iMatch: a Decentralized Multi-Agents Application

Dates

May 2001 — August 2002

Principal Investigator

Lik Mui

Problem

It is difficult to find resources matched in meaningful ways in a highly decentralized environment.

Goal

To dynamically locate resources corresponding to a match request to facilitate academic collaboration for students.

Overview

iMatch is a research project studying resource discovery in highly decentralized systems. Upon entering personal profile and scheduling information, users equipped with iMatch-enabled PocketPCs are able to dynamically locate resources corresponding to a match request. For example, iMatch agents could match a student with the nearest available study partner, or a faculty member who is seeking research assistants.

Underlying this project is a highly decentralized multi-agents framework (called iAgent). Each autonomous system for iMatch is an iAgent. Agents exist as applications on PDA's, desktops, or servers. When a user logs on and is authenticated locally by an iMatch agent, interaction between the local agent and the rest of iMatch occurs via KQML style messages. Each agent communicates with every other agent using one of two methods:   send messages using sockets (.NET remoting), or send messages using web services interfaces (HTTP/SOAP).

Certain central agents acting as bootstrap agents help new user agents build a trusted network of acquaintances. Trust for other agents is inferred based on a reputation framework. Once trust is established, matching a user request to appropriate resources is performed based on a preference-based framework based on the Ceteris Paribus representation.

The iMatch team will build on this research to equip students and staff members in academic environments with personal software agents. Each iMatch agent will help manage its owner's academic life through both static and dynamic profile matching, aiming to encourage collaboration. This collaboration has several goals:   completing final projects, studying for exams, or tutoring one another.

Project Output

Links