Temporal patterns: Smart-type reasoning and applications

Abstract

Allen’s interval algebra is a calculus for temporal reasoning that was introduced in 1983. Reasoning with quali- tative time in Allen’s full interval algebra is nondeterministic polynomial time (NP) complete. Research since 1995 identified maximal tractable subclasses of this algebra via exhaustive computer search and also other ad-hoc methods. In 2003, the full classification of complexity for satisfiability problems over con- straints in Allen’s interval algebra was established algebraically. Recent research proposed scheduling based on the Fishburn- Shepp correlation inequality for posets. We describe here three potential temporal-related application areas as candidates for scheduling using this inequality