dsn@umcp-cs.UUCP (05/14/84)
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
COLLOQUIUM
Tuesday, May 22, 1984 -- 4:00 PM
Room 2330, Computer Science Bldg.
TEMPORAL REASONING FOR DATABASES
Carole D. Hafner
Computer Science Department
General Motors Research Laboratories
ABSTRACT:
A major weakness of current AI systems is the lack of general
methods for representing and using information about time. After briefly
reviewing some earlier proposals for temporal reasoning mechanisms, this
talk will develop a model of temporal reasoning for databases, which could
be implemented as part of an intelligent retrieval system. We will begin by
analyzing the use of time domain attributes in databases; then we will
consider the various types of queries that might be expected, and the logic
required to answer them. This exercise reveals the need for a general
time-domain framework capable of describing standard intervals and periods
such as weeks, months, and quarters. Finally, we will explore the use of
PROLOG-style rules as a means of implementing the concepts developed in the
talk.
--
Dana S. Nau
CSNet: dsn@umcp-cs ARPA: dsn@maryland
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!dsn