Specifying and Executing User Agent Behaviour with Condition-Action Rules

Andreas Harth, Tobias Käfer

Abstract: The paper outlines a rule-based language for specifying and executing user agents operating over decentralised networked components. We draw on experience gained in projects around data integration and system interoperation with both academic and industrial partners, and from lessons learned during the development of several prototypes. We have identified architectural mismatches that require mapping and integration before user agents can access and manipulate the state of network-accessible components in a uniform manner. We tackle mismatches along the following dimensions: network protocol, data format and data semantics. Our system architecture builds on ideas from Representational State Transfer and uses standards around Linked Data. For discovery we assume that network-accessible components provide hyperlinks to other components. On top of the standardised interfaces we use a rule-based agent application model based on the sense-act cycle. We use derivation rules to integrate state representations, and condition-action request rules to follow links and specify application behaviour.

TL;DR: The paper outlines a rule-based language for specifying and executing user agents operating over decentralised networked components.

Submission Category: Research Article