Towards Ontology-Based MAS Methodologies: Ontology-Based Early Requirements

An ontology-based MAS methodology can offer support for software extensibility, interoperability and reuse which are critical concerns for long-term commercial viability of any MAS. These concerns underpin the eventual adoption of agent technology by industry. Existing AOSE methodologies lack adequate support for these concerns. This research is part of an ongoing effort to produce a methodology that uses ontologies as a central modeling artifact. In this chapter we propose an early requirement phase which is ontology centric. We integrate this requirement phase into an ontology-based methodological framework. Further, we identify ontology-related interdependencies between requirement, analysis, and design phases. Our early requirement is a novel approach that integrates i* with ontological analysis.