Automatic deduction of temporal information

Abstract

In many computer-based applications, temporal information has to be stored, retrieved, and related to other temporal information. Several time models have been proposed to manage temporal knowledge in the fields of conceptual modeling, database systems, and artificial intelligence. In this paper we present TSOS, a system for reasoning about time that can be integrated as a time expert in environments designed for broader problem-solving domains. The main intended goal of TSOS is to allow a user to infer further information on the temporal data stored in the database through a set of deduction rules handling various aspects of time. For this purpose, TSOS provides the capability of answering queries about the temporal specifications it has in its temporal database. Distinctive time-modeling features of TSOS are the introduction of temporal modalities, i.e., the possibility of specifying if a piece of information is always true within a time interval, or if it M only sometimes true, and the capability of answering about the possibility and the necessity of the validity of some reformation at a given time, the association of temporal knowledge both to instances of data and to types of data, and the development of a time calculus for reasoning on temporal data. Another relevant feature of TSOS is the capability to reason about temporal data specified at different time granularities.

Granularity in the interpretation ofAroundin approximative lexical time indications

“…This could undermine the above-mentioned reduction with respect to its cognitive basis. Indeed, from the inquiry the hypothesis can be derived that ALTI's can be given the following intervals for each level of granularity 5 : second: approximation of 5 seconds (around (14h) Wmin 05sec, around (12h) 12min 17sec) minute: approximation of 5 minutes (around 18h22) hour: -full hour and half hour: approximation of 15 minutes (around 19h30, around 18h) -hour + n x 5 min (= multiple of 5 min): approximation of 5 or 10 minutes (around 20hl0, around 14hl5) -hour + n x 1 min: see minute This implies that other levels than those mentioned by Maiocchi et al (1992) are important in the conceptual interpretation of ALTI's.…”

“…In their system for the automatic deduction of temporal information, Maiocchi et al (1992) use five levels of granularity, with year as an 'absolute' datum and month, day, hour and minute as cyclical data:…”

Ontology Mapping of Business Process Modeling Based on Formal Temporal Logic

“…Many theories, [3], [22] and [23], are based on points as the basic primitive element. In these theories, intervals are defined in terms of points, usually by means of beginning and ending points.…”

A data model for processes based on relative time

“…Temporal object-oriented models (Elmasri and Wuu, 1990;Rose and Segev, 1991;Su and Chert, 1991;Tauzovich, 1991;Theodoulidis et al, 1991;Wuu and Dayal, 1992) describe the evolution of objects by recording their lifetime, and the history of values they had for each of their parts. Different granularities of time units, e.g., month, day, second, are, indeed, supported by some temporal models (Lorentzos and Johnson 1988;Maiocchi et al, 1992). However, describing activities such as the breakdown of a process into its components requires flexible granularities of time, that are not captured by these models.…”