MAS'99 Workshop Call For Papers

                                    Call For Papers

         Workshop on Multi-Agent Sytems in Logic Programming

                                 December 4, 1999
                             Las Cruces, New Mexico

                             held in conjunction with the:

            International Conference on Logic Programming 1999
        http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~complog/conferences/iclp99/index.html

                        November 29 - December 4, 1999
                         Las Cruces, New Mexico (USA)



Multi-Agent Systems (MASs) have recently become a prominent area
in computing.  MASs are communities of problem-solving entities that
can perceive and act upon their environments to achieve their individual
goals as well as joint goals. The work on such systems integrates many
technologies and concepts in artificial intelligence, logic programming
and other areas of computing.  There is a full spectrum of MAS applications
that have been and are being developed; from search engines to
educational aids to electronic commerce and trade.

Logic, in general, and logic programming, in particular, have important
roles to play in the conceptualisation and development of MASs.  They
can play a part in the representation of individual agents, for example:

* the formalisation of their knowledge, beliefs and goals,
* their perception of the environment,
* their reasoning component,
* the construction of plans, and
* the generation of timely and appropriate reactions to
  the environment and the other agents.

Moreover, logic and logic programming can play a part in the representation
of MASs,  for:

* the formalisation of the reasoning of agents about other agents'
  goals and beliefs,
* communication and communication protocols amongst agents,
* the process of negotiation amongst agents with conflicting
  plans or goals, and
* the grouping of agents in teams with joint goals, whose
  emergent behaviour goes beyond the behaviour of the individual agents
  composing the team.

The aim of this workshop is to explore the application of Logic Programming
to Multi-Agent Systems.  The focus of the workshop will be on multi-agent
rather than single agent issues, with emphasis on co-operative and
conflicting
agents, where there could be common and joint goals as well as goals for
individual agents. In such contexts, reasoning about other agents' goals and
beliefs, communication, negotiation, belief revision and conflict resolution
could be essential for the achievement of the goals of the agents.

Within this context, this workshop shall bring together researchers to
discuss
the following topics:

* MAS organization and hierarchies (What structures are used for
  organizing communication and knowledge sharing?)
* MAS communication ontologies (How do agents understand each other?
  Protocols. Syntax. Semantics.)
* Models of MAS social interaction (How do agents, acting on behalf
  of humans, interact with humans?)
* Conflict resolution amongst agents
* Co-operative planning and execution

We invite contributions on the development of MAS techniques within logic
programming,  including the above.



Submissions:

 The role of this workshop is to provide a platform for the presentation of
preliminary work or novel ideas in the area of Multi-Agent Systems in Logic
Programming.  It is also an opportunity to disseminate work in progress,
particularly for new researchers.

Papers must describe original, previously unpublished research, be written
and presented in English, not exceed 10 pages (A4 or letter format, up to
3,500 words), and not be simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.

Papers should clearly express the contribution of the paper, both in
general and in technical terms.  It is essential to identify what was
accomplished, describe its significance, and explain how the paper
compares with and advances previous work.  Authors should make
every effort to make the technical content understandable to a
broad audience.

Submissions will be completed primarily by electronic means.  Electronic
submissions can be emailed to the workshop address given below.  Only
if electronic submission is not possible, 5 hard copies of your paper
should be sent to the workshop chair at the postal address given below.
One author shall be identified as the contact person for the paper.  All
submissions must be received on or (preferrably) before June 27, 1999.


Contact Information:

     Workshop Email:          MAS99@cs.sfu.ca
     Workshop WebPage:  http://www.cs.sfu.ca/conf/MAS99

     Workshop Postal Address:
     Stephen Rochefort
     Grande Prairie Regional College
     Department of Computing, Mathematics, and Statistical Sciences
     10726 - 106 Avenue
     Grande Prairie, AB
     Canada T8V 4C4

Organizers:

     Dr. F. Sadri, Imperial College
     fs@doc.ic.ac.uk

     Dr. F. Toni, Imperial College
     ft@doc.ic.ac.uk

     Stephen Rochefort, Grande Prairie Regional College
     rochefort@gprc.ab.ca


Important Dates:

     Submission of papers:      27 June            1999
     Notification:                        30 August         1999
     Camera ready copies:      30 September 1999