The INGENIAS Methodology and Tools

Abstract

INGENIAS provides a notation for modeling multi-agent systems (MAS) and a well-defined collection of activities to guide the development process of an MAS in the tasks of analysis, design, verification, and code generation, supported by an integrated set of tools—the INGENIAS Development Kit (IDK). These tools, as well as the INGENIAS notation, are based on five meta-models that define the different views and concepts from which a multi-agent system can be described. Using meta-models has the advantage of flexibility for evolving the methodology and adopting changes to the notation. In fact, one of the purposes in the conception of this methodology is to integrate progressive advances in agent technology, towards a standard for agent-based systems modeling that could facilitate the adoption of the agent approach by the software industry. The chapter presents a summary of the INGENIAS notation, development process, and support tools. The use of INGENIAS is demonstrated in an e-business case study. This case study includes concerns about the development process, modeling with agent concepts, and implementation with automated code generation facilities.