UMDL

• The University of Michigan Digital Library was an early attempt at building a multiagent information system (started before the web existed).
• Content owners exist, each with different query languages and pricing mechanisms.
• Users only want one interface.
• The UMDL uses collection and user interface agents to deal with the outside.
• Mediator agents provide intermediate information services such as virtual collections.
• Facilitator agents are a special class of mediators which exist solely to enable coordination among agents. They were mostly auction agents.