Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The flow of information from the agent to the environment, i.e., the influence of the
agent on the environment which results in changes taking place in the environment
caused by the agent's calling events (see [139]).
Communication via called events performed by the agent (sender) in the environment
should be recognized as the basic method of communication. The agent sending a
message calls an event (or a few events). This event (or events) is observed by another
agent—the receiver of a message, and then properly interpreted. Single events (called
simple events) may be grouped and create so—called complex events. The agent
receiver analyzes complex events and receives them interpreting as one complex
message (see [90, 139, 140]). Summing up, we may distinguish two approaches—
direct and indirect communication. Indirect communication means making changes
in the environment by the agent which can be observed by another agent. In direct
communication a message is sent directly from one agent to another. The possibility
of that kind of communication is often considered in practice (however, the question
is what “direct sending” means). If we accept that sending a message is realized
through appropriate changes in the environment, we may distinguish certain parts
of the environment (depending on the character of a given agent system) which can
be considered as the channels for sending information between the chosen agents.
These channels may be further classified as the channels for direct and indirect
communication.
3.2.3 The Environment of Agents, Relationships
Between the Agent and the Environment
Using the elements of the description of the agent and the agent system, we
may move on to the description the structure of the agent taking into account its
action in the environment. One of the starting points for these considerations is
an approach presented in the literature which formulates a problem synthetically
program
data (see [182]). The fundamental idea standing behind
this formulation helped to place the notion of an autonomous agent in the struc-
tures of information technology algorithms. Generalizing this formulation, we may
conclude that an algorithm is realized (or realizes itself) in a given environment.
Therefore, the functioning (operating) of an algorithm (i.e. an agent) involves the
observation of its surrounding environment (collecting data) as well as affecting the
environment, which results in its changes (creation of results). Different parts of the
environment are in different ways available for a given agent (algorithm), therefore,
we may distinguish its parts, areas (see Fig. 3.2 ).
=
algorithm
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Remote environment (or environment)—is a set of resources (elements, data) which
are within the direct or indirect view of a given agent. Within the indirect view
the agent may be forced to undertake certain actions which do not belong to
the procedures of observation in order to notice certain parts or elements of the
 
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