Algebraic Properties of Qualitative Spatio-Temporal Calculi

Dr. Thomas Schneider

University of Bremen

Qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning is based on so-called qualitative
calculi. Algebraic properties of these calculi have several implications on
reasoning algorithms. But what exactly is a qualitative calculus? And to
which extent do the qualitative calculi proposed meet these demands? The
literature provides various answers to the first question but only few facts
about the second. In this paper we identify the minimal requirements to
binary spatio-temporal calculi and we discuss the relevance of the according
axioms for representation and reasoning. We also analyze existing
qualitative calculi and provide a classification involving different notions
of relation algebra.

Date: 02.08.2013

Time: 15:30 h

Location: Cartesium, Bremen