TY - GEN
T1 - Sharing experiences to learn user characteristics in dynamic environments with sparse data
AU - Sarne, David
AU - Grosz, Barbara J.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - This paper investigates the problem of estimating the value of probabilistic parameters needed for decision making in environments in which an agent, operating within a multi-agent system, has no a priori information about the structure of the distribution of parameter values. The agent must be able to produce estimations even when it may have made only a small number of direct observations, and thus it must be able to operate with sparse data. The paper describes a mechanism that enables the agent to significantly improve its estimation by augmenting its direct observations with those obtained by other agents with which it is coordinating. To avoid undesirable bias in relatively heterogeneous environments while effectively using relevant data to improve its estimations, the mechanism weighs the contributions of other agents' observations based on a real-time estimation of the level of similarity between each of these agents and itself. The "coordination autonomy" module of a coordination-manager system provided an empirical setting for evaluation. Simulation-based evaluations demonstrated that the proposed mechanism outperforms estimations based exclusively on an agent's own observations as well as estimations based on an unweighted aggregate of all other agents' observations.
AB - This paper investigates the problem of estimating the value of probabilistic parameters needed for decision making in environments in which an agent, operating within a multi-agent system, has no a priori information about the structure of the distribution of parameter values. The agent must be able to produce estimations even when it may have made only a small number of direct observations, and thus it must be able to operate with sparse data. The paper describes a mechanism that enables the agent to significantly improve its estimation by augmenting its direct observations with those obtained by other agents with which it is coordinating. To avoid undesirable bias in relatively heterogeneous environments while effectively using relevant data to improve its estimations, the mechanism weighs the contributions of other agents' observations based on a real-time estimation of the level of similarity between each of these agents and itself. The "coordination autonomy" module of a coordination-manager system provided an empirical setting for evaluation. Simulation-based evaluations demonstrated that the proposed mechanism outperforms estimations based exclusively on an agent's own observations as well as estimations based on an unweighted aggregate of all other agents' observations.
KW - Adjustable autonomy
KW - Interruption management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=60349095737&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/1329125.1329176
DO - 10.1145/1329125.1329176
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AN - SCOPUS:60349095737
SN - 9788190426275
T3 - Proceedings of the International Conference on Autonomous Agents
SP - 202
EP - 209
BT - AAMAS'07 - Proceedings of the 6th International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
T2 - 6th International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, AAMAS'07
Y2 - 14 May 2008 through 18 May 2008
ER -