Coordinated Negotiated Search: A Generic Framework for Distributed Planning, Scheduling, and Resource Allocation.

Abstract : Computer-based, decentralized decision making involving planning, scheduling, and resource allocation (DPSRA) problems is increasingly important as we attempt to create agile military and commercial organizations that can exploit the enormous amount of information that is available on-line and the emerging capability for on-line organizational interaction (e.g., enterprise integration systems, the electronic marketplace, etc.). Examples of DPSRA problems include logistical resource scheduling, crisis management, and concurrent engineering. The design of such applications is fraught with difficulties because agents in such systems cannot independently avoid conflicts, cannot access a global perspective to schedule their actions, cannot easily search for solutions in isolation, cannot respond statically to real-time deadlines, and must cope with an uncertain and changing environment. A major hurdle facing the construction of DPSRA applications is the lack of a generic framework for solving the difficulties outlined above. This generic framework will make it possible to significantly speed up the development of future DPSRA applications.