularly interested in approaches or applications that show clearly the added-value of multi-agent programming, and explain why and how this technology should be adopted by designers and programmers both in academia and industry.

Programming Languages for multi-agent systems • Programming models and abstractions for multi-agent systems • Extensions of traditional languages for multi-agent programming • Theoretical and practical aspects of multi-agent programming • Computational complexity of MAS • Semantics for multi-agent programming languages • High-level executable multi-agent specification languages • Algorithms, techniques, or protocols for multi-agent issues (e.g., coordination, cooperation, negotiation) • Agent communication issues in multi-agent programming • Programming of social and organisational aspects of MAS • Programming environment aspects of MAS • Formal methods for specification and verification of MAS • Verification tools for implementations of MAS • Agent development tools and platforms • Generic tools and infrastructures for multi-agent programming • Interoperability and standards for MAS • Programming mobile agents • Safety and security for mobile MAS deployment • Fault tolerance and load balancing for mobile MAS • Application areas for multi-agent programming languages • Applications using legacy systems • Programming MAS for Pervasive Applications • Programming MAS for Multi-Robot Systems • Programming MAS for Autonomous Software (e.g., UAVs) • Programming MAS for Grid-based applications • Programming MAS for the Semantic Web • Deployed (industrial-strength) MAS • Benchmarks and testbeds for comparing MAS languages and tools • Integration of multi-agent and mainstream technologies