Agents in Cyberspace – Towards a Framework for Multi-Agent Systems in Information Discovery

This article proposes a formal framework for Multi-Agent Systems in the context of Information Discovery. Information Discovery is a synthesis of Information Retrieval and Information Filtering. The Information Discovery Paradigm is given. In addition, the different types of agents needed in Information Discovery applications are described in terms of the operations they support and the knowledge and information they use. A correct filtering topology, consisting of sound filter paths, is identified. Three fields are identified in which Information Retrieval and Information Filtering benefit from their synthesis: query expansion, query generation or autonomous IR, and profile adaptation.