Multi-agent automated negotiation as a service

Abstract

Automated negotiation has become the core of the intelligent e-commerce. Traditional research in automated negotiation is focused on theory about negotiation protocol and strategy. However, the application of automated negotiation system has lagged far behind. This paper discusses reasons for such a situation and points out that making the automated negotiation system as a software service in line with the SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) is a feasible way for the practical application of the automated negotiation system. It then discusses a technology roadmap for the development of automated negotiation system using the software agent technology. As a proof of the concept, this paper proposes two application architectures based on SOA and web services technology, presents a future blueprint for the application of negotiation online. Finally it describes the running process of the whole system.