Supporting communication and cooperation in distributed representation for adaptive design

Different types of graphs has been successfully used to represent designs at different stages of the design process. Changes to a model representing a design during the process can be modelled by applying graph transformations. In many real life design tasks the changes/updates can be carried out simultaneously on different parts of the design. Hence a model based on graph transformations is coupled with a multiagent paradigm to enable the parallelisation of these transformations to mimic the real life approach. In this paper a hypergraph representation and transformation model is used as a basis for building a multiagent system supporting distribution and adaptation in computer aided design. This representation can be applicable throughout the lifecycle of the design. It is based on research in formal language theory, like graph grammars, and distributed models including multiagent systems. The motivation for the work presented here is given and possible applications are described. The application of the theoretical results in a graph distribution toolkit proposed as a multiagent framework is also considered. To assure the efficiency of the system it should be implemented as a parallel multiagent system. The hypergraph distribution and partial replication, allowing for its parts to be managed by agents, is also presented. The approach is illustrated by a case study from the domain of building design, where it is used to represent, modify and maintain building information. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.