The Benefits of Multi-Agent Systems in Spatial Reasoning

May 2001

Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (FLAIRS 2001)

Volume

Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (FLAIRS 2001)

All Papers

This paper presents arguments for the application of a multiagent approach to spatial reasoning, and it is shown how spatial reasoning benefits from an agent-based implementation. In order to achieve this, the basic processes in spatial reasoning are analyzed and mapped onto a multi-agent architecture. Additionally, common problems in the context of real-world applications are identified, and it is shown how these can be addressed using the proposed approach. Furthermore, it is argued that a realization based on a multi-agent system offers advantages in terms of extensibility and flexibility. Finally, an exemplary implementation of a spatial reasoning system within an interactive tourist guide is presented along with its basic mechanisms and a short review of its performance in real world tasks.