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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Informatics : Informatics

Undergraduate Course: Agent Based Systems (Level 9) (INFR09036)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaInformatics Other subject areaNone
Course website http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/abs/ Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionAgent technology has emerged as a new area within Artificial Intelligence in the last two decades, exploring systems in which it is assumed that the computational components are autonomous, and interact with each other in a common environment. The aim of this course is to provide a comprehensive introduction to agents and multiagent systems. It covers a broad range of topics including agent architectures, agent interaction and communication, and game-theoretic methods and models of distributed rational decision making. It lays the foundations for advanced courses such as Multi-Agent Semantic Web Systems and Algorithmic Game Theory and its Applications.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Informatics 2D - Reasoning and Agents (INFR08010)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Agent Based Systems (Level 10) (INFR10049)
Other requirements Successful completion of Year 2 of an Informatics Single or Combined Degree, or
equivalent by permission of the School. Students must also have a basic knowledge of probability theory and a good command of propositional and first-order logic.
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?No
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  No Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
CentralLecture1-11 10:00 - 10:50
CentralLecture1-11 10:00 - 10:50
First Class Week 1, Monday, 10:00 - 10:50, Zone: Central. DHT Faculty Rm North
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- Describe and discuss different architectures for intelligent agents and interaction mechanisms for cooperative and competitive settings.
- Use abstract formal models of agents and agent interactions to analyse the properties of concrete designs.
- Explain the algorithmic and theoretical foundations of agents and multiagent systems, with an emphasis on knowledge-based and game-theoretic techniques.
- Be able to model, analyse and critically evaluate distributed systems using agent-based abstractions and related concepts.
Assessment Information
Written Examination: 100%
Assessed Assignments: 0%
Oral Presentations: 0%

Assessment:

A final written exam, no assessed assignments.


Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus 1. Basics
- Definitions of agency
- Properties of agents

2. Agent architectures
- Deductive reasoning agents
- Practical reasoning
- Reactive and hybrid agents

3. Agent interaction
- Agent communication
- Game-theoretic models of interaction

4. Distributed rational decision making
- Social choice and voting
- Coalition formation
- Resource allocation
- Bargaining
- Argumentation

5. Logics for multiagent systems
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list - M. Wooldridge. An Introduction to MultiAgent Systems, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2009
- Y. Shoham and K. Leyton-Brown. Multiagent Systems: Algorithmic, Game Theoretic and Logical Foundations, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Lectures 20
Tutorials 8
Timetabled Laboratories 0
Non-timetabled Assessed Assignments 0
Private Study/Other 72
Total 100

KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nigel Goddard
Tel: (0131 6)51 3091
Email: Nigel.Goddard@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Tamise Totterdell
Tel: 0131 650 9970
Email: t.totterdell@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:16 am