CLOVER: an agent-based approach to systems interoperability in cooperativedesign systems

This paper presents an agent-based cooperative intelligent design environme nt with a focus on the issue of systems interoperability. After discussing the advantages and insufficiencies of the existing standards and protocols for systems interoperability, this paper proposes an infrastructure of a mu ltiagent-based cooperative design environment: CLOVER, which indicates that agent technology can be used to improve the interoperability among applica tions, and more importantly, it can support higher level dynamic and autono mous cooperation among applications. The key of our approach to systems int eroperability is an agent-based infrastructure using standards including IS O standards and widely accepted standard propositions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.