Tag Interactions in Multi-Agent Systems: Environment Support

Abstract

Abstract. Tag interactions refer to interactions in which software agents are intentionally or opportunistically involved. Intentional tag interactions allow agents to observe each other, like when one observes the physical condition of others. Opportunistic tag interactions occur when one agent receives information about others without requesting for it, like when one realizes that a friend is ill. Such cases seem natural for human-beings, but software agents need specific support. In this paper we model tag interactions based on the agent environment and computational bodies to enact, maintain, and regulate their execution. We discuss our model and we identify further issues in the current state of the research. An example application is described in detail to show the potential of introducing tag interactions. Future work aims at addressing the present research issues and to implement the example application to experimentally evaluate the computational and communication cost of tag interactions. 1