JAM: The JavaScript Agent Machine for Distributed Computing and Simulation with reactive and mobile Multi-agent Systems -- A Technical Report

TL;DR

This paper introduces JAM, a JavaScript-based platform for deploying large-scale, mobile, and heterogeneous multi-agent systems on the Internet, combining agent-based modeling, simulation, and distributed computing.

Contribution

It presents the design, architecture, and programming approach of JAM and AgentJS, enabling unified agent-based modeling and simulation in heterogeneous environments.

Findings

JAM supports large-scale multi-agent deployment on the Internet.

AgentJS allows programming of mobile, reactive agents in JavaScript.

JAM enables combined agent-based modeling and simulation for mobile crowd sensing.

Abstract

Agent-based modelling (ABM), simulation (ABS), and distributed computation (ABC) are established methods. The Internet and Web-based technologies are suitable carriers. This paper is a technical report with some tutorial aspects of the JavaScript Agent Machine (JAM) platform and the programming of agents with AgentJS, a sub-set of the widely used JavaScript programming language for the programming of mobile state-based reactive agents. In addition to explaining the motivation for particular design choices and introducing core concepts of the architecture and the programming of agents in JavaScript, short examples illustrate the power of the JAM platform and its components for the deployment of large-scale multi-agent system in strong heterogeneous environments like the Internet. JAM is suitable for the deployment in strong heterogeneous and mobile environments. Finally, JAM can be used for ABC as well as for ABS in an unified methodology, finally enabling mobile crowd sensing coupled with simulation (ABS).