The Method Engineering Process for Multi-Agent System Development

The agent-oriented (AO) methodology is an effective means for constructing distributed systems. Despite a great deal of research, a number of challenges still exist before making agent-based computing a widely accepted paradigm in software engineering practice. In order to solve the problem of "difficult to implement", the paper presents a method engineering development process for facilitating building up new agent system by reusing method meta models and design patterns. As the supporting tool, the hierarchical development architecture (HDA) plays a key role in the process. To exemplify its feasibility and effectiveness, the construction of C4I system is presented as a case study.