Distributed System Behavior Modeling with Ontologies, Rules, and Message Passing Mechanisms

Modern societal-scale infrastructures (e.g., buildings, roads, railways, and power supplies) that are defined by spatially distributed network structures, concurrent subsystem-level behaviours, distributed control and decision making, and interdependencies among subsystems that are not always well understood. During both Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, it quickly became evident a disturbance in one system can impact other networks in ways that are both unexpected and undesirable. Such outcomes put engineering designers and urban planners (decision makers) in a tough spot where quantitative decision-making regarding the adequacy of system infrastructure is complicated by the presence of newfound system interactions. This paper takes a first step toward providing designers and planners with computational support for simulation of distributed system behaviours with system-level interactions. We describe an experimental software prototype for distributed event-based system behaviour modelling with ontologies, rules checking and message passing mechanisms. Key features of the software architecture are demonstrated through the development of two scenarios: (1) A family interacting with a school system, and (2) Simulation of adjustments to the Washington DC Metro System schedule in response to a severe storm.