This OptMAS workshop invites works from different strands of the multi-agent systems community that pertain to the design of algorithms, models, and techniques to deal with multi-agent optimization problems. We will also place a particular emphasis on DCR approaches, which include the modeling, formulation and solution of DCR problems, including both Distributed Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization Problems.

About

The number of novel applications of multi-agent systems has followed an exponential trend over the last few years, ranging from online auction design, through multi-sensor networks, to scheduling of tasks in multi-actor systems. Multi-agent systems designed for all these applications generally involve some form of very hard optimization problems that are substantially different from problems traditionally dealt with in other areas (e.g. industrial processes or scheduling applications). More specifically, the technical issues that multi-agent algorithm designers have to deal with include:

• Open systems: algorithms to compute solutions to mechanisms that deal with different stakeholders, who may be self-interested or may have different computation or communication capabilities from their peers.
• Distributed systems: algorithms that are across different system components, such as those that deal with agents that are tied to physical devices. This involves considerations of computation and communication constraints, and the possibility of failures of the components and/or communication links.
• Privacy concerns: solving optimization problems while minimizing the exchange of private information.
• Solution quality bounds: problems requiring anytime and/or approximate algorithms with quality bounds.
• Robust optimization: techniques to deal with optimizations that are repeated with only slight changes in the input data and/or with unreliable input data, which require solutions that are robust to these differences.
• Highly parallel architectures: e.g., multi-core, GPGPU, which deal with large-scale problems with massive data and task parallelism.

In particular, workshop organizers are seeking papers on the following (but not limited to) topics:

• Distributed constraint optimization/satisfaction
• Winner determination algorithms in auctions
• Coalition formation algorithms
• Algorithms to compute Nash and other equilibria in games
• Optimization under uncertainty
• Optimization with incomplete or dynamic input data
• Algorithms for real-time applications
• GPU for general purpose computations (GPGPU)
• Multi-core and many-core computing
• Cloud, distributed and grid computing

OptMAS places particular emphasis on distributed constraint reasoning (DCR) approaches, which include the modeling, formulation and solution of DCR problems, including both Distributed Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization Problems. DCR problems arise when pieces of information about variables, constraints or both are relevant to independent but communicating agents. They provide a promising framework to deal with the increasingly diverse range of distributed real world problems emerging from the evolution of computation and communication technologies. Example DCR-specific technical issues include:

• Unified frameworks for distributed constraint reasoning
• Complete and incomplete algorithms for solving distributed constraint reasoning problems
• Privacy issues in distributed constraint reasoning
• Problem solving in systems with self-interested agents
• Negotiation among self-interested agents
• Distributed constraint propagation and consistency
• Generation and formulation/modeling of distributed constraint reasoning
• Applications of distributed constraint reasoning

Committees

Program Committee

• Bo An - Nanyang Technological University
• Juan Antonio Rodriguez Aguilar - IIIA-CSIC
• Ana L. C. Bazzan - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Filippo Bistaffa - IIIA-CSIC
• Tal Grinshpoun - Ariel University
• Katsutoshi Hirayama - Kobe University
• Christopher Kiekintveld - University of Texas at El Paso
• Sven Koenig - University of Southern California
• Kate Larson - University of Waterloo
• Tiep Le - New Mexico State University
• Amnon Meisels - Ben Gurion University of the Negev
• Gauthier Picard - Laboratoire Hubert Curien MINES Saint-Etienne
• Enrico Pontelli - New Mexico State University
• Valentin Robu - Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
• Marius Silaghi - FIT
• Mohamed Wahbi - Insight, University College Cork
• Harel Yedidsion - Ben-Gurion University Israel
• William Yeoh - University of Washington in St. Luis
• Makoto Yokoo - Kyushu University

Organizing committee

• Archie Chapman, University of Sydney
• Ferdinando Fioretto, University of Michigan
• Long Tran-Thanh, University of Southampton
• Roie Zivan, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Venue

Stockholm, Sweden

Adress: Mässvägen 1, 125 80 Älvsjö

The AAMAS conference will be held within the frame of the Federated Artificial Intelligence Meeting (FAIM) at Stockholmsmässan. Stockholmmässa is the biggest convention and exhibition facility in Northern Europe. They have more than 70 years of experience to arrange big events such as this co-located meeting of three of the biggest International AI conferences.

The main entrance of Stockholmsmässan is located within a few minutes walking distance from Älvsjö Station which can be reached from Stockholm Centralstation within 10 minutes. Commuter trains connect the central station with Älvsjö station about 8 to 14 times per hour, also until late at night. In these commuter trains, announcements are in Swedish and English.

Although located on opposite sides of Stockholm city center, there is also a direct train connection between Arlanda Airport and Älsvjö Station. This connection takes ca. 50 minutes.

More detailed information about how to reach the convention center can be found here.

Tickets can be bought at ticket machines in the railway stations. Registered conference participants will receive a public transportation ticket for the conference days. These tickets are valid on all public trains and buses (NOT on the trains to Arlanda Airport).

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to fioretto@umich.edu