A multi-agent approach for adaptive virtual organization using JADE

Abstract

By sharing knowledge resources via information technologies, a virtual organization (VO) enables member enterprises to share skills, costs, access to one another's knowledges. Multi-agent systems (MAS) are capable of adapting themselves to unforeseen changes of their environment in autonomous manner, and differ from more traditional software systems because agents are intended to be independent autonomous, reactive, pro-active and sociable software entities. In this paper we present a multi-agent approach for handling virtual organization (VO) knowledge management operations. This research proposes to develop a multi-agent system using JADE (Java Agent Development Environment) for knowledge management in a virtual organization, considering agent characteristics, functionalities, communication, cooperation and coordination. Agents have the ability to reorganize themselves in order to bring closer agents capable of cooperating in knowledge problem. We are interested, in this paper, to adaptation in virtual organizations where agents share a same goal. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.