Agent-based technology provides a new computing paradigm, where intelligent agents can be used to perform tasks such as sensing, planning, scheduling, reasoning and decision-making. In an agent-based system, software agents with sufficient intelligence and autonomy can either work independently or coordinately with other agents to accomplish tasks and missions. In this book, we provide up-to-date practical applications of agent-based technology in various fields, such as electronic commerce, grid computing, and adaptive virtual environment. The selected applications are invaluable for researchers and practitioners to understand the practical usage of agent-based technology, and also to apply agent-based technology innovatively in different areas.

Agent-based technology provides a new computing paradigm, where intelligent agents can be used to perform tasks such as sensing, planning, scheduling, reasoning and decision-making. In an agent-based system, software agents with sufficient intelligence and autonomy can either work independently or coordinately with other agents to accomplish tasks and missions. In this book, we provide up-to-date practical applications of agent-based technology in various fields, such as electronic commerce, grid computing, and adaptive virtual environment. The selected applications are invaluable for researchers and practitioners to understand the practical usage of agent-based technology, and also to apply agent-based technology innovatively in different areas.

PAAMS, the International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems is the international yearly tribune to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. This volume presents the papers that have been accepted for the 2011 edition. These articles capture the most innovative results and this year’s trends: Finance and Trading, Information Systems and Organisations, Leisure Culture and Interactions, Medicine and Cloud Computing, Platforms and Adaptation, Robotics and Manufacturing, Security and Privacy, Transports and Optimisation paper.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, PAAMS 2013, held in Salamanca, Spain, in May 2013. The 14 revised full papers and 9 short papers presented together with 16 demonstrations were carefully reviewed and selected from 70 submissions. The papers report on the application and validation of agent-based models, methods, and technologies in a number of key application areas, including: agents for real world problems; crowd modeling and analysis; decision making and discovery; interaction with artificial agents; mobility, ubiquity and clouds; (multi-)agent design technology; and simulation and organization.

Decision makers in large scale interconnected network systems require simulation models for decision support. The behaviour of these systems is determined by many actors, situated in a dynamic, multi-actor, multi-objective and multi-level environment. How can such systems be modelled and how can the socio-technical complexity be captured? Agent-based modelling is a proven approach to handle this challenge. This book provides a practical introduction to agent-based modelling of socio-technical systems, based on a methodology that has been developed at TU Delft and which has been deployed in a large number of case studies. The book consists of two parts: the first presents the background, theory and methodology as well as practical guidelines and procedures for building models. In the second part this theory is applied to a number of case studies, where for each model the development steps are presented extensively, preparing the reader for creating own models.

Research on Agents and Multi-Agent Systems has matured during the last decade and many effective applications of this technology are now deployed. PAAMS provides an international forum to present and discuss the latest scientific developments and their effective applications, to assess the impact of the approach, and to facilitate technology transfer. PAAMS started as a local initiative, but has since grown to become THE international yearly platform to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development and deployment of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS intends to bring together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on the application of multi-agent systems, to discuss and debate the major issues, and to showcase the latest systems using agent based technology. It will promote a forum for discussion on how agent-based techniques, methods, and tools help system designers to accomplish the mapping between available agent technology and application needs. Other stakeholders should be rewarded with a better understanding of the potential and challenges of the agent-oriented approach. This edition of PAAMS brings together past experience, current work, and promising future trends associated with distributed computing, artificial intelligence and their application in order to provide efficient solutions to real problems. This symposium is organized by the Bioinformatics, Intelligent System and Educational Technology Research Group (http://bisite.usal.es/) of the University of Salamanca. The present edition will be held in Salamanca, Spain, from 28th to 30th March 2012. This edition of PAAMS brings together past experience, current work, and promising future trends associated with distributed computing, artificial intelligence and their application in order to provide efficient solutions to real problems. This symposium is organized by the Bioinformatics, Intelligent System and Educational Technology Research Group (http://bisite.usal.es/) of the University of Salamanca. The present edition will be held in Salamanca, Spain, from 28th to 30th March 2012.

Research on Agents and Multi-Agent Systems has matured during the last decade and many effective applications of this technology are now deployed. PAAMS provides an international forum to present and discuss the latest scientific developments and their effective applications, to assess the impact of the approach, and to facilitate technology transfer. PAAMS started as a local initiative, but has since grown to become THE international yearly platform to present, to discuss, and to disseminate the latest developments and the most important outcomes related to real-world applications. It provides a unique opportunity to bring multi-disciplinary experts, academics and practitioners together to exchange their experience in the development and deployment of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. PAAMS intends to bring together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on the application of multi-agent systems, to discuss and debate the major issues, and to showcase the latest systems using agent based technology. It will promote a forum for discussion on how agent-based techniques, methods, and tools help system designers to accomplish the mapping between available agent technology and application needs. Other stakeholders should be rewarded with a better understanding of the potential and challenges of the agent-oriented approach. This edition of PAAMS special sessions. This symposium is organized by the Bioinformatics, Intelligent System and Educational Technology Research Group (http://bisite.usal.es/http://bisite.usal.es/) of the University of Salamanca. The present edition will be held in Salamanca, Spain, from 28th to 30th March 2012. This edition of PAAMS special sessions. This symposium is organized by the Bioinformatics, Intelligent System and Educational Technology Research Group (http://bisite.usal.es/http://bisite.usal.es/) of the University of Salamanca. The present edition will be held in Salamanca, Spain, from 28th to 30th March 2012.