The AGENT WORLD INFRASTRUCTURE consists of an agent world (virtual locations for hosting software agents where they can communicate and interact with multimedia electronic catalogues), specific classes of generic agents (dedicated to typical application tasks within the demonstrators) and a support tool (for instantiating generic agents, inspecting them and integrating them with the catalogues). The key idea behind the MAGICA concept is that interactive information sources (i.e. web catalogues) are instrumental in bringing together buyers and sellers in a productive context. The information in catalogues provides a context in which meaningful interaction between different players takes place. In other words, the assumption is that a user browses a catalogue not just out of curiosity, but in the context of a real-world task that she is engaged in, be it planning a trip or finding a business partner in a foreign country. It is this process that agents are aiming to support. The conceptual basis of the AGENT WORLD INFRASTRUCTURE is an important contribution towards the creation of agents that are more than tools that need the user's initiative to become active. Agents are virtual representatives of the players with a particular interest while engaging in a social activity. They operate in a virtual world where they can enter locations to communicate with each other, where the right tools and materials (information) are available, just as, in the real world, a physical place constitutes the context in which meaningful interactions can take place.
The key idea behind the MAGICA concept is that interactive information sources (i.e. web catalogues) are instrumental in bringing together buyers and sellers in a productive context. The information in catalogues provides a context in which a meaningful interaction between different players takes place. In other words, the assumption is that a user browses a catalogue not just out of curiosity, but in the context of a real-world task that she is engaged in, be it planning a trip or finding a business partner in a foreign country. It is this process that agents are aiming to support. Through the technical architecture and concepts devised for the AGENT WORLD INFRASTRUCTURE, we intend to answer the needs of the users in the project, but also in a more general way, to act as a test-bed and guideline for forthcoming business practices helping the establishment of a user-friendly Information Society.
Project URL : http://arti.vub.ac.be/magica/magica.html