Wikipedia as a Multi Agent System
Stumble It!Here is an interesting article which uses Wikipedia as an example of a collaborative multi-agent system (MAS) involving both human and non-human agents. The same approach could be used to map any collaborative system.
The author identifies seven dimensions of a MAS and illustrates each dimension using Wikipedia:
- Tasks
- Agents
- Control Flow
- Data Flow
- Message Content
- Message Timing
- Culture and Resources
To read the article click here
One slightly ironic point to note is that wikipedia itself flags this article with a health warning because they believe it may violate their “no-original research” rule!
For more on Agents see Virtual team member autonomy: learn from software agents
Tags: agents
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Bioteams Books Reviews
When not to collaborate
A team of one is sometimes best. It might sound like heresy but sometimes the most effective way to produce something is not through collaboration. Collaboration is best for tasks which cannot be fully achieved by a single person – if a job can be completed best by one person then to collaborate to do it will only make it worse.
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Related Collaboration Research & Science Articles
The economics of cooperative behavior
HOW LIVING CREATURES DO BUSINESS
Humans and other animals share a heritage of economic tendencies - including cooperation, repayment of favours and resentment at being short-changed. By Frans B. M. de Waal, Scientific American, April 2005 issue
Brain activity exposes promise breakers
Scientists from the University of Zurich have discovered the physiological mechanisms in the brain that underlie broken promises. Patterns of brain activity even enable you to predict whether someone will break a promise.
Update on European virtual network research
VE-Forum is an excellent source of information on European research activity in the virtual networks and clusters area. It has also just has produced a special edition of its Newsletter "DG INFSO D5 Enterprise Networking Clusters" which gives an overview of the huge amount of European Union research underway in this area which includes:
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