A holonic self-organization approach to the design of emergent e-logistics infrastructures

Abstract

This paper presents first results for a theoretical foundation for emergency e-Logistics based on an extended FIPA-compliant layered multi-agent system architecture. The approach is based on the holonic paradigm proposed by A. Koestler in his attempt to create a model for self-organization in biological systems and proven by the HMS Consortium to be very useful for resource management and allocation in the manufacturing domain. We integrate the mechanism of emergence into the holonic paradigm encompassing both vertical and horizontal integration of resources in a distributed organization to enable the dynamic creation, refinement and optimization of flexible ad-hoc infrastructures for emergency e-logistics management. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.