Stream X-machines for agent simulation test case generation

Abstract

Applying the Stream X-Machine formal method in the development of multi-agent simulations has a number of significant advantages, since it combines the power of executable specifications and test case generation. The present work supports this argument by reporting on the combined use of two tools that involve Stream X-Machines (SXM): the first is a domain specific language for effortlessly encoding agent behaviour using SXMs in a well known agent simulation platform. The second tool, supports among other things, automated test case generation using SXMs. The main benefits of using the specific formal approach in such a practical setting is that it offers a clear intuitive way of specifying agent behaviour and the automated generation of “agent simulation test scenarios” that can be used for validation.