Design of multilevel flow modelling-based decision support system by using multiagent platform

Abstract

For complex engineering systems, there is an increasing demand for safety and reliability. Decision support system (DSS) is designed to offer supervision and analysis about operational situations. A proper model representation is required for DSS to understand the process knowledge. Multilevel flow modelling (MFM) represents complex system in multiple levels of means-end and part-whole decompositions, which is proposed in this paper as basis for developing decision support systems. The aim of this paper is to explore the different possible functionalities by applying MFM to DSS, where both currently available techniques of MFM reasoning and less mature yet relevant MFM concepts are considered. It also offers an architecture design of task organisation for MFM software tools by using the concept of agent and technology of multiagent software system.