PNtalk Project
[PNtalk - czech version]
PNtalk is a long-term project started by Vladimir Janousek in 1993 (in the early phase of his Ph.D. study which was supervised by Milan Ceska) as an original attempt to bring high-level Petri nets closer to programming languages. Main goal of this experiment was to prove that formal models such as Petri nets can be used similarly to traditional programming languages during systems development. Moreover, the rigorous mathematical nature of such a language offers a potential to solve analysis and verification problems.
Originally, the project started as a consistent combination of high-level Petri nets and objects in Smalltalk. The resulting language and system is called PNtalk and its theoretical background is represented by Object Oriented Petri Nets. Later on, more people got involved in the project - namely Tomas Vojnar who developed basics of FAV methods for PNtalk.
Now the project leads towards a vision of wider openness and reflectivity. Apart from Object oriented Petri nets and the PNtalk language, the project now comprises also DEVS, MAS and other paradigms.
The current target of this project is model-based (and simulation-based) systems design and prototyping. The applicaton areas comprise intelligent systems, namely multiagent systems, control systems and robotics.
Introduction to OOPN and PNtalk (excerpts from V.J.'s dissertation)
Essential papers
- Janoušek Vladimír: PNtalk: Object Orientation in Petri nets, In: Proc. of European Simulation Multiconference ESM'95, Prague, CZ, 1995, p. 196-200
- Češka Milan, Janoušek Vladimír, Vojnar Tomáš: PNtalk - A Computerized Tool for Object Oriented Petri Nets Modelling, In: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 1333, DE, p. 591-610, ISBN 3-540-63811-3, ISSN 0302-9743, 1997
- Češka Milan, Janoušek Vladimír, Vojnar Tomáš: Modelling, prototyping, and verifying concurrent and distributed applications using object-oriented Petri nets, In: Kybernetes: The International Journal of Systems & Cybernetics, roč. 2002, č. 9, GB, p. 1289-1299, ISSN 0368-492X, 2002
- For more papers see web pages of the authors.
Artefacts
- PNtalk 96 - going to be obsoleted soon
- PNtalk 2005 - under development
- SmallDEVS - a multiparadigm component framework to which PNtalk is going to be embedded.
Main PNtalk people
- Milan Ceska - supervisor of Ph.D. study of Vladimir Janousek and Tomas Vojnar, coordinator of grant projects the PNtalk project has been part of
- Vladimir Janousek - inventor of OOPN/PNtalk, PNtalk system architect and PNtalk project coordinator
- Tomas Vojnar - implementor of PNtalk-96, developer of formal analysis and verification methods for OOPN/PNtalk
- Radek Koci - developer of a new version of PNtalk featuring a clear meta-level architecture and reflectivity
Contributors
- Radek Drabant, Barbora Vlasinova, Jiri Slama, Ludek Smid, Petr Goczal, Ivan Schwarz, Ludek Hasa, Bohuslav Krena, Petr Vurm (early history of PNtalk)
Similar approaches elsewhere
Support
The project (as a subproject of bigger projects) has been partially supported by several grants:
- Methodology of Information Systems Development, GAČR, GA102/94/1097, 1994-1996
- Research and Applications of Heterogenous Models, GAČR, GA102/98/0552, 1998-2000
- Research in information and control systems, CEZ MŠMT, MSM 262200012, 1999-2004
- Modelling, Verifying, and Prototyping Distributed Applications Using Petri Nets, GAČR, GA102/00/1017, 2000-2002
- Environment for Development, Modelling, and Application of Heterogeneous Systems, GAČR, GA102/01/1485, 2001-2003
- Automated methods and tools supporting development of reliable parallel and distributed systems, GAČR, GA102/04/0780, 2004-2006
- Advanced Formal Approaches in the Design and Verification of Computer-Based Systems, GAČR, GA102/07/0322, 2007-2009
- CEZ MŠMT, MSM0021630528, 2007-2013
Link to this Page
- PNtalk last edited on 14 April 2006 at 5:11 pm by libuse.fit.vutbr.cz
