Precise specification of resources is important in activity and agent coordination. As the scarcity or abundance of resources
can make a considerable difference in how to best coordinate the tasks and actions. That being the case, we propose the use
of a resource model. We observe that past work on resource modeling does not meet our needs, as the models tend to be either
too informal (as in management resource modeling) to support definitive analysis, or too narrow in scope (as in the case of
operating system resource modeling) to support specification of the diverse tasks we have in mind.
In this paper we introduce a general approach and some key concepts in a resource modeling and management system that we have
developed. We also describe two experiences we have had in applying our resource system. In one case we have added resource
specifications to a process program. In another case we used resource specifications to augment a multiagent scheduling system.
In both cases, the result was far greater clarity and precision in the process and agent coordination specifications, and
validation of the effectiveness of our resource modeling and management approaches.
Keywords Resource modeling - resource management - process programming - planning - agent coordination