TABLE OF CONTENTS Massimo Cossentino and Luca Sabatucci
This chapter aims to explain how to implement multiagent-based systems. Starting from object-oriented techniques (e.g., UML), great attention is given to the adoption of suitable methodologies for multiagent systems specification (e.g., PASSI), as well as to the importance of standardization (e.g., FIPA) and of the selection of the appropriate languages (e.g., Java) and middleware frameworks to support development and implementation (e.g., JADE). Continuous practical indications referred to the PS-Bikes case study are mentioned throughout the chapter, and more specifically deepened in the second half.
The systematic study of the development of agent systems has a recent history. Little time has elapsed since the scientific world perceived the promise of using the agent paradigm to solve a great variety of problems. This realization prompted many researchers to design, independently, their own infrastructures on which to activate their own agents. The resultant working proposals were often optimal and very efficient for a specific problem domain, but not devoid of some defects. The programming language, communication paradigm, and other technical details generally made these frameworks unsuitable for purposes other than those for which a given approach was originally conceived. The total absence of genuine attention toward the system design and development process (and consequent documentation) often stymied the growth, scalability, and maintenance of these applications. Furthermore, systems were developed without regard to compliance with any standard, thereby creating agents so significantly diverse that they were unable to interact with each other across different frameworks. Now that...
