Agent-based computing became
quite popular for the design and implementation of
distributed systems and networks. In particular, software
agents find their way to dynamic and complex environments,
where they provide the much needed robustness and
flexibility. As a cause and effect of this process we
observe that the field of distributed agent technology is
rapidly maturing. Here, the gathered body of knowledge
allows in-depth reflection on the nature of designing and
implementing agent systems in distributed systems and
networks. As a result, understanding of most important
issues to be addressed in the process arises. Such
understanding materializes in (1) methods and frameworks
for designing distributed agent-based systems, (2)
agent-oriented formalisms for modeling distributed systems
and networks, (3) increasing maturity of agent tools /
platforms / environments.
In this Special Issue we are primarily interested in the
pathway from the model of the problem domain to the actual
agent-based solution. These aspects will cover both
principled approaches and established practices of software
engineering and distributed computing aimed at producing
high quality agent-oriented software for distributed
systems and networks.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
Agent modeling, calculi, and logics for distributed computing and networks
Methodologies for design of agent systems
Agent frameworks and programming tools
Agent architectures for distributed computing
Agent benchmarking and performance measurement in distributed environments and networks
Agent communication, coordination and cooperation in dynamic and complex environments
Agent mobility for distributed systems
Agent-based middleware for distributed computing
Agent-based applications and experiences in dynamic and complex distributed environments and networks
Agents and distributed sensor networks
Agent-oriented methods for the evaluation of networks
Innovative Agent-based Applications in Ad-hoc Mobile Networks
Paper submission: May 15, 2012
Acceptance notification: July 20, 2012
Final papers due: September 10, 2012
Publication: End of 2012 / Early 2013