A negotiation model for collaborative decision making in large-scale multi-agent systems

Modeling agent negotiation is of key importance in building multi-agent system, because negotiation is one of the most important types of agent interaction. Negotiation provides the basis for managing the expectations of the individual negotiating agents, and it enables selecting solutions that satisfy all the agents as much as possible. Thus far, most negotiation models have serious limitation and weakness when employed in large-scale multi-agent systems. Yet, large-scale multi-agent systems find their use in major domains of human development such as space exploration, military technology, disaster response systems, and health technology. This paper presents an agent negotiation model which extends the capabilities of the model associated with the Agent Negotiation Engine for Collaborative Decision Making, to address the negotiation issues associated with large-scale multi-agents systems. The model utilizes Qualitative Reasoning and Game Theory algorithms to track the negotiation process, and a similarity criteria algorithm to manage the large amount of negotiation information associated with large-scale multi-agent systems. For completeness sake, the paper also presents the negotiation models from which the negotiation model for large-scale multi-agent systems evolved, as well as how and why the modifications were made. © 2007 Springer.