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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 10) (INFR10049)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 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.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: ( Informatics 2D - Reasoning and Agents (INFR08010) OR Informatics Research Review (INFR11034)) AND ( Introduction to Java Programming (INFR09021) OR Logic Programming (INFR09031))
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Agent Based Systems (Level 9) (INFR09036)
Other requirements Informatics 2D and Introduction to Java Programming or Logic Programming. For MSc students, equivalent background.

Successful completion of Year 3 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
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Not available to visiting students (SS1) WebCT enabled:  No Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
No Classes have been defined for this Course
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
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.
- Design and implement agent-based systems using modern implementation platforms and agent programming languages.
- Design and conduct empirical experiments and evaluate the performance of implemented agent-based systems.
Assessment Information
Written Examination: 75%
Assessed Assignments: 25%
Oral Presentations: 0%

Assessment:

Two programming exercises.
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 0
Timetabled Laboratories 0
Non-timetabled Assessed Assignments 25
Private Study/Other 47
Total 100
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Amos Storkey
Tel: (0131 6)51 1208
Email: A.Storkey@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