Toward a Flexible Human-Agent Collaboration Framework with Mediating Domain Ontologies for the Semantic Web

This paper introduces a human-agent interaction framework that allows human and computational mechanisms to interact in a seamless manner to collaboratively perform problem solving tasks in the Semantic Web. The framework is based on a combination of services supported by intermediate domain ontologies and flexible mapping mechanisms that map agent and human internal representations and external communication protocols. The framework is based on a solid conceptual foundation and can be extended to also incorporate other service-based computational mechanisms such as web services. The central focus of the framework is to encourage contribution by anyone or anything, that might possess useful information, knowledge or expertise for the successful completion of collaborative problem solving tasks. Yet, the problem solving participants are not required to go through a rigorous ontological commitment or have a common communication protocol in order to collaborate.