Zimmermann Agent-based Supply Network Event Management

1. Auflage 2006
ISBN: 978-3-7643-7487-7
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 329 Seiten

Reihe: Whitestein Series in Software Agent Technologies and Autonomic Computing

'Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM)' is one of the major topics in application-oriented Supply Chain Management. However, many solutions lack conceptual precision and currently available client-server SCEM-systems are ill-suited for complex supply networks in today's business environment. Agent-based proactive information logistics promises to overcome existing deficits by providing event-related information to all participants in the distributed environment. Hence, follow-up costs of disruptive events are significantly reduced for all network participants and performance of a supply network is increased. In this book a thorough analysis of the event management problem domain is the starting point to develop a generic agent-based approach to Supply Network Event Management. The main focus lies on practical issues of event management (e.g., semantic interoperability) and economic benefits to be achieved with agent technology in this state-of-the-art problem domain.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zimmermann, Roland

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;6
2;Preface;10
3;Chapter 1 Introduction;12
4;Chapter 2 Event Management in Supply Networks;16
4.1;2.1 Problem;16
4.1.1;2.1.1 Event-related Information Logistics;16
4.1.2;2.1.2 Supply Networks;20
4.1.3;2.1.3 Formal Specification of the Problem;25
4.2;2.2 Requirements of an Event Management Solution;28
4.2.1;2.2.1 General Requirements;30
4.2.2;2.2.2 Functional Requirements;31
4.2.3;2.2.3 Data Requirements;33
4.2.4;2.2.4 Implications;35
4.3;2.3 Potential Benefits;35
4.3.1;2.3.1 Benefits for Single Enterprises;35
4.3.2;2.3.2 Analysis of Supply Network Effects;38
4.3.3;2.3.3 Benefits for Supply Networks;41
4.3.4;2.3.4 Summary on Potential Benefits;43
4.4;2.4 Existing Approaches;45
4.4.1;2.4.1 Tracking Systems;45
4.4.2;2.4.2 SCEM Software;50
4.4.3;2.4.3 Conclusion on Existing Approaches;58
5;Chapter 3 Information Base for Event Management;60
5.1;3.1 Data Model;60
5.1.1;3.1.1 Representation of the Supply Network Domain;60
5.1.2;3.1.2 Aggregation and Refinement of Status Data;68
5.1.3;3.1.3 Disruptive Event Data for Decision Support;72
5.1.4;3.1.4 Extendable Data Structures;75
5.2;3.2 Semantic Interoperability;76
5.2.1;3.2.1 Requirements for Semantic Interoperability;76
5.2.2;3.2.2 Existing Approaches;79
5.2.3;3.2.3 Ontology for Supply Network Event Management;81
5.3;3.3 Data Sources;85
5.3.1;3.3.1 Data Bases;86
5.3.2;3.3.2 Internet Sources and Web Services;89
5.3.3;3.3.3 Radio Frequency Identification Technologies;93
6;Chapter 4 Event Management Functions;98
6.1;4.1 Information Gathering in Supply Networks;98
6.1.1;4.1.1 Trigger Events;99
6.1.2;4.1.2 Inter-organizational Information Gathering;100
6.2;4.2 Proactive and Flexible Monitoring;107
6.2.1;4.2.1 Critical Profiles;108
6.2.2;4.2.2 Discovery of Critical Profiles;111
6.2.3;4.2.3 Continuous Assessment of Critical Profiles;116
6.3;4.3 Analysis and Interpretation of Event Data;124
6.3.1;4.3.1 Basic Approach;124
6.3.2;4.3.2 Data Interpretation with Fuzzy Logic;126
6.3.3;4.3.3 Aggregated Order Status;127
6.3.4;4.3.4 Assessment of Disruptive Events;131
6.3.5;4.3.5 Adjustment of Milestone Plans;133
6.4;4.4 Distribution of Event Data;138
6.4.1;4.4.1 Alert Management Process;139
6.4.2;4.4.2 Alert Decision Management;140
6.4.3;4.4.3 Escalation Management;144
6.4.4;4.4.4 Selection of Recipient and Media Type;147
6.4.5;4.4.5 Selection of Content;150
6.5;4.5 Event Management Process;152
6.5.1;4.5.1 Event Management Functions;152
6.5.2;4.5.2 Distributed Event Management in Supply Networks;154
7;Chapter 5 Agent-based Concept;156
7.1;5.1 Software Agents and Supply Network Event Management;156
7.1.1;5.1.1 Introduction to Software Agents;156
7.1.2;5.1.2 Benefits of Agent Technology for Event Management;160
7.1.3;5.1.3 Related Work in Agent Technologies;162
7.2;5.2 Agent Oriented Software Engineering;165
7.2.1;5.2.1 Approaches;165
7.2.2;5.2.2 AUML for Supply Network Event Management;168
7.3;5.3 Agent Society for Supply Network Event Management;172
7.3.1;5.3.1 Roles and Agent Types;172
7.3.2;5.3.2 Agent Interactions;177
7.3.3;5.3.3 Institutional Agreements;184
7.4;5.4 Coordination Agent;186
7.4.1;5.4.1 Structure;186
7.4.2;5.4.2 Behaviors;187
7.4.3;5.4.3 Interactions;192
7.5;5.5 Surveillance Agent;193
7.5.1;5.5.1 Structure;193
7.5.2;5.5.2 Behaviors;195
7.5.3;5.5.3 Interactions;199
7.6;5.6 Discourse Agent;200
7.6.1;5.6.1 Structure;200
7.6.2;5.6.2 Behaviors;201
7.6.3;5.6.3 Interactions;204
7.7;5.7 Wrapper Agent;206
7.7.1;5.7.1 Structure;206
7.7.2;5.7.2 Behaviors;207
7.7.3;5.7.3 Interactions;209
8;Chapter 6 Prototype Implementations;212
8.1;6.1 Generic Prototype;212
8.1.1;6.1.1 Overview;213
8.1.2;6.1.2 Ontology Integration;217
8.1.3;6.1.3 Coordination Agent;222
8.1.4;6.1.4 Surveillance Agent;228
8.1.5;6.1.5 Discourse Agen;233
8.1.6;6.1.6 Wrapper Agent;235
8.2;6.2 Supply Network Testbed;237
8.2.1;6.2.1 Simulated Enterprise Data Base;237
8.2.2;6.2.2 Simulator;238
8.3;6.3 Industry Showcase;240
8.3.1;6.3.1 Overview;240
8.3.2;6.3.2 Coordination Agent;242
8.3.3;6.3.3 Surveillance Agent;247
8.3.4;6.3.4 Wrapper Agent;251
9;Chapter 7 Evaluation;254
9.1;7.1 Concept;254
9.1.1;7.1.1 Constraints to an Evaluation;254
9.1.2;7.1.2 Multi-dimensional Evaluation;255
9.2;7.2 Analytical Evaluation;259
9.2.1;7.2.1 Effects of SNEM Cycles;259
9.2.2;7.2.2 Costs of Event Management;261
9.2.3;7.2.3 Cost-Benefit-Model and Benchmarks;264
9.2.4;7.2.4 Supply Network Effects;269
9.2.5;7.2.5 Event Management with Profiles;270
9.2.6;7.2.6 Conclusions;277
9.3;7.3 Experimental Evaluation;278
9.3.1;7.3.1 Reaction Function;278
9.3.2;7.3.2 Experimental Results;281
9.3.3;7.3.3 Cost-Benefit Analysis;284
9.3.4;7.3.4 Conclusions;286
9.4;7.4 Showcase Evaluation;287
9.4.1;7.4.1 Prototype Assessment;287
9.4.2;7.4.2 Analysis of Follow-up Costs;289
9.4.3;7.4.3 Conclusions;293
9.5;7.5 Summary - Benefits and Constraints;294
10;Chapter 8 Conclusions and Outlook;298
10.1;8.1 Supply Network Event Management;298
10.2;8.2 Further Research Opportunities;300
10.2.1;8.2.1 Object Chips for Supply Network Event Management;301
10.2.2;8.2.2 Event Management in other Domains;303
10.2.3;8.2.3 Integration and Acceptance Issues;303
11;Appendices;306
12;References;320

Leseproben

Chapter 7 Evaluation (p. 243.244)

An evaluation of the SNEM concept and its related prototype implementations has to consider specifics of the supply network domain, especially its structural complexity. In the following, an approach to evaluation is selected which permits to consider benefits and constraints of agent-based SNEM from different analytical perspectives. The primary focus of all evaluation activities is on economic benefits to be achieved by an agent-based solution to the SNEM problem.

7.1 Concept

Several constraints exist which prevent realization of a large-scale field trial for agentbased SNEM and thus to provide a single evaluation activity. Hence, three different perspectives ranging from a theoretical model to laboratory experiments and an assessment of an industry showcase are used to provide an overall assessment of the economic potential for agent-based event management in complex supply networks.

7.1.1 Constraints to an Evaluation

7.1.1.1 Complexity of the Domain

Evaluation of the SNEM concept is restricted by the inherent complexity of the supply network domain. The multitude of partners who cooperate in a realistic supply network and the autonomy of each of these partners (see section 2.1.2.4) prohibit testing a prototypical system in a realistic setting. A typical situation in a network consists of at least several suppliers for each single manufacturer. Each manufacturer himself is again part of an even larger supply network not to speak of logistics service providers. This results in a multitude of relationships between supply network partners. Aside from prohibitive costs of implementing prototypes in such an environment for a large number of enterprises it is likely that most partners will not agree beforehand to participate in a large-scale trial with- out any initial indication which realistic benefits a SNEM solution can provide. This situation precludes field trials that would cover multiple levels of a supply network, because empirical data on the fulfillment processes of all levels is hardly available. Only data on a limited scope (e.g. the business case depicted in section 2.4.1.3) is available for an evaluation.

7.1.1.2 Planning of Reactions

A second constraint that adds additional complexity to the evaluation of the SNEM concept is the fact that economic benefits measured in monetary units are achieved only indirectly. The following argument uses the formal specification (see section 2.1.3) of the problem: The following argument uses the formal specification (see section 2.1.3) of the problem: A SNEM system satisfies the implicit demand Dq for information on disruptive events DE by a message , Ms. is the input for any reaction that is supposed to minimize the consequences CSQ of the disruptive events DE. These negative consequences and their reduction through event management can be measured in monetary terms, as illustrated by the calculation of potential benefits in section 2.3.