Agents, mobility and multimedia information

Abstract

This paper describes the design philosophy and implementation of a system which manages the location, retrieval and processing of multimedia information for mobile customers. The system uses intelligent agents in all aspects of management and allocation of service components to perform the most appropriate translation and movement of information through the network.

The agents use an open market model to provide the services. The strategy of the management agents is to stimulate demand to use their services, which is offset by quality-of-service factors, leading to balanced utilisation of the network. Agents also act as proxies for the user to take into account personal preferences.