Architecture of the Multi-agent Resource Conversion Processes Extended with Agent Coalitions

Abstract

Pretty often there is a process visualization in one's mind before the process is implemented in form of a simulation model. The main purpose of this visualization is the certain improvement of an imperfect or ineffective process, or the estimation of the influence of various impacts. Most of the time the simulation systems provide a certain benefit for us, especially when the process develops in a predefined way, no matter how complex it is. But sometimes there are situations when the decision making persons have to interact between each other and make a decision with consideration of the other person's opinion. Moreover, that may have conflicts in case they use the same resources or they are focused on a common goal by using different approaches (and again, same resources). Anyway, this sort of behavior has to be modelled as well. In this work we are presenting the apparatus of the resource conversion processes for the distributed simulation system BPsim.MAS. We will present the advantages of the software, the technologies lying under the hood and some recent additions that were implemented for the definition of agent coalitions. This is something which helps us create the simulation models of the complex systems and behavior scenarios, when multiple agents interact with each other. At the end of the work we suggest a sample implementation of the system on the basis of a network of petrol stations, that relies on presented apparatus. We also compare our results with the ones achieved with the simulation model, based on the networks of requirements and capabilities. © 2017 The Authors.