Publication - Modeling Cooperative Multiagent Problem Solving as Decentralized Decision Processes

Authors: Xuan, Ping; Lesser, Victor; and Zilberstein, Shlomo
Title: Modeling Cooperative Multiagent Problem Solving as Decentralized Decision Processes
Abstract: We present a formal framework for modeling and control of cooperative multiagent problem solving. Such a framework is crucial for understanding and evaluating various design choices based on first principles. This framework allows us to define precisely the notion of optimal cooperation and analyze its complexity. Communication decisions are introduced to allow agents to reason explicitly about coordination, capturing effectively the decentralized nature of the problem solving process and uncertainty in the system. Because finding optimal control is intractable, we develop several approximations and evaluate their effectiveness. The result is an integrated decision-theoretic framework for both agent planning and coordination.
Publication: Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
Date: 2004
Sources: PDF: /Documents/Xuan/pxuan_AAMAS.pdf
Notes: (under review)
Reference: Xuan, Ping; Lesser, Victor; and Zilberstein, Shlomo. Modeling Cooperative Multiagent Problem Solving as Decentralized Decision Processes. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. 2004. (under review)
bibtex: 
@article{Xuan-270,
  author    = "Ping Xuan and Victor Lesser and Shlomo Zilberstein",
  title     = "{Modeling Cooperative Multiagent Problem Solving as
               Decentralized Decision Processes}",
  journal   = "Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems",
  year      = "2004",
  url       = "http://mas.cs.umass.edu/paper/270",
}