Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
for the process. Obviously, it decreases the predictable behavior of a holon from
the outside.
10.3
Coalitions
Coalitions are another structural form known from military and business orga-
nizations, where a number of entities join forces on at least a temporary basis.
Usually, there will be no internal structure of a coalition, just a flat hierarchy
of entities that coordinate their activities to pursue a commonly agreed goal.
Coalitions dissolve automatically when they are no longer needed, or a critical
number of entities leave the coalition. For material handling coalitions could be
use during peak times and/or in case of breakdowns, where parts of the system
join forces to cope with the current situation.
10.4
Teams
Teams are also a group of entities that cooperate and coordinate their activities
to achieve a common goal, but on a more long-term or even permanent basis.
Among the team members there will be some clear representation of the common
goals and mutual beliefs that are fundamental for their joint work. The internal
organization of a team would typically be a flat hierarchy. On the one hand, a
team has the capability to handle larger jobs than a single entity, but on the other
hand, communication will increase due to the internal communication inside the
team. Teams would also be a typical construct in a material handling system,
where parts of the system could work together in bringing an item from A to B.
10.5
Societies
In a society the behavior of agents is governed through a set of social laws, norms,
and conventions. Societies are a long-term construct, which group a number
of agents that can have quite different goals and heterogeneous capabilities,
and the communication will usually also be more diverse and complex. The
agents might require extra social skills, and are typically more deliberate than
simple coordinating agents. At least from the outside, it is a nice feature that
the set of rules and norms are more formalized, so the behavior of agents is
more predictable. Societies are not a style commonly used in control of material
handling. It would be more suitable to secure flexible interoperability on the
enterprise level.
10.6
Federations
A group of agents could form a federation by selecting one group member to
represent the group. All communication will go through the delegated agent that
will act as a gateway to the outside. It is the responsibility of the delegate to
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