A framework for knowledge sharing between autonomous agents

Abstract: Presently, the sharing of knowledge amongst agents is a topic that has yet to be explicitly formalized or have a framework provided for it. Many agent-based applications either employ a basic form of knowledge sharing, or employ a more complicated form, such as the communication by word-of-mouth. The purpose of this paper is to provide an agent-based formalization of knowledge sharing. Such a unique solution includes the design and implementation of an agent-based Application Programming Interface (API) capable of allowing different forms of knowledge sharing between agents. In addition, a GUI is provided that interfaces with the agent-based API and provides visualization of agent simulations. The functionality of the API, and accompanying GUI, is demonstrated by the implementation of an agent-based traffic simulation. Moreover, the results of the agent-based traffic simulation are used to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative knowledge sharing methods