Agent-based Web services framework and development environment

The current Web services technologies have not exploited sufficient semantics and approaches to dynamic service-oriented operations in open environments. This paper argues that such operations can be realized through agent-oriented interaction approaches. The key challenge is to develop an integration framework for the two paradigms, agent- and service-oriented, in a way that capitalizes on their individual strengths. This paper proposes the notion of agent-based Web services (AWS). We address several critical issues, including the appropriate architectural framework and the structure of its main elements (agent-based Web services), their meta-model, supporting technologies, integration method, and implementation approach. An integrated development environment for this framework called SOAStudio has been developed and tested by implementing a case study of a reverse auction e-marketplace.