Autonomous agents in organized localities regulated by institutions

This paper proposes a new metaphor for constructing systems of systems: Autonomous Agents in Organized Localities (AAOL). An agent-based approach is used for modeling structure and behavior of complex systems that consist of (semi-)autonomous systems, where goals, resources, capabilities are described locally while a need for superordinated ”global” regulation exists. The notion of organized localities is used to describe spatially or logically constrained spheres of influence of regulation bodies. Agents inhabit — and can move across — localities; regulation rules are modeled via computational norms and enforced by electronic institutions. A key objective of our work is to explore and advance applicability of AAOL to constructing mechatronic systems with (at least soft) real-time constraints. We describe requirements for modeling systems of systems, and outline the key pillars of AAOL: a conceptual architecture and a metamodel providing the basic constructs for describing AAOL-type systems. A case study of a decentrally organized airport transportation infrastructure illustrates the concepts and the feasibility of AAOL-based systems of systems design.