Skip to main content

InstAL: An Institutional Action Language

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Coordination Frameworks for Social Technical Systems

Part of the book series: Law, Governance and Technology Series ((LGTS,volume 30))

Abstract

InstAL denotes both a declarative domain-specific language for the specification of collections of interacting normative systems and a framework for a set of associated tools. The computational model is realized by translating the specification language to AnsProlog (Baral 2003), a logic programming language under the answer set semantics (ASP) (Gelfond and Lifschitz 1991), and is underpinned by a set-theoretic formal model and a formalized translation process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    A fluent is a term that is true by virtue of its presence (in the institutional state) and false when absent.

  2. 2.

    https://github.com/mas-at-bath/bsf

  3. 3.

    Available from http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk/instal

  4. 4.

    clingo is available from http://potassco.sourceforge.net/

  5. 5.

    Available from http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk/instal

  6. 6.

    Available from http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk/instal

  7. 7.

    The Bath Sensor Framework provides distributed communications through the use of a XMPP server and is available from https://github.com/mas-at-bath/bsf

References

  • Aldewereld, H., and V. Dignum. 2010. Operetta: Organization-oriented development environment. In LADS, Lyon. Vol. 6822 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. M. Dastani, A.E. Fallah-Seghrouchni, J. Hübner, and J. Leite, 1–18. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Athakravi, D., D. Corapi, A. Russo, M. De Vos, J.A. Padget, and K. Satoh. 2012. Handling change in normative specifications. In Declarative agent languages and technologies X – 10th international workshop, DALT 2012, Valencia, June 4, 2012, revised selected papers. Vol. 7784 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. M. Baldoni, L.A. Dennis, V. Mascardi, and W.W. Vasconcelos, 1–19. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baines, V., and J. Padget. 2015. A situational awareness approach to intelligent vehicle agents. In Modeling mobility with open data. Lecture notes in mobility, ed. M. Behrisch and M. Weber, 77–103. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balke, T., M. De Vos, and J. Padget. 2011. Analysing energy-incentivized cooperation in next generation mobile networks using normative frameworks and an agent-based simulation. Future Generation Computer Systems 27(8):1092–1102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balke, T., M. De Vos, and J. Padget. 2013. I-ABM: Combining institutional frameworks and agent-based modelling for the design of enforcement policies. Artificial Intelligence and Law 21(4):371–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baral, C. 2003. Knowledge representation, reasoning and declarative problem solving. New York: CUP.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bibu, G., N. Yoshioka, and J. Padget. 2012. System security requirements analysis with answer set programming. In 2012 IEEE second workshop on requirements engineering for systems, services and systems-of-systems (RES4), Chicago, 10–13, Sept. 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/RES4.2012.6347689.

  • Bordini, R., M. Wooldridge, and J. Hübner. 2007. Programming multi-agent systems in AgentSpeak using Jason (Wiley Series in Agent Technology). Chichester/Hoboken: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cliffe, O. 2007. Specifying and analysing institutions in multi-agent systems using answer set programming. PhD thesis, University of Bath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cliffe, O., M. De Vos, and J. Padget. 2006. Answer set programming for representing and reasoning about virtual institutions. In CLIMA VII, Hakodate. Vol. 4371 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. K. Inoue, K. Satoh, and F. Toni, 60–79. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cliffe, O., M. De Vos, and J. Padget. 2007a. Embedding landmarks and scenes in a computational model of institutions. In COIN, Honolulu. Vol. 4870 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. J.S. Sichman, J. Padget, S. Ossowski, and P. Noriega, 41–57. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cliffe, O., M. De Vos, and J. Padget. 2007b. Specifying and reasoning about multiple institutions. In COIN 2006. Vol. 4386 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. J. Vazquez-Salceda and P. Noriega, 63–81. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin. ISBN:978-3-540-74457-3. Available via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74459-7_5.

  • Corapi, D., A. Russo, M.D. Vos, J. Padget, and K. Satoh. 2011. Normative design using inductive learning. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming, 27th Int’l. Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP’11) Special Issue, 11(4–5).

    Google Scholar 

  • De Vos, M., T. Balke, and K. Satoh. 2013. Combining event-and state-based norms. In AAMAS, Saint Paul, ed. M.L. Gini, O. Shehory, T. Ito, and C.M. Jonker, 1157–1158. IFAAMAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duan, K., J. Padget, and H.A. Kim. 2013. A light-weight framework for bridge-building from desktop to cloud. In ICSOC workshops, Berlin. Vol. 8377 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. A. Lomuscio, S. Nepal, F. Patrizi, B. Benatallah, and I. Brandic, 308–323. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebser, M., R. Kaminski, B. Kaufmann, M. Ostrowski, T. Schaub, and M. Schneider. 2011. Potassco: The Potsdam answer set solving collection. AI Communications 24(2):107–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelfond, M., and V. Lifschitz. 1991. Classical negation in logic programs and disjunctive databases. New Generation Computing 9(3–4): 365–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelfond, M., and V. Lifschitz. 1998. Action languages. Electronic Transactions on Artificial Intelligence 2: 193–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghorbani, A. 2013. Structuring socio-technical complexity: Modelling agent systems using institutional analysis. PhD thesis, Technical University of Delft. Available via http://aminehghorbani.weblog.tudelft.nl/, retrieved 20140730.

  • Hopton, L., O. Cliffe, M.D. Vos, and J.A. Padget. 2009. Instql: A query language for virtual institutions using answer set programming. In CLIMA, Hamburg. Vol. 6214 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. J. Dix, M. Fisher, and P. Novák, 102–121. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A.J.I., and M.J. Sergot. 1996. A formal characterisation of institutionalised power. Logic Journal of the IGPL 4(3): 427–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, T.C., M.B. van Riemsdijk, V. Dignum, and C.M. Jonker. 2014. Supporting request acceptance with use policies. Presented at Coordination Organizations Institutions and Norms, 2014 (COIN@AAMAS). Available via http://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/n.oren/pages/COIN14/papers/p15.pdf, retrieved 20140730., May 2014.

  • Kowalski, R.A., and M.J. Sergot. 1986. A logic-based calculus of events. New Generation Computing 4(1): 67–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krajzewicz, D., J. Erdmann, M. Behrisch, and L. Bieker. 2012. Recent development and applications of SUMO – Simulation of Urban MObility. International Journal on Advances in Systems and Measurements 5(3&4): 128–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J., V. Baines, and J. Padget. 2012. Decoupling cognitive agents and virtual environments. In CAVE, Valencia. Vol. 7764 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. F. Dignum, C. Brom, K.V. Hindriks, M.D. Beer, and D. Richards, 17–36. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J., T. Li, and J. Padget. 2013. Towards polite virtual agents using social reasoning techniques. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds 24(3–4): 335–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, T. 2014. Normative conflict detection and resolution in cooperating institutions. PhD thesis, University of Bath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, T., T. Balke, M. De Vos, J.A. Padget, and K. Satoh. 2013a. A model-based approach to the automatic revision of secondary legislation. In ICAIL, Rome, ed. E. Francesconi and B. Verheij, 202–206. ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, T., T. Balke, M.D. Vos, J. Padget, and K. Satoh. 2013b. Legal conflict detection in interacting legal systems. In JURIX, Bologna. Vol. 259 of Frontiers in artificial intelligence and applications, ed. K.D. Ashley, 107–116. IOS Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, D. 2006. Introducing BDD. Available via http://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd/, retrieved 20140730.

  • Pieters, W., J. Padget, F. Dechesne, V. Dignum, and H. Aldewereld. 2015. Effectiveness of qualitative and quantitative security obligations. Journal of Information Security and Applications 22: 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, J., and R. Reiter. 1995. Reasoning about time in the situation calculus. Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence 14(2–4): 251–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savarimuthu, B.T.R., J. Padget, and M. Purvis. 2013. Social norm recommendation for virtual agent societies. In PRIMA, Dunedin. Vol. 8291 of Lecture notes in computer science, ed. G. Boella, E. Elkind, B.T.R. Savarimuthu, F. Dignum, and M.K. Purvis, 308–323. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J.R. 1969. Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. London: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J.R. 1995. The construction of social reality. London: Allen Lane/The Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M., J. Padget, and S. Battle. 2015. Governing narrative events With institutional norms. In 2015 workshop on computational models of narrative, Atlanta, ed. M.A. Finlayson, A. Lieto, B. Miller, and R. Ronfard. OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Dagstuhl, 2015. Schloss Dagstuhl–Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Informatik.

    Google Scholar 

  • UK Highways Agency. 2007. Traffic flow database system. Accessible via https:/trads.hatris.co.uk. retrieved 20160124, 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • von Wright, G. 1951. Deontic logic. Mind 60: 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittle, J., P. Sawyer, N. Bencomo, B.H.C. Cheng, and J.-M. Bruel. 2009. Relax: Incorporating uncertainty into the specification of self-adaptive systems. In RE, Atlanta, 79–88. IEEE Computer Society.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julian Padget .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Padget, J., ElDeen Elakehal, E., Li, T., De Vos, M. (2016). InstAL: An Institutional Action Language. In: Aldewereld, H., Boissier, O., Dignum, V., Noriega, P., Padget, J. (eds) Social Coordination Frameworks for Social Technical Systems. Law, Governance and Technology Series, vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33570-4_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33570-4_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33568-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33570-4

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics