7 March 2005 Located Actions in Process Algebra with Timing
I recently read the paper Located Actions in Process Algebra with Timing by Jan A. Bergstra and Kees Middelburg (Fundamenta Informaticae Volume 61, Number 3-4, pp. 183-211, May-June 2004). This paper contributes one further development to the theory of ACP by developing a process algebraic approach to the theory of distributed systems with a known, possibly time-dependent, spatial distribution. The proposed process algebra is obtained by adapting the process algebra with continuous relative timing to actions that are located in space.
The technical developments are classic. The authors offer a sound and complete equational axiomatization of strong bisimulation equivalence over their basic process algebra. They also discuss extensions of their basic language with features like integration, guarded recursion, action renaming, spatial replacement, state and maximal progress operators. An application to the process algebra to the description of a protocol for data transmission via a mobile intermediate station is also offered. This example employs the notion of asynchronous communication in space.
The paper concludes with a discussion of data transmission in a setting with impeding solid objects, and transmission of data at different frequencies.
The paper is an excellent addition to the literature on ACP, and will be of interest to researchers working on algebraic approaches to process theory.
Last modified: Monday, 07-Mar-2005 17:10:51 CET.