From a goal-oriented methodology to a BDI agent language: The case of Tropos and alan

Abstract

This approach aims at addressing crucial issues in complex distributed software such as capability of evolving and adaptivity. Within the area of goal-oriented software requirements engineering, we propose the use of goal models at different abstraction levels in engineering a Multi-Agent System (MAS), namely, not only at design time, but also as a part of the agent knowledge and choice strategy, at run-time. In this paper we briefly overview a mapping between Tropos concepts and Alan (an agent-object programming language) structures. Specifically, we focus on two advantages of our approach: first, Alan allows us to use in an integrated fashion both agent oriented and object oriented design principles. Second, Alan has a well defined semantics expressed by means of rewriting logic. This allows us to verify the properties of an agent both at design time and at run-time (when its knowledge and behavior can have been modified). © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.