[topicmapmail] Agents and Topic Maps

[Johannes Koppenwallner]

René Schmitt wrote:

>I´m quite new with Topic Maps and have following questions:
>
>What could a software agent do with Topic Maps?
>Concrete, what data would a mobile agent collect, if it saw Topic Maps?
>
>Most important question:
>Are there existing examples for agent or multiagent systems using Topic
>Maps?
>How does it work exactly? (agent communication)
>
>I would appreciate any example in detail or links referring to.
>
>Best Regards
>René Schmitt
>
>  
>
Hi René,

I am currently developing a multiagent application, which uses Topic 
Maps. My agents have a predefined (base) Topic Map for a specific 
domain. Each agent tries to classify various ressources (bookmarks, 
documents etc.) to the defined topics, and adds links to the ressources 
as occurrences. This agent produces a TM, which can be useful for the 
user (local use) and tells a lot about the user and his interests in 
specific topics. An agent can go to various hosts building local TMs. 
Two (or more) agents meeting, can merge the maps to get one TM, or go to 
a central host, where a complete TM (with all occurences from all 
agents) is created (merged). This map may help people, to find others, 
which are interested in the same topics, and makes (local) ressources 
available for all. Agents are used to create different visualizations of 
the map (xhtml with xslt, java based with tmnav), too.  
I am not sure, if this approach makes sense, but (as far as I know) it 
is a new approach, so it seems worth trying.

Johannes