A Methodology for Developing Environmental Information Systems with Software Agents
Ioannis N. Athanasiadis, Pericles A. Mitkas · Birkhäuser Basel eBooks · 2009
This article presents a unifying methodology for developing environmental information systems with software agents. Based on the experience reported in recent literature, we abstract common requirements of environmental information systems into agent types, combine state-of-the-art tools from computer science, service-oriented software engineering and artificial intelligence domains, as software agents and machine learning, and illustrate their potential for solving real-world problems. Specifically, two generic agent types are specified that behave as information carriers and decision makers, which provide an appropriate abstraction for deployment of added-value services in environmental information systems. A concrete pathway for applying these instruments throughout the software life cycle of an environmental information system is outlined, along with suggestions for software specification and deployment tools. The method is demonstrated in two application domains: one for air quality assessment and another for meteorological radar data surveillance.