Affiliations: Department of Computer Science, University of Bremen,
P.O.Box 330440, D-28334 Bremen, Germany. {kreo,kuske}@informatik.uni-bremen.de,
khoelscher@uni-bremen.de
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Department of Computer Science,
University of Bremen, P.O.Box 330440, D-28334 Bremen, Germany
Abstract: In this paper, we introduce the notion of a community of autonomous
units as a rulebased and graph-transformational device to model processes that
run interactively but independently of each other in a common environment. The
main components of an autonomous unit are a set of rules, a control condition,
and a goal. Every autonomous unit transforms graphs by applying its rules so
that the control condition is satisfied. If the goal is reached the resulting
transformation process is successful. A community contains a set of autonomous
units, an initial environment specification, and an overall goal. In every
transformation process of a community the autonomous units interact via their
common environment. As an example, the game Ludo is modeled as a community of
self-controlled players who interact on a common board. The emphasis of the
presented approach is laid on the study of the formal semantics of a community
as a whole and of each of its member units separately. In particular, a
sequential as well as a parallel semantics is introduced, and communities with
parallel semantics are compared with Petri nets, cellular automata, and
multiagent systems.
