Year 2005: Volume II Issue I Special Issue on Applications of Software Agents in Engineering Guest Editors: Javier Carbo, Jose

M. Molina, Jesus Garcia CONTENTS 1. Paper Title: Editorial Comments Special Issue on Applications of Software Agents in Engineering. (PDF) Authors: Javier Carbo, Jose M. Molina, Jesus Garcia Area: Abstract: This special issue contains papers presented at the Workshop of Applications of Software Agents in Engineering held at 16th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence. The objective of this issue is to offer a collection of high-quality contributions that reflect and advance the state-of-the art in the application of software agents to solve real-world problems. This special issue is focused on how (industrial rather than academic) problems of engineering may be faced by AI techniques involving the use of autonomous agents.

2. Paper Title: Intrusion Detection Effectiveness Improvement by a Multi-agent System. Authors: Agustn Orfila , Javier Carbo and Arturo Ribagorda. (PDF) Area: Multi-agent Systems Abstract: Recent studies about Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) performance reveal that the value of an IDS and its optimal operation point depend not only on the Hit and False alarm rates but also on costs (such as those associated with making incorrect decisions about detection) and the hostility of the operating environment. An adaptive multiagent IDS is proposed in this paper and it is evaluated according to a promising metric that take into account all these parameters. This paper shows results of a prototype that clearly point out how multiagent technology can improve IDS effectiveness.

3. Paper Title: Multi-Agent Based Simulation of News Digital Markets. (PDF) Authors : Maite Lpez-Snchez, Xavier Noria, Juan A. Rodrguez, Nigel Gilbert. Area: Multi-agent Systems Abstract: Over the past few years it has become clear that the Internet will play an ever greater role in the distribution of digital contents. Businesses have to start now understanding the dynamics of this new market and gaining insight into how to exploit the impending paradigm shift in contents, marketing, and distribution. Our main aim is to provide businesses in the digital contents sector with a tool which will enable them to take informed business strategy decisions

and become more competitive by adapting their traditional business models to the new, demanding reality. To achieve this objective, we have implemented a first version of a news market model called SimwebAB that is based on multi-agent simulation technology.

4. Paper Title: Towards Engineering a Location-Aware Wireless Multi-agent System. (PDF) Authors: Ignacio Nieto Carvajal, Mercedes Valds, Juan A. Bota Blaya, Pedro M. Ruiz, Antonio F. Gmez Skarmeta. Area: Multi-agent Systems Abstract: Physical location of users in a multi-agent system is crucial in order to provide them with context-awareness services. A context-aware system can answer to the requests of its users in a more effective way, being able of consider the conditioners that affect them. In this paper we focus in how to provide a FIPA multiagent system with a generic location service for users. We discuss several alternatives to obtain location-awareness and propose a concrete solution to this issue.

5. Paper Title: Development of CBR-BDI Agents. (PDF) Authors: Juan M. Corchado and M. A. Pellicer.

Area: Case Base Reasoning, Software Agents Abstract: This paper presents a model of an agent that combines both BDI and CBR techniques. We discuss the development of this kind of agent and present a case study. We use a real application of a wireless tourist guide system to illustrate the proposal. The Beliefs-DesiresIntentions (BDI) approach to design deliberative agents can be improved with the learning capabilities of Case Base Reasoning (CBR) techniques.

6. Paper Title: Agent-based Coordination of Cameras. (PDF) Authors: Jesus Garcia, Javier Carbo and Jose M. Molina. Area: Software Agents Abstract: This paper presents an application of software agents in a specific engineering problem: multitarget surveillance with several cameras sensing a closed environment. Each agent controls a camera, and from the coordination of them will emerge an improvement of the global surveillance task. Agents emulate human camera operators and, therefore human-like reasoning and human-like communication is pursued. Agents cooperate by exchanging speech-act based messages that allow them to interpret the situation faced locally.

7. Paper Title: Intelligent Agent-Based Monitoring Platform for Applications in Engineering. (PDF) Authors: Eleni Mangina. Area: Intelligent Agents Abstract: In real world monitoring engineering applications, knowledge engineers must face the complexity and diversity of tasks associated with specific problem domain. This often implies tackling simultaneously different types of knowledge (inaccurate, incorrect or redundant) from different data sources that require to be processed using different reasoning mechanisms. The real world problems may neither fit the assumptions of a single technique nor be effectively solved by the strengths and capabilities of a single technique. Within this paper an intelligent agent-based platform is being considered for implementation, where the approach of integrating the use of two or more techniques is taken, in order to combine their different strengths and overcome each other's weaknesses and generate hybrid solutions. The integration of various intelligent techniques is a very important way forward in the next generation of monitoring systems. Flexible software systems require a distributed architecture where each element works autonomously and co-operatively. This advanced architecture can be created by making use of Intelligent Agent technology, which will facilitate the creation of autonomous software components to utilize a wide variety of artificial intelligence techniques for different situations. This is in marked contrast to conventional centralized stand-alone applications.