Multi-agent system case studies in command and control, information fusion and data management

On the basis of three different agent-based development projects (one feasibility study, one prototype, one fully fielded), we assess the fitness of software (SW) agent-based systems (ABS) in various application settings: (1) distributed command and control (DCC) in fault-tolerant, safety-critical responsive decision networks, (2) agents discovering knowledge an open and changing environment, and (3) light weight distributed data management (DM) for analyzing massive scientific data sets. We characterize the fundamental commonalities and benefits of ABSs in light of our experiences in deploying the different applications.