Title: Extended causal map for reasoning explanation in multi-agent systems

Authors: Aroua Hedhili Sbaï; Wided Lejouad Chaari

Addresses: SOIE Research Laboratory, National School of Computer Studies, University of Manouba, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia ' SOIE Research Laboratory, National School of Computer Studies, University of Manouba, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia

Abstract: Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are developed in various domains such as computer networks, simulation, etc. Despite their rapid growth, we have no control on their execution, and no one knows what effectively happens inside. Because of this ignorance, agent behaviours are not always clearly reproducible for humans. Our objective is to provide more transparency to users when it is required, to make them able to understand the way to manage the non-deterministic process, and to give them the possibility to become familiar with such dynamic and complex systems. Users need to know how the resolution has been going on, how and when interactions have been performed. Agent reasoning explanation gives an answer to these questions. It gives information about reasoning and events executed 'inside' one agent or among all agents. In this paper, we present a reasoning explanation approach for MAS based on an extended causal map.

Keywords: multi-agent systems; MAS; agent-based systems; reasoning explanation; agent reasoning; causal maps; agent behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISTA.2013.056538

International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, 2013 Vol.12 No.3/4, pp.301 - 315

Received: 29 Nov 2012
Accepted: 10 Feb 2013

Published online: 25 Sep 2013 *

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