Living memory: agent-based information management for connected local communities

摘要

We investigate the application of multi-agent systems to develop intelligent information interfaces for connected communities, a class of computer applications aimed at enhancing the way people interact and socialise in geographically co-located communities such as neighbourhoods. In this context, we study the problem of providing effective information management in support of social interaction when a diverse range of computing devices is employed. The novelty of our approach is based on combining innovative interactive devices with a framework based on agent roles in order to support the effective flow of community-related content for the people of a given locality. In particular, we have integrated existing techniques for information retrieval and filtering with measures of content popularity, to ensure that documents in the community system are optimally available. After reporting on the potential presence of the system in the community, we report on the development of a framework for multi-agent systems in which agents provide a number of services aimed at facilitating personalised and location-dependent information access to members of the community. We also present a summary of the results of an expert evaluation of the information flow resulting from the communication between agents, and a user-evaluation of the information dissemination facilities provided by the system.