CALL FOR PAPERS *** CALL FOR PAPERS *** CALL FOR PAPERS The Third International Conference on AUTONOMOUS AGENTS (Agents '99) Seattle, Washington, USA Saturday May 1 - Wednesday May 5, 1999 http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/agents99 INTRODUCTION Autonomous agents are computer systems that are capable of independent action in open, unpredictable environments. Agents are also one of the most important and exciting areas of research and development in computer science today. Agents are currently being applied in domains as diverse as computer games and interactive cinema, information retrieval and filtering, user interface design, electronic commerce, and industrial process control. The aim of the Agents '99 conference is to bring together researchers and developers from industry and academia in order to report on the latest scientific and technical advances, discuss and debate the major issues, and showcase the latest systems. Agents '99 will build on the enormous success of its two predecessors, Agents '97 in Marina del Rey, and Agents '98 held in Minneapolis, which together attracted some 1000 people. The conference welcomes submissions of original, high quality papers and videos with summaries concerning autonomous agents in a variety of embodiments and playing a variety of roles in their environments. The Agents'99 conference, like its predecessors, will focus primarily on systems that have been or are being implemented; theory papers are welcome provided that they clearly relate to such systems, for example by helping us to predict their behaviour, explain, or understand them. The submission of pure theory papers is not encouraged: there are other, more appropriate forums for such work. Papers that address isolated agent capabilities (such as planning or learning) are similarly discouraged. Evaluation of agents or multi-agent systems will be considered a necessary component of each submission. In addition to technical presentations of papers and videos, the conference will include panel sessions involving internationally recognised experts in the field, software and robotic agent demonstrations, and an exhibits session. More generally, the conference will strive towards an informal atmosphere with plenty of time for presentations, questions, and discussions. Accepted papers will be formally published in Conference Proceedings. A limited number of student scholarships will be available. The conference will also include workshops and tutorials that will take place May 1-2, 1998. CONFERENCE THEMES Technical isses to be addressed include, but are not restricted to: * action selection and planning * agent architectures * agent-based software engineering * agent communication languages * artificial market systems and electronic commerce * autonomous robots * believability * collaboration between people and agents * communication between people and agents * coordinating perception, thought, and action * designing agent systems * expert assistants * evolution of agents * human-like qualities of synthetic agents * information agents * instructability * integration and coordination of multiple activities * knowledge acquisition and accumulation * life-like qualities * longer-term adaptation and learning * meta-modeling and meta-reasoning * middle-agents (e.g., matchmakers, brokers, routers) * mobile agents * modeling the environment * modeling the behavior of other agents * models of emotion * models of motivation * models of personality * multi-agent communication, coordination, and collaboration * multi-agent teams * network agents * organization of agent societies * real-time performance * simulating and verifying agent systems * synthetic agents * user modeling PAPER & VIDEO SUBMISSION INFORMATION Paper and video submission is a 2 part process: 1. You *must* send in an electronic title page and abstract. This must be done via the following WWW page: http://www.aaai.org/Conferences/AA99ss/submit.html Full instructions are provided on this page. Title pages must be submitted no later than **5 October, 1998**. If you are genuinely unable to complete the online form (e.g., you do not have WWW access), then please contact the conference program chairs as soon as possible. IMPORTANT NOTE: The electronic title page site is likely to be very busy on 5 October. You are strongly urged to submit this title page *as far* in advance of 5 October as possible. 2. You *must* submit hardcopies of your papers -- electronic submission is NOT acceptable. Paper submissions must arrive no later than **5 October 1998**. Submissions received after this date will be returned unopened. Authors should submit six (6) copies of papers. All papers will be reviewed by the program committee, and authors will be notified of acceptance by 18 December 1998. Submitted papers must be printed on 8 1/2" x 11" or A4 paper using 12 point type (10 characters per inch for typewriters). Each page must have no more than 38 lines and an average of 75 characters per line. (This corresponds to LaTeX article style, 12 point.) Paper bodies should be no longer than 6500 words, including references and figures (assumed to represent the number of words they replace on the manuscript page). Videos should be no longer than 10 minutes and accompanied by two page summaries, including references and figures, but not including the title page. Over-length papers will either be rejected or penalized in the review process. Paper and video submissions should be sent to: AAAI (AGENTS 99) 445 Burgess Drive Menlo Park CA 94035-3442 USA Double Submission Policy: Please note that Agents'99 and AAAI'99 will enforce a policy not to allow double submissions. I.e., a paper that has been accepted for full presentation at Agents'99 must not be submitted to AAAI'99. This policy does not apply to submissions accepted as posters at Agents'99. TUTORIALS AT AGENTS '99 The program committee invites proposals for the tutorial program, to be held May 2, 1999. Tutorials will be offered on a variety of aspects of agent-related research related to the main conference themes. The above list is by no means exclusive; other agent-related topics will be considered, but in correspondence with the general direction of the conference, we especially encourage proposals for tutorials that emphasize the view of agents as complete autonomous systems. Anyone interested in presenting a tutorial should submit a proposal to the Agents '99 Tutorial Chair, Carles Sierra. A tutorial proposal should contain the following information: * A brief description of the tutorial, suitable for inclusion in the conference registration brochure. * A detailed outline of the tutorial. * A clear statement of the necessary background and the potential target audience for the tutorial. * A description of why the tutorial topic is of interest to a substantial part of the Agents '99 audience. * A brief resume of the presenter(s), which should include - name - postal address - phone and fax numbers - email address - background in the tutorial area (e.g., teaching experience, brief cv). It is suggested that potential tutorial proposers contact the Tutorial Chair in advance if they have any questions or queries. Those submitting a proposal should keep in mind that tutorials are intended to provide an overview of the field; they should present state-of-the-art information in a balanced way. Tutorials should not be used to advocate a single avenue of research, nor should they promote a specific product. Proposals must be received no later than by November 6, 1998. Proposals should be submitted by post or electronically (in ascii, postscript or rtf). Decisions about topics and speakers will be made by December 18, 1998. Tutors will be sent a set of guidelines for the preparation of course materials. Completed course materials must be received for duplication by February 16, 1999. Please note that Agents '99 will normally only duplicate up to 200 pages per participant. NOTE: The tutorial participants are required to register for the Agents'99 main conference. Tutorial registration will be handled by the Agents'99 Committee along with the main conference registration. Please send proposals and any questions to: Carles Sierra (AGENTS '99 TUTORIALS) Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, IIIA Spanish Scientific Research Council, CSIC Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona Spain Tel +34-93-5809570 Fax +34-93-5809661 Email sierra@iiia.csic.es WORKSHOPS AT AGENTS '99 The Program Committee invites proposals for workshops to be held at Agents '99. Workshops are intended to provide opportunities for in-depth meetings and informal discussions about particular aspects of agents. The topics listed above provide an indication of the types of issues that might be addressed by workshops, though other agent-related topics are welcome. Potential Workshop organizers should e-mail the following information to the workshop chair, Elisabeth Andre (andre@dfki.de) no later than November 6th, 1998: * Title of the proposed workshop * Description of the workshop, including a strategy for recruiting and selecting papers and participants * List of workshop organizers * The name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and fax number of the person to contact * Estimated number of participants, and if possible, a list of tentatively confirmed attendees * A list of previously-organized related workshops organized by any of the organizers. This is to help the workshop chair put the workshop in context (previous experience with similar workshops is not required) * Length (half-day/full-day) and suggested format. All workshops will be held on May 1, 1999. All workshops will be either half-day or full-day. The workshop organizers will be responsible for: * Producing a call-for-participation and distributing it. * Selecting workshop participants. A list of participants should be submitted to the Agents '99 Organizing Committee by March 15, 1999. * Producing the workshop notes. If camera ready copy of the notes is submitted to the Agents '99 Committee by April 6th, 1999, the Agents '99 Committee will produce copies of the workshop notes for workshop participants. The Agents '99 Committee will provide meeting places for the workshops including nominal refreshments. NOTE: The workshop participants are required to register for the Agents '99 main conference. Workshop registration will be handled by the Agents '99 Committee along with the main conference registration. Please send proposals and any questions to the Workshop Chair: Elisabeth Andre (AGENTS 99 WORKSHOPS) DFKI GmbH Stuhlsatzenhausweg 3 D-66123 Saarbruecken Germany Phone: +49 681 302 5267 Fax: +49 681 302 5341 Email: andre@dfki.de Important Dates for Workshop Organizers: Submission Deadline for Workshop Proposals November 6th 1998 Notification of acceptance of Workshop Proposals November 30th 1998 Submission of final copy of Workshop Notes April 6th, 1999 Workshop dates May 1st, 1999 SOFTWARE DEMOS AT AGENTS '99 The Agents '99 conference will include a full session of software demonstrations, showcasing the latest agent software products and research projects. All demos will be given in parallel in an informal setting. Demos should be brief so that they can be shown repeatedly during the session. Demo submissions will be evaluated on the basis of their innovation, relevance, scientific contribution, and potential logistic constraints. Commercial products are eligible, but sales and marketing activities are not appropriate. Submissions will consist of a cover letter indicating the primary author's name, affiliation, address, phone number, and email address, and the following (hardcopy submissions should include two copies): 1. A two-page summary of the technical content of the demo. This summary will be handed out at the conference. 2. A detailed description of hardware and software requirements. Please indicate what hardware or software you can supply these yourself. Agents '99 will attempt to provide necessary equipment, but some demonstrators may be required to provide their own equipment. 3. A demo storyboard with at least six screen dumps (not more than six pages, including pictures). Submissions should be sent to Keith Golden, Software Demos Chair, at the address below, and must be received by Tuesday, February 2, 1999. Email submissions are acceptable. To aid mail sorting, please include the string "Agents 99 software demo" in the subject line of email submissions. Authors will be notified of acceptance by February 23, 1999. If your travel plans require an earlier decision, please indicate this on your application. Authors of accepted Agents '99 papers will be invited to demonstrate their systems at the conference, assuming appropriate equipment can be arranged. Authors of accepted papers must still provide items (1) and (2) above by the deadline if they wish to present software demos. Submissions (email or hardcopy) should be sent to: Keith Golden / Agents 99 Software Demo Chair NASA Ames Research Center Mail Stop 269-2 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 USA phone: (650) 604-3585 fax: (650) 604-3594 email: kgolden@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov ROBOTICS DEMOS AT AGENTS '99 The Agents '99 conference will include a full session of robotics demonstrations, featuring the lastest and most innovative systems that are directly related to the theme of this conference --- robots that can perceive and act in open, unpredictable environments. Examples of such systems include, but not limited to, soccer robots (such as those in RoboCup97 and RoboCup98), autonomous flying machines (i.e., miniature helicopters), and self-reconfigurable robots (such as Sony's home entertainment pets). All demos will be given in parallel in an informal setting. Demos may be required to shown repeatedly during the conference. A schedule of demos will be published during conference for the most visibility. Limited financial support will be provided to teams that need the most. Demo submissions will be evaluated on the basis of their innovation, relevance, scientific contribution, and potential logistic constraints. Commercial products are eligible, but sales and marketing activities are not appropriate. Submissions will consist of a cover letter indicating the primary author's name, affiliation, address, phone number, and email address and the following (hardcopy submissions should include two copies): 1. A two-page summary of the technical content of the demo. This summary will be handed out at the conference. 2. A short vedio tape that shows the highlights of the demo. 3. A detailed description of resource requirements, such as space, site set ups, power supplies, monitors, keyboards, or other necessary hardware or software. The final conference support for these requirement will be negotiated before the conference. 4. An estimation of financial support for robot travelling and setup. Submissions should be sent to Wei-Min Shen, Robotics Demos Chair, at the address below, and must be received by Tuesday, February 2, 1999. Email submissions are acceptable. To enhance the scientific aspects of these demos, all accepted robot demos will be requested to submit a paper to describe their research and robots, and we will consider to publish these papers, possibly through AAAI Press, in a collection similar to workshop proceedings. Submissions (email or hardcopy) should be sent to: Wei-Min Shen / Agents 99 Robotics Demo Chair USC Information Sciences Institute 4676 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 USA phone: (310) 822-1511 fax: (310) 822-0751 email: shen@isi.edu ABOUT THE CONFERENCE VENUE Seattle is an internationally known tourist destination; a major city in a most scenic region. It provides easy access to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, to Victoria and Vancouver, to Mount Rainier, Olympic National Park, and the North Cascades National Park. Many diverse restaurants and shopping areas exist in all price ranges. Local attractions include the Space Needle and Pacific Science Center; the Pike Place Market, the Aquarium, and waterfront piers; theaters, opera house, concerts, and night clubs; Woodland Park Zoo; the University of Washington and arboretum; the Seattle Art Museum, and the Museum of Flight. The Washington State Historical Museum and Point Defiance Park and zoo are in Tacoma. In recent years, the Boeing plant in Everett (north of Seattle) has become the single most popular tourist attraction in the state. The Everett factory is the world's largest building in enclosed volume and is the final assembly site for Boeing's wide body jets (747, 767, and 777). Agents'99 is going to be held in the HYATT REGENCY BELLEVUE hotel in Seattle. The hotel is located on the fashionable Eastside, directly across from Bellevue Square, the Northwest?s largest shopping mall, close to Microsoft, Boeing, U.S. West and Bellevue?s Meydenbauer Convention Center; 10 miles to Seattle, 17 miles to SeaTac Int?l Airport. The single conference room rate at the HYATT is US$ 149 per night. Double rooms will be $159/night. For more information about the venue and host city, see the conference WWW site. FURTHER INFORMATION Like its predecessors, Agents'99 will comprise a high-quality selection of tutorials, workshops, software demos, robotics demos, and exhibitions. Check out the Agents'99 web page http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/agents99 for details. IMPORTANT DATES October 5, 1998 Paper submission deadline (includes electronic title pages, papers and videos) November 6, 1998 Workshop proposals due Tutorial proposals due December 18, 1998 Paper/video notifications mailed Tutorial notifications will be mailed February 2, 1999 Software demo submission deadline Robotics demo submission deadline February 16, 1999 Camera-ready copies of accepted papers due Tutorial material due Workshop papers due May 1-2, 1999 Workshops and tutorials May 2-5, 1999 Conference technical sessions AGENTS'99 MAILING LIST You can register to the AGENTS'99 mailing list (agents-99@cs.umbc.edu) for up-to-date information about the conference. Subscribe by sending an email message to agents-99-subscribe@cs.umbc.edu. NOTE: The mailing list is moderated, i.e., only appropriate emails will be transmitted. CONFERENCE OFFICIALS General Chair: Jeffrey M. Bradshaw Associate Technical Fellow Intelligent Agent Technology The Boeing Company P.O. Box 3707, MC 7L-44 Seattle, WA 98124-2207 USA Email: jeffrey.m.bradshaw@boeing.com Phone: (425)865-6086 Fax: (425)865-2965 Technical Program Co-Chairs: Oren Etzioni Associate Professor Department of Computer Science and Engineering University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195 USA Email: etzioni@cs.washington.edu Phone: (206)685-3035 Fax: (206)543-2969 Joerg P. Mueller John Wiley & Sons 4th Floor International House London W5 5DB, UK Tel: ++44 181 832 1510 Fax: ++44 181 579 6368 Email: jpm@wis-dev.wiley.co.uk Senior Program Committee: Ed Durfee (University of Michigan, USA) Nick Jennings (Queen Mary & Westfield College, UK) Lewis Johnson (University of Southern California, USA) Henry Lieberman (MIT Media Laboratory, USA) Ramon Lopez de Mantaras (AI Research Institute - CSIC, Spain) Eugenio Oliveira (University of Porto, Portugal) Mike Pazzani (University of California, Irvine, USA) Martha Pollack (University of Pittsburgh, USA) Jeff Rosenschein (Hebrew University, Israel) Tuomas Sandholm (Washington University St. Louis, USA) Katia Sycara (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) Mike Wooldridge (Queen Mary & Westfield College, UK) Publicity Chair: Craig Knoblock Information Sciences Institute University of Southern California 4676 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 USA Email: knoblock@isi.edu Phone: (310)822-1511 x786 Fax: (310) 822-0751 Workshops Chair: Elisabeth Andre DFKI GmbH Stuhlsatzenhausweg 3 D-66123 Saarbruecken Germany Email: andre@dfki.de Phone: +49 681 302 5267 Fax: +49 681 302 5341 Tutorials Chair: Carles Sierra Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, IIIA Spanish Scientific Research Council, CSIC Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona Spain Email: sierra@iiia.csic.es Phone: +34-93-5809570 Fax: +34-93-5809661 Software Demos Chair: Keith Golden NASA Ames Research Center Mail Stop 269-2 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 USA Email: kgolden@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov Phone: (650) 604-3585 Fax: (650) 604-3594 Robotics Demos Chair: Wei-Min Shen Information Sciences Institute and Compter Science Department University of Southern California 4676 Admiralty Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Email: shen@isi.edu Phone: (310)822-1511 Fax: (310)822-0751 URL: http://www.isi.edu/~shen Videos Chair: Maria Gini (University of Minnesota, USA) Email: gini@cs.umn.edu Posters Chair: Frank Dignum Faculty of Mathematics & Computing Science Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands Email: dignum@win.tue.nl Phone: +31-40-2473705 Fax: +31-40-2463992 Treasurer: Daniela Rus (Dartmouth College, USA) Email: rus@cs.dartmouth.edu Local Arrangements Chair: Gene Ball Microsoft Research One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052 USA Email: geneb@microsoft.com Phone: (425)936-5653 Sponsorship Chair: Mark Greaves Applied Research and Technology The Boeing Company P.O. Box 3707 MC 7L-43 Seattle, WA 98124-2207 Email: mark.t.greaves@boeing.com Phone: (425) 865-2140 Fax: (425) 865-2965 Agents99 Web Site: Ying Sun (Amy) Applied Research and Technology The Boeing Company P.O. Box 3707 MC 7L-44 Seattle, WA 98124-2207 Email: amy.sun@boeing.com Phone: (425) 865-3415 Fax: (425) 865-2965