message/uml 1

Agent Oriented Analysis using MESSAGE/UML
Giovanni Caire
1
,Wim Coulier
2
,Francisco Garijo
3
,Jorge Gomez
3
,Juan Pavon
3
,
Francisco Leal
4
,Paulo Chainho
4
,Paul Kearney
5
,Jamie Stark
5
,Richard Evans
6
,
Philippe Massonet
7
1
Telecom Italia LAB,Via Reiss Romoli 274,10148 Turin–Italy
giovanni.caire@tilab.com
2
Belgacom,E.Jacqmainlaan 177,1210 Brussels,Belgim
wim.coulier@belgacom.be
3
Telefónica I+D,Emilio Vargas,28043 Madrid,Spain
fgarijo@tid.es
4
PT Inova??o,Largo de Mompilher,22–3o,4050-392 Porto,Portugal
fleal@ptinovacao.pt
5
BtexaCT,Adastral Park,Martlesham Heath,Ipswich IP53RE,UK
paul.3.kearney@bt.com
6
Broadcom Eireann Research Ltd,Kestrel House,Clanwilliam Place,Dublin 2,Ireland
re@broadcom.ie
7
CEDITI,Av.Georges Lema?tre,21,6041 Charleroi,Belgium
phm@info.ucl.ac.be
Abstract.This paper presents the MESSAGE/UML agent oriented software
engineering methodology and illustrates it on an analysis case study.The
methodology covers MAS analysis and design and is intended for use in
mainstream software engineering departments.MESSAGE integrates into a
coherent AOSE methodology some basic agent related concepts such as
organisation,role,goal and task,that have so far been studied in isolation.The
MESSAGE notation extends the UML with agent knowledge level concepts,
and diagrams with notations for viewing them.The proposed diagrams extend
UML class and activity diagrams.
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1 Agent Oriented Software Engineering
The agent-oriented(AO)approach promises the ability to construct flexible systems
with complex and sophisticated behaviour by combining highly modular components.
The intelligence of these components–the agents–and their capacity for social
interaction results in a multi-agent system(MAS)with capabilities beyond those of a
simple‘sum’of the agents.The availability of agent-oriented development toolkits
has allowed the technology to be assessed for industrial use.Many case studies have
been carried out,yielding promising results that have aroused industrial interest in the
technology.