Abstract
M.Sc.
The use of computer systems has changed over the years. Modern computer systems operate in an environment that is open, distributed and heterogeneous. They have the capability of locating information stored in remote locations and satisfying the interests and objectives of different users. However, the increase in user demands and the complexity of computers and information systems has caused research to focus on multi-agent systems as a solution to address these demands and complexities.
The dissertation deals with the study of single agents and multi-agent systems. The study focuses on the concepts of agents, agent architecture and multi-agent systems. In addition to the study, a taxonomy for specialised agents is proposed. The taxonomy aims at classifying agent-based systems applied in the industry for addressing specific problems. In order to achieve this, a broad survey on agent-based systems in the industry was conducted. The areas under considerations were the financial, health, agricultural, aviation and the information technology sectors. The following dimensions were used to identify the agents in the specific area:
• Which application domain is the multi-agent system designed for, developed and deployed in?
• What is the specific task or problem the agents are designed to solve?
• Do the agents have core or advanced agent attributes in general?
The taxonomy is important because agent-based systems are becoming common in the industry and are suitable to address issues (such as locating distributed information and addressing specific needs of computer system users) of open, distributed and heterogeneous computer environments.