Call for Papers
Computation of structures from declarative descriptions
Important Dates:
Submission: August 25, 2008 (DEADLINE EXTENSION)
Notification: September 15, 2008
Conference: November 6-7, 2008
Scope
In many real-life problems, we search for objects of complex nature &mdash plans, schedules, assignments. Such objects are often represented as (finite) structures, which are implicitly specified by means of theories in some logic. Thus, languages are needed to describe structures, and algorithms to extract them from these implicit descriptions. Propositional Satisfiability (SAT), Constraint Programming (CP), and Answer Set Programming (ASP) are arguably the three most prominent areas that develop such languages and techniques.
Each of these areas has been proposed as a declarative programming approach to solving NP-complete combinatorial problems. Such problems abound in computer science, engineering, operations research computational biology and other fields. In many cases, progress is limited by the difficulty of designing implicit representations of structures (modeling), which hinders common acceptance of the aproach, and the inability to solve sufficiently large instances of the problems in practical time bounds (search algorithms). Therefore, these three areas have as a major goal the development of practical modeling languages and methodologies that support the modeling, and algorithms and tools for efficient problem solving.
Despite the similar goals of these areas, in many respects SAT, ASP and CP develop as three independent disciplines, focusing on rather different particular problems or questions. There are few, if any, researchers who are experts in all three areas. To date, we are not aware of any meeting which specifically aims at bringing these three areas together.
Objectives:
LaSh08 aims to offer a discussion forum for research in SAT, ASP and CP that focuses on the computation of structures from declarative descriptions. We invite contributions on modeling languages, methodologies, theoretical analysis, techniques, algorithms and systems. The forum is an occasion to exchange ideas on the state-of-the-art; to discuss specific technical problems; to formulate challenges and opportunities ahead; to analyse differences and simularities between the different areas; to study opportunities for synergy and integration.
In particular, we would like to foster exchange at least on the following topics:
- modeling languages and constructs (aggregates, global constraints,..)
- comparisons of different languages (for modeling or efficiency)
- criteria for choice of modeling languages
- efficient modeling strategies
- new applications
- complexity results, tractable subsets
- completeness results (e.g. capturing complexity classes)
- methods for taking advantage of tractability results
- new algorithm directions
- SAT modulo theories
- integrations of SAT, ASP and/or CP technologies
- solver implementation techniques
- algorithms for grounding
- search control and heuristics
- symmetry breaking in model construction
- optimisation problems in model construction:
- languages for optimality criteria;
- algorithms for computing optimal models
Systems and Tools
LaSh08 will also provide an opportunity for presentation of implemented systems and tools at a demo session. Thus, we invite submissions of systems and tools that reflect the above ideas, and aim at facilitating declarative problem solving, and making it practical and used.
Organising Committee
- Enrico Giunchiglia, University of Genova
- Victor Marek, University of Kentucky
- David Mitchell, Simon Fraser University
- Eugenia Ternovska Simon Fraser University
- Mirek Truzczynski, University of Kentucky
- Marc Denecker, K.U.Leuven
Local Organisation
- Marc Denecker, K.U.Leuven
- Joost Vennekens, K.U.Leuven
