Logic and Constraint Logic Programming for Distributed Constraint Optimization

ABSTRACT. The field of Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems (DCOPs) has gained momentum, thanks to its suitability to capture complex problems (e.g., resource allocation and management, multi-agent coordination) that are naturally distributed and cannot be realistically addressed in a centralized manner. The state-of-the-art in solving DCOPs relies on the use of ad-hoc infrastructures and ad-hoc constraint solving procedures. This paper investigates an infrastructure for solving DCOPs that is completely built on logic programming technologies. In particular, the paper explores the use of a general constraint solver (CLP in this context) to handle the agent-level constraint solving. The preliminary experiments shows that logic programming provides benefits over a state-of-the-art DCOP system in terms of performance and scalability, opening the doors to the use more advanced technology (e.g., search strategies, complex constraints) for solving DCOPs.