Lightweight Extensible Agent Platform
Project LEAP is addressing the need for open infrastructures and services, which support dynamic, mobile enterprises. It will develop agent-based services supporting three requirements of a mobile enterprise workforce: Knowledge management (anticipating individual knowledge requirements), decentralised work co-ordination (empowering individuals, co-ordinating and trading jobs), travel management (planning and co-ordinating individual travel needs). It will develop a reference Lightweight Extensible Agent Platform responding to the communication and co-operation needs of mobile teams, based on standards and capable running on advanced phones or mobile devices. The project will comprise two phases: In the first Phase, a feasibility study of 12 months, the project will define application requirements as well as reviewing current FIPA and WAP standards. The design of the Lightweight Extensible Agent Platform will be based on the development of an innovative, scaleable and "operating system agnostic" architecture for devices ranging from PDAs to "phones to desktop" systems. This architecture and a initial version of the LEAP application will be integrated and deployed in lab trials. In Phase 2, the Mobile team management applications will be deployed in the real world, in two Field Trials, over a one month time period, and covering large geographical areas. The field trials will evaluate both the scientific and usability aspects of the technology, showing how the technology is adapted and adopted by users in a dynamic networked organisation in a ubiquitous environment.