Distributed Resource Allocation: Generic Model and Solution Based on Constraint Programming and Multi-Agent System for Machine to Machine Services

The growth of technological capabilities of mobile devices, the evolution of wireless communication technologies, and the maturity of embedded systems contributed to expand the Machine to machine (M2M) concept. M2M refers to data communication between machines without human intervention. The objective of this paper is to present the grand schemes of a model to be used in an agricultural Decision support System. The authors start by explaining and justifying the need for a hybrid system that uses both Multi-Agent System (MAS) and Constraint Programming (CP) paradigms. Then, the authors propose an approach for Constraint Programming and Multi-Agent System mixing based on controller agent concept. The authors present concrete constraints and agents to be used in a distributed architecture based on the proposed approach for M2M services and agricultural decision support. The platform is built in Java using general interfaces of both MAS and Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) platforms and the conception is made by agent UML (AUML). DOI: 10.4018/jmcmc.2012040104 50 International Journal of Mobile Computing and Multimedia Communications, 4(2), 49-62, April-June 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. is reliable (Eclipse, Apache, etc.), viability as it is standards-based computing (J2E, etc.); interoperability because of the compatibility with different devices; portability to operate on all operating systems; and finally optimization because it uses controller-Agents for Constraints Solving or CACS for short. CACS is intended to be used for solving Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem (DCSP) which is an emerged field from the integration between two paradigms of different nature: Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) that is characterized by the autonomy and the distribution of its entities and the Constraint Satisfaction Problem paradigm (CSP) where all constraints are treated in central manner as a black-box. CACS is based on special kind of agents called controllers. A controller role is to encapsulate and verify some constraints assigned to it. CACS allows grouping constraints to form a subset that will be treated together as a local problem inside the controller. The platform is built in Java using general interfaces of both MAS and CSP platforms. In the next sections we give a short introduction to the constraint programming and multi-agent system, after that we describe our approach for mixing both paradigms in order to model the problem of water using for M2M services and agricultural decision support, then we give an outline onto M2M concept, and the platform implemented by our EAS (Systems’ Architecture Team), used to communicate and to synchronize data between a central server and mobile devices with ANDROID OS, in order to remote control the greenhouses via a PDA(Personal Digital Assistant). This article ends by conception elaborated by AUML and realization of the platform, and finally conclusions and perspectives. 2. MULTI-AGENT APPROACH