IMPORTANT DATES: Submission: August 15, 2008 Notification: September 15, 2008 Workshop: November 6-7, 2008
SCOPE:
In many real-life problems, we search for objects of complex nature -- 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:
-- integrations of SAT, ASP and/or CP technologies -- comparisons of modeling languages -- criteria for choice of modeling languages (for modeling convenience or efficiency) -- new algorithm directions -- efficient modeling strategies -- new applications -- complexity results, tractable subsets -- completeness results (e.g. capturing complexity classes) -- methods for taking advantage of tractability results -- solver implementation techniques, -- algorithms for grounding -- modeling languages and constructs (aggregates, global constraints,..) -- search control and heuristics in the context of model generation -- 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.
Workshop
format: ================
The workshops objective is to create an informal, stimulating atmosphere for exchange of ideas. We invite also reports of work in progress. There will be informal proceedings.
Organizing 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
Program Committee ================= * Peter Baumgartner, The Australian National University * Francesco Calimeri, University of Calabria * Thomas Eiter, Vienna University of Technology * Wolfgang Faber, University of Calabria * Pierre Flener,
Uppsala University * Alan Frisch, University of York * Enrico Giunchiglia, University of Genova * Daniel LeBerre, Universite d'Artois * Fangzen Lin, Hong kong University of Science and Technology * Ines Lynce, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa * Tony Mancini, Sapienza Universita di Roma * Victor Marek, University of Kentucky * David Mitchell, Simon Fraser University * Pierre Marquis, Universite d'Artois * Ilkka Niemela, Helsinki University of Technology * Karem Sakallah, University of Michigan * Torsten Schaub, University of Potsdam * Barry O'Sullivan, University College Cork * Eugenia Ternovska Simon Fraser University * Mirek Truszcznski, University of Kentucky * Pascal Van Hentenryck, Brown University * Toby
Walsh, University of New South Wales
Local organisation ==================== * Marc Denecker, K.U.Leuven * Joost Vennekens, K.U.Leuven
Location =========
The conference will take place in the Beguinage of Leuven, Belgium. Leuven is an old flemish town, hosting the oldest university of the lower countries. The Beguinage is a medieval city in the city, where the beguines lived together to form a religious
community. The Beguinage is recognized as a Unesco World Heritage site.