Abstract
This paper describes an agent-oriented requirements engineering approach that combines informal i * models with formal specifications in the multiagent system specification formalism CASL. This allows the requirements engineer to exploit the complementary features of the frameworks. i *can be used to model social dependencies between agents and how process design choices affect the agents’ goals. CASL can be used to model complex processes formally. We introduce an intermediate notation to support the mapping between i * models and CASL specifications. In the combined i *-CASL framework, agents’ goals and knowledge are represented as their mental states, which allows for the formal analysis and verification of, among other things, complex agent interactions where agents may have different goals and different (incomplete) knowledge. Our models can also serve as high-level specifications for multiagent systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Castro, J., Kolp, M., Mylopoulos, J.: Towards Requirements-Driven Information Systems Engineering: The Tropos Project. Information Systems 27(6), 365–389 (2002)
Chung, L.K., et al.: Non-Functional Requirements in Software Engineering. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (2000)
Dardenne, A., van Lamsweerde, A., Fickas, S.: Goal-Directed Requirements Acquisitions. Science of Computer Programming 20, 3–50 (1993)
De Giacomo, G., Lespérance, Y., Levesque, H.: ConGolog, A Concurrent Programming Language Based on the Situation Calculus. Artificial Intelligence 121, 109–169 (2000)
Fuxman, A., et al.: Specifying and Analyzing Early Requirements in Tropos. RE Journal 9(2), 132–150 (2004)
Gans, G., et al.: Requirements Modeling for Organization Networks: A (Dis-)Trust-Based Approach. In: Proc. RE’01, pp. 154–163 (2001)
Jennings, N.R.: Agent-Oriented Software Engineering. In: Garijo, F.J., Boman, M. (eds.) MAAMAW 1999. LNCS, vol. 1647, pp. 1–7. Springer, Heidelberg (1999)
Lapouchnian, A.: Modeling Mental States in Requirements Engineering — An Agent-Oriented Framework Based on i * and CASL. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Computer Science, York University, Toronto (2004)
Lespérance, Y.: On the Epistemic Feasibility of Plans in Multiagent Systems Specifications. In: Meyer, J.-J.C., Tambe, M. (eds.) ATAL 2001. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2333, pp. 69–85. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)
McCarthy, J., Hayes, P.: Some Philosophical Problems From the Standpoint of Artificial Intelligence. Machine Intelligence 4, 463–502 (1969)
Moore, R.C.: A Formal Theory of Knowledge and Action. In: Hobbs, J.R., Moore, R.C. (eds.) Formal Theories of the Common Sense World, pp. 319–358. Ablex Publishing, Westport (1985)
Odell, J., Van Dyke Parunak, H., Bauer, B.: Extending UML for Agents. In: Proc. AOIS-2000, Austin, TX, USA, pp. 3–17 (2000)
Padgham, L., Lambrix, P.: Agent Capabilities: Extending BDI Theory. In: Proc. AAAI-2000, Austin, TX, USA, pp. 68–73 (2000)
Rao, A.S., Georgeff, M.P.: Modeling Rational Agents within a BDI Architecture. In: Proc. KR’91, pp. 473–484 (1991)
Reiter, R.: The Frame Problem in the Situation Calculus: A Simple Solution (Sometimes) and a Completeness Result for Goal Regression. In: Lifschitz, V. (ed.) Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Theory of Computation: Papers in Honor of John McCarthy, pp. 359–380. Academic Press, London (1991)
Reiter, R.: Knowledge in Action: Logical Foundations for Specifying and Implementing Dynamical Systems. MIT Press, Cambridge (2001)
Scherl, R.B., Levesque, H.: Knowledge, Action, and the Frame Problem. Artificial Intelligence 144(1–2), 1–39 (2003)
Shapiro, S.: Specifying and Verifying Multiagent Systems Using CASL. Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto (2004)
Shapiro, S., Lespérance, Y.: Modeling Multiagent Systems with the Cognitive Agents Specification Language — A Feature Interaction Resolution Application. In: Castelfranchi, C., Lespérance, Y. (eds.) ATAL 2000. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 1986, pp. 244–259. Springer, Heidelberg (2001)
Shapiro, S., Lespérance, Y., Levesque, H.: The Cognitive Agents Specification Language and Verification Environment for Multiagent Systems. In: Proc. AAMAS’02, Bologna, Italy, pp. 19–26. ACM Press, New York (2002)
Shapiro, S., et al.: Iterated Belief Change in the Situation Calculus. In: Proc. KR-2000, pp. 527–538 (2000)
van Lamsweerde, A., Darimont, R., Massonet, P.: Goal-Directed Elaboration of Requirements for a Meeting Scheduler: Problems and Lessons Learnt. In: Proc. RE’95, York, UK, pp. 194–203 (1995)
van Otterloo, S., van der Hoek, W., Wooldrige, M.: Model Checking a Knowledge Exchange Scenario. Applied Artificial Intelligence 18(9-10), 937–952 (2004)
Wang, X., Lespérance, Y.: Agent-Oriented Requirements Engineering Using ConGolog and i *. In: Proc. AOIS-01, pp. 59–78 (2001)
Wooldridge, M.: Agent-Based Software Engineering. IEE Proceedings on Software Engineering 144(1), 26–37 (1997)
Yolum, P., Singh, M.P.: Commitment Machines. In: Meyer, J.-J.C., Tambe, M. (eds.) ATAL 2001. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2333, pp. 235–247. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)
Yu, E.: Towards modeling and reasoning support for early requirements engineering. In: Proc. RE’97, Annapolis, USA, pp. 226–235 (1997)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Lapouchnian, A., Lespérance, Y. (2007). Modeling Mental States in the Analysis of Multiagent Systems Requirements. In: Padgham, L., Zambonelli, F. (eds) Agent-Oriented Software Engineering VII. AOSE 2006. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 4405. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70945-9_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70945-9_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-70944-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-70945-9
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)