Using reservations for multiagent resource allocation with costly preemption

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Pinhey, Graham^a | Doucette, John A.^{b; *} | Cohen, Robin^a

Affiliations: [a] University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada | [b] New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: John A. Doucette, New College of Florida, 5800 Bayshore Road, Sarasota, FL, USA. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: We examine multiagent resource allocation to maximize global utility in settings with dynamic arrivals, proposing a distributed coordination framework that allows resource preemptions. We then introduce the concept of resource reservations to address expected future changes in the task allocation environment; accounting for switching costs and considering irrevocable allocations both become desirable. We address these problems using dummy agents and validate our approach using simulations comparing utility with and without dummy agents. We discuss the value of this framework in the context of social computing, enabling improved interactions for teamwork and coordination in domains like health care for emergency response management.

Keywords: Multiagent resource allocation, preemption, proxy agents, plan-based coordination

DOI: 10.3233/MGS-180289

Journal: Multiagent and Grid Systems, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 219-242, 2018