Attempto - From Specifications in Controlled Natural Language towards Executable Specifications

Deriving formal specifications from informal requirements is difficult since one has to take into account the disparate conceptual worlds of the application domain and of software development. To bridge the conceptual gap we propose controlled natural language as a textual view on formal specifications in logic. The specification language Attempto Controlled English (ACE) is a subset of natural language that can be accurately and efficiently processed by a computer, but is expressive enough to allow natural usage. The Attempto system translates specifications in ACE into discourse representation structures and into Prolog. The resulting knowledge base can be queried in ACE for verification, and it can be executed for simulation, prototyping and validation of the specification.Comment: 15 pages, compressed, uuencoded Postscript, to be presented at EMISA Workshop 'Naturlichsprachlicher Entwurf von Informationssystemen - Grundlagen, Methoden, Werkzeuge, Anwendungen', May 28-30, 1996, Ev. Akademie Tutzin

Specifying Logic Programs in Controlled Natural Language

Writing specifications for computer programs is not easy since one has to take into account the disparate conceptual worlds of the application domain and of software development. To bridge this conceptual gap we propose controlled natural language as a declarative and application-specific specification language. Controlled natural language is a subset of natural language that can be accurately and efficiently processed by a computer, but is expressive enough to allow natural usage by non-specialists. Specifications in controlled natural language are automatically translated into Prolog clauses, hence become formal and executable. The translation uses a definite clause grammar (DCG) enhanced by feature structures. Inter-text references of the specification, e.g. anaphora, are resolved with the help of discourse representation theory (DRT). The generated Prolog clauses are added to a knowledge base. We have implemented a prototypical specification system that successfully processes the specification of a simple automated teller machine.Comment: 16 pages, compressed, uuencoded Postscript, published in Proceedings CLNLP 95, COMPULOGNET/ELSNET/EAGLES Workshop on Computational Logic for Natural Language Processing, Edinburgh, April 3-5, 199

Declarative Specification

Deriving formal specifications from informal requirements is extremely difficult since one has to overcome the conceptual gap between an application domain and the domain of formal specification methods. To reduce this gap we introduce application-specific specification languages, i.e., graphical and textual notations that can be unambiguously mapped to formal specifications in a logic language. We describe a number of realised approaches based on this idea, and evaluate them with respect to their domain specificity vs. generalit

Abstract State Machines 1988-1998: Commented ASM Bibliography

An annotated bibliography of papers which deal with or use Abstract State Machines (ASMs), as of January 1998.Comment: Also maintained as a BibTeX file at http://www.eecs.umich.edu/gasm

ONTOLOGICAL MODELS IN OTSL

OTSL is a language of description of ontological transition systems. Ontological transition systems are formalism for description of semantics of computer systems that combines transition systems with ontological models. In this paper, constructs of OTSL specifying the ontological models of ontological transition systems is presented. Formal semantics of these constructs is defined.\ud OTSL – язык описания онтологических систем переходов. Онтологические системы переходов – формализм для описания семантики компьютерных систем, который комбинирует системы переходов с онтологическими моделями. В данной работе представлены конструкции OTSL, специфицирующие онтологические модели в онтологических системах переходов. Определена формальная семантика данных конструкций.\u

The Generic Model of Computation

Over the past two decades, Yuri Gurevich and his colleagues have formulated axiomatic foundations for the notion of algorithm, be it classical, interactive, or parallel, and formalized them in the new generic framework of abstract state machines. This approach has recently been extended to suggest a formalization of the notion of effective computation over arbitrary countable domains. The central notions are summarized herein.Comment: In Proceedings DCM 2011, arXiv:1207.682

Declarative specifications

Deriving formal specifications from informal requirements is extremely difficult since one has to overcome the conceptual gap between an application domain and the domain of formal specification methods. To reduce this gap we introduce application-specific specification languages, i.e., graphical and textual notations that can be unambiguously mapped to formal specifications in a logic language. We describe a number of realised approaches based on this idea, and evaluate them with respect to their domain specificity vs. generalit

Ontological models in OTSL

OTSL is a language of description of ontological transition systems. Ontological transition systems are formalism for description of semantics of computer systems that combines transition systems with ontological models. In this paper, constructs of OTSL specifying the ontological models of ontological transition systems is presented. Formal semantics of these constructs is defined.OTSL – язык описания онтологических систем переходов. Онтологические системы переходов – формализм для описания семантики компьютерных систем, который комбинирует системы переходов с онтологическими моделями. В данной работе представлены конструкции OTSL, специфицирующие онтологические модели в онтологических системах переходов. Определена формальная семантика данных конструкций

Validation Framework for RDF-based Constraint Languages

In this thesis, a validation framework is introduced that enables to consistently execute RDF-based constraint languages on RDF data and to formulate constraints of any type. The framework reduces the representation of constraints to the absolute minimum, is based on formal logics, consists of a small lightweight vocabulary, and ensures consistency regarding validation results and enables constraint transformations for each constraint type across RDF-based constraint languages