A Framework for Automatic Monitoring of Norms that regulate Time Constrained Actions
This work addresses the problem of automated norm monitoring for systems requiring temporal regulation, but it appears incremental as it builds on existing formal methods like OWL and production rules.
The paper tackles the problem of automatically monitoring norms that regulate time-constrained actions by proposing the T-NORM model and framework to compute violations or fulfilments, using OWL 2 for specification and reasoning to handle logical implications between actions.
This paper addresses the problem of proposing a model of norms and a framework for automatically computing their violation or fulfilment. The proposed T-NORM model can be used to express abstract norms able to regulate classes of actions that should or should not be performed in a temporal interval. We show how the model can be used to formalize obligations and prohibitions and for inhibiting them by introducing permissions and exemptions. The basic building blocks for norm specification consists of rules with suitably nested components. The activation condition, the regulated actions, and the temporal constrains of norms are specified using the W3C Web Ontology Language (OWL 2). Thanks to this choice, it is possible to use OWL reasoning for computing the effects that the logical implication between actions has on norms fulfilment or violation. The operational semantics of the T-NORM model is specified by providing an unambiguous procedure for translating every norm and every exception into production rules.