Agent based software development

The field of agent-based computing is large and growing, and set to underpin much of the infrastructure of the next generation of computing that seeks to address issues in ambient intelligence, pervasive and ubiquitous computing, Grid computing, the semantic Web, e-business and many other areas. However, in order to take full advantage of the benefits that agent technology brings, the agent paradigm ought to be adopted at the stage of system design. This suggests the use of agent-oriented methodologies for the development of agent systems, adherence to standards intended to ensure interoperability, and the adoption of relevant tools and techniques to aid the process

In particular, the need for some degree of autonomy, to enable components to respond dynamically to changing circumstances while trying to achieve overarching objectives without the need for user intervention, is seen by many as fundamental. In practical developments, Web services, for example, now offer fundamentally new ways of operating through a set of standardized tools, and support a service-oriented view of distinct and independent software components interacting to provide valuable functionality. In the context of such developments, agent technologies have become some of the most valuable tools that can be used to tackle the emergent problems, and to manage the complexity that arises.

Agents can be viewed as autonomous, problem-solving computational entities capable of effective operation in dynamic and open environments. They are often deployed in environments in which they interact, and possibly cooperate, with other agents (including both people and software) that may have conflicting aims. These are exactly the kinds of characteristics that are needed in the new computational environments. Agent-based systems have emerged over the past 10 to 15 years, from a convergence of technologies in distributed object systems and distributed artificial intelligence, and have seen rapid and dramatic growth both academically and commercially. Indeed, agent technologies are already providing real benefits in a diverse range of business and industry domains, spanning manufacturing, supply chain management, and B2B exchanges, for example.