Improvements in computer networking have heralded great expectations for
computer-mediated distributed work. However, experience has revealed
that, as information flow improves, a central problem for distributed
workers is the administration, management and control of that
information. Research into Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)
investigates design methods and technologies for the support of
collaboration, communication and coordination of distributed group work,
both within and among organizations.
In tandem with this focus on the support of distributed communication
and collaboration, there have been exciting developments in the fields
of Intelligent Agents and Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI),
notably in the concepts, theories and deployment of intelligent agents
as a means of distributing computer-based problem solving expertise. The
paradigm of multi-agent systems forms a proposed basis for the design of
CSCW architectures, the support of CSCW operations and for addressing
some of the problems of cooperative working.
The application of a multi-agent approach to CSCW makes information
exchange among the participants easier by delivering support to the
participants, assisting workflows and procedures, and providing
convenient user interfaces to CSCW systems. Furthermore, the ideas
inherent in such an approach are also applicable to other domains, such
as support for interactive learning. Organizations that seek to exploit
the advantages offered through CSCW will benefit from the integration of
agents in the management and use of their corporate knowledge,
especially with the advancement of wired or wireless networking,
pervasive computing, and other information technologies.
Agent Supported Cooperative Work describes the state of the art in
this exciting new area, covering both theoretical foundations and
practical applications of ASCW. It is the first book explicitly
dedicated to ASCW, bringing together contributions from international
experts in the field.
