Quantitative Analysis of Multiagent Systems Through Statistical Model Checking

Due to their immense complexity, large-scale multiagent systems are often unamenable to exhaustive formal verification. Statistical approaches that focus on the verification of individual traces can provide an interesting alternative. However, due to its focus on finite execution paths, trace-based verification is inherently limited to certain types of correctness properties. We show how, by combining sampling with the idea of trace fragmentation, statistical model checking can be used to answer interesting quantitative correctness properties about multiagent systems on different observational levels. We illustrate the idea with a simple case study from the area of swarm robotics.

[1]  Clare Dixon,et al.  Formal Verification of Probabilistic Swarm Behaviours , 2010, ANTS Conference.

[2]  Alessio Lomuscio,et al.  Automatic verification of parameterised multi-agent systems , 2013, AAMAS.

[3]  Vincent Nimal,et al.  Statistical Approaches for Probabilistic Model Checking , 2010 .

[4]  Wojciech Penczek,et al.  Partial order reductions for model checking temporal epistemic logics over interleaved multi-agent systems , 2010, AAMAS.

[5]  Christel Baier,et al.  Principles of model checking , 2008 .

[6]  Bernd Finkbeiner,et al.  Collecting Statistics Over Runtime Executions , 2005, Formal Methods Syst. Des..

[7]  Benjamin Herd,et al.  Statistical runtime verification of agent-based simulations , 2015 .

[8]  Alexandre Ja. Dikovsky,et al.  Temporal Verification of Probabilistic Multi-Agent Systems , 2008, Pillars of Computer Science.

[9]  Martin Leucker,et al.  Comparing LTL Semantics for Runtime Verification , 2010, J. Log. Comput..

[10]  Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, , 2022 .

[11]  Alessio Lomuscio,et al.  A Cutoff Technique for the Verification of Parameterised Interpreted Systems with Parameterised Environments , 2013, IJCAI.

[12]  Axel Legay,et al.  Statistical Model Checking: An Overview , 2010, RV.

[13]  Bud Mishra,et al.  The Temporal Logic of Causal Structures , 2009, UAI.

[14]  Insup Lee,et al.  Statistical Runtime Checking of Probabilistic Properties , 2007, RV.

[15]  Michael Wooldridge,et al.  Uncertain Agent Verification through Probabilistic Model-Checking , 2009, Safety and Security in Multiagent Systems.

[16]  A. Prasad Sistla.  Symmetry Reductions in Model-Checking , 2003, VMCAI.

[17]  Andrew B. Kahng,et al.  Cooperative Mobile Robotics: Antecedents and Directions , 1997, Auton. Robots.

[18]  Marta Z. Kwiatkowska,et al.  Quantitative Analysis With the Probabilistic Model Checker PRISM , 2006, QAPL.

[19]  Marta Z. Kwiatkowska,et al.  PRISM 4.0: Verification of Probabilistic Real-Time Systems , 2011, CAV.

[20]  Jamal Bentahar,et al.  Model Checking Epistemic and Probabilistic Properties of Multi-agent Systems , 2011, IEA/AIE.

[21]  Alessio Lomuscio,et al.  Parallel Model Checking for Temporal Epistemic Logic , 2010, ECAI.

[22]  Wojciech Penczek,et al.  Partial Order Reductions for Model Checking Temporal-epistemic Logics over Interleaved Multi-agent Systems , 2010, Fundam. Informaticae.

[23]  Stephan Merz,et al.  Model Checking , 2000 .

[24]  Wojciech Penczek,et al.  Bounded model checking for knowledge and real time , 2005, AAMAS '05.

[25]  Christel Baier,et al.  Principles of Model Checking (Representation and Mind Series) , 2008 .

[26]  Sjur K. Dyrkolbotn,et al.  Agents Homogeneous: A Procedurally Anonymous Semantics Characterizing the Homogeneous Fragment of ATL , 2013, PRIMA.

[27]  Marta Z. Kwiatkowska,et al.  Stochastic Model Checking , 2007, SFM.

[28]  A. Prasad Sistla,et al.  Symmetry Reductions in Model Checking , 1998, CAV.