Model Checking Spatial Logics for Closure Spaces

• Published in: Logical methods in computer science Vol. 12, Issue 4
• Main Authors: Ciancia, Vincenzo, Latella, Diego, Loreti, Michele, Massink, Mieke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Logical Methods in Computer Science e.V 01-01-2016
• Subjects: computer science - logic in computer science; d.2.4; f.3.1; f.3.2
• ISSN: 1860-5974; 1860-5974
• DOI: 10.2168/LMCS-12(4:2)2016

Spatial aspects of computation are becoming increasingly relevant in Computer
Science, especially in the field of collective adaptive systems and when
dealing with systems distributed in physical space. Traditional formal
verification techniques are well suited to analyse the temporal evolution of
programs; however, properties of space are typically not taken into account
explicitly. We present a topology-based approach to formal verification of
spatial properties depending upon physical space. We define an appropriate
logic, stemming from the tradition of topological interpretations of modal
logics, dating back to earlier logicians such as Tarski, where modalities
describe neighbourhood. We lift the topological definitions to the more general
setting of closure spaces, also encompassing discrete, graph-based structures.
We extend the framework with a spatial surrounded operator, a propagation
operator and with some collective operators. The latter are interpreted over
arbitrary sets of points instead of individual points in space. We define
efficient model checking procedures, both for the individual and the collective
spatial fragments of the logic and provide a proof-of-concept tool.