Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Reusable Multi-Agent Architecture for Active Intelligent Websites

  • Published:
Applied Intelligence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper a reusable multi-agent architecture for intelligent Websites is presented and illustrated for an electronic department store. The architecture has been designed and implemented using the compositional design method for multi-agent systems DESIRE. The agents within this architecture are based on a generic information broker agent model. It is shown how the architecture can be exploited to design an intelligent Website for insurance, developed in co-operation with the software company Ordina Utopics and an insurance company.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. BargainFinder URL:<http://bf.cstar.ac.com>

  2. C. Basu, H. Hirsh, and W. Cohen, “Recommendation as classification: Using social and content-based information in recommendation,” in Proc. Fifteenth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 1998, pp. 714-720.

  3. W. Benn, O. Görlitz, and R. Neubert, “Enabling integrative negotiations by adaptive software agents,” in Cooperative Information Agents III, Proc. Third International Workshop on Cooperative Information Agents, CIA'99, edited by M. Klusch, O. Shehory, and G. Weiss, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 1652, Springer Verlag, 1999, pp. 335-346.

  4. D. Billsus and M. Pazzani, “Learning collaborative information filters,” in Proc. Fifteenth International Conference on Machine Learning, Morgan Kaufmann: Madison, WI, 1998, pp. 46-54.

    Google Scholar 

  5. H. Blockeel and L. De Raedt, “Lookahead and discretization in ILP,” in Proc. 7th International Workshop on Inductive Logic Programming, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 1297, Springer-Verlag, 1997, pp. 77-85.

  6. H. Blockeel, L.DeRaedt, N. Jacobs, and B. Demoen, “Scaling up inductive logic programming by learning from interpretations,” Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 59-93, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  7. F.M.T. Brazier, B. Dunin-Keplicz, N.R. Jennings, and J. Treur, “Formal specification of Multi-Agent Systems: A real-world case,” in Proc. First International Conference on multi-agent systems, ICMAS'95, edited by V. Lesser, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 25-32. 1995, Extended version in International Journal of Co-operative Information Systems, special issue on Formal Methods in Co-operative Information Systems: Multi-Agent Systems, edited by M. Huhns, M. Singh, vol. 6, pp. 67-94, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  8. F.M.T. Brazier, C.M. Jonker, and J. Treur, “Compositional design and reuse of a generic agent model,” Applied Artificial Intelligence Journal, vol. 14, pp. 491-538, 2000. Shorter version in Proc. of the Knowledge Acquisition Workshop, KAW'99, Banff, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  9. A. Chavez and P. Maes, “Kasbah: An agent marketplace for buying and selling goods,” in Proc. First International Conference on the Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Technology, PAAM'96, The Practical Application Company Ltd.: Blackpool, 1996, pp. 75-90.

    Google Scholar 

  10. A. Chavez, D. Dreilinger, R. Gutman, and P. Maes, “A real-life experiment in creating an agent market place,” in Proc. Second International Conference on the Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Technology, PAAM'97, The Practical Application Company Ltd.: Blackpool, 1997, pp. 159-178.

    Google Scholar 

  11. M. Dastani, N. Jacobs, C.M. Jonker, and J.Treur, “Modeling user preferences and mediating agents in electronic commerce,” in Agent-Mediated Electronic Commerce; a European Perspective, edited by F. Dignum and C. Sierra, Lecture Notes in AI, vol. 1991, Springer Verlag, 2001, pp. 164-196.

  12. E.C. Freuder and Richard J.Wallace, “Suggestion strategies for constraint-based matchmaker agents,” in Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming-CP'98, Pisa, October 1998.

  13. FireFly URL:<http://www.firefly.com

  14. R.H. Guttman and P. Maes, “Agent-mediated integrative negotiation for retail electronic commerce,” in Agent Mediated Electronic Commerce, Proc.Workshop on Agent Mediated Electronic Trading (AMET'98). Lecture Notes in AI, vol. 1571, Springer Verlag, 1999, pp. 70-90.

  15. R.H. Guttman, A.G. Moukas, and P. Maes, “Agent-mediated electronic commerce: A survey,” Knowledge Engineering Review, vol. 13, pp. 147-161, June 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  16. W. Hill, L. Stead, M. Rosenstein, and G. Furnas, “Recommending and evaluating choices in a virtual community of use,” in Proc. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI95), ACM Press: Denver, CO, 1995, pp 194-201.

    Google Scholar 

  17. T. Hofmann and J. Puzicha, “Latent class models for collaborative filtering,” in Proc. Sixteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Stockholm, Sweden, July 31-August 6, 1999.

  18. Jango URL:<http://www.jango.com>

  19. C.M. Jonker, M. Klusch, and J. Treur, “Design of collaborative information agents,” in Cooperative Information Agents IV, Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Cooperative Information Agents, CIA 2000, edited by M. Klusch and L. Kerschberg, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 1860, Springer Verlag, 2000, pp. 262-283.

  20. C.M. Jonker, R.A. Lam, and J. Treur, “Amulti-agent architecture for an intelligent website in insurance,” in Cooperative Information Agents III, Proc. Third International Workshop on Cooperative Information Agents, CIA'99, edited by M. Klusch, O. Shehory, and G. Weiss, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 1652, Springer Verlag, 1999, pp. 86-100.

  21. C.M. Jonker and J. Treur, “Compositional design and maintenance of broker agents,” in Proc. 15th IFIP World Computer Congress, WCC'98, Conference on Information Technology and Knowledge Systems, IT & KNOWS'98, edited by J. Cuena, pp. 319-332, 1998.

  22. C.M. Jonker and J. Treur, “Information broker agents in intelligent websites,” in Multiple Approaches to Intelligent Systems (Proc. of the 12th International Conference on Industrial and Engineering Applications of AI and Expert Systems, IEA/AIE'99), edited by I. Imam, Y. Kodratoff, A. El-Dessouki, and M. Ali, Lecture Notes in AI, vol. 1611, Springer Verlag, 1999, pp. 430-439.

  23. R. Keeney and H. Raiffa, Decisions with Multiple Objectives: Preferences and Value Trade-offs, John Wiley and Sons, 1976.

  24. C.A. Knoblock and J.L. Ambite, “Agents for information gathering,” in Software Agents, edited by J. Bradshaw, AAAI/MIT Press, 1997.

  25. D. Kuokka and L. Harada, “On using KQML for matchmaking,” in Proc. First International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, ICMAS'95, edited by V. Lesser, MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, 1995, pp. 239-245.

    Google Scholar 

  26. K. Lang, “Learning to filter news,” in Proc. Twelfth International Conference on Machine Learning, Lake Tahoe, CA, 1995, pp. 331-339.

  27. P. Langley, “Machine learning for adaptive user interfaces,” in Proc. 21st German Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Freiburg, Germany: Springer, 1997, pp. 53-62.

    Google Scholar 

  28. P. Langley, “User modeling in adaptive interfaces,” in Proc. Seventh International Conference on User Modeling, 1999.

  29. H. Lieberman, “Letizia: An agent that assists web browsing,” in Proc. 14th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI'95), Montreal, Canada, 1995.

  30. D. Martin, D. Moran, H. Oohama, and A. Cheyer, “Information brokering in an agent architecture,” in Proc. Second International Conference on the Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Technology, PAAM'97, The Practical Application Company Ltd.: Blackpool, 1997, pp. 467-486.

    Google Scholar 

  31. M. Pazzani and D. Billsus, “Learning and revising user profiles: The identification of interesting web sites,” Machine Learning, vol. 27, pp. 313-331, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  32. T. Sandholm and V. Lesser, “Issues in automated negotiation and electronic commerce: Extending the contract network,” in Proc. First International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, ICMAS'95, edited by V. Lesser, MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, pp. 328-335, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  33. U. Sharadanand and P. Maes, “Social information filtering: Algorithms for automating 'Word of Mouth',” Proc. CHI-95, Conference, 1995.

  34. K. Sycara, K. Decker,A. Pannu, and M.Williamson, “Designing behaviors for information agents,” Proc. Agents 97, pp. 404-412.

  35. K. Sycara, K. Decker, A. Pannu, M. Williamson, and D. Zeng, “Distributed intelligent agents,” IEEE Expert, vol. 11, pp. 36-45, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  36. M. Tsvetovatyy and M. Gini, “Toward a virtual marketplace: Architectures and strategies,” in Proc. First International Conference on the Practical Application of Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Technology, PAAM'96, The Practical Application Company Ltd.: Blackpool, 1996, pp. 597-613.

    Google Scholar 

  37. P. Vincke, Multicriteria Decision-Aid, John Wiley and Sons, 1992.

  38. M. Wooldridge and N.R. Jennings, “Agent theories, architectures, and languages: A survey,” in Intelligent Agents, Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Agent Theories, Architectures and Languages, ATAL'94, edited by M. Wooldridge and N.R. Jennings, Lecture Notes in AI, vol. 890, Springer Verlag, 1995, pp. 1-39.

  39. MovieFinder URL:<http://www.moviefinder.com

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Artificial Intelligence, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081a, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Catholijn M. Jonker, Remco A. Lam & Jan Treur

Authors
  1. Catholijn M. Jonker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Remco A. Lam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jan Treur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jonker, C.M., Lam, R.A. & Treur, J. A Reusable Multi-Agent Architecture for Active Intelligent Websites. Applied Intelligence 15, 7–24 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011248605761

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011248605761

Search

Navigation