A Systematic Literature Review of Distributed Multi-Agent Task Allocation: Core Dimensions, Their Interrelationships, and a Repository

As a critical and challenging research area within multi-agent systems (MAS), distributed multi-agent task allocation (D-MATA) has motivated extensive study and application across diverse domains. Although several systematic reviews exist on multi-agent task allocation (MATA), none provide an in-depth, systematic analysis of the core dimensions of D-MATA, namely applications, problems, methods, and metrics, nor explore their interrelationships. Moreover, no comprehensive repository capturing such foundational knowledge is currently available. These gaps collectively hinder the effective learning, adoption, and further development of D-MATA knowledge. To fill this gap, we conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) of 107 D-MATA studies, examining them from the perspectives of these core dimensions and discussing the potential interrelationships among these dimensions. To better support comprehensive evaluation and cross-study comparison of D-MATA methods, we propose a multi-dimensional evaluation framework based on the metrics used in the selected literature. Additionally, we provide an open knowledge repository comprising 107 problem-method-evaluation entries derived from the selected literature, supporting reproducible in-depth research. This work delivers clear guidance for both researchers and practitioners while building a systematic knowledge foundation for future investigations in the field.