Section: New Software and Platforms

dspacenet

Distributed-Spaces Network.

Keywords: Social networks - Distributed programming

Functional Description: DSpaceNet is a tool for social networking based on multi-agent spatial and timed concurrent constraint language.

I - The fundamental structure of DSPaceNet is that of *space*: A space may contain

(1) spatial-mobile-reactive tcc programs, and (2) other spaces.

Furthermore, (3) each space belongs to a given agent. Thus, a space of an agent j within the space of agent i means that agent i allows agent j to use a computation sub-space within its space.

II - The fundamental operation of DSPaceNet is that of *program posting*: In each time unit, agents can post spatial-mobile-reactive tcc programs in the spaces they are allowed to do so (ordinary message posting corresponds to the posting of tell processes). Thus, an agent can for example post a watchdog tcc process to react to messages in their space, e.g. whenever (*happy b*frank*) do tell("thank you!"). More complex mobile programs are also allowed (see below).

The language of programs is a spatial mobile extension of tcc programs:

$P,Q...:={tell\left(c\right)\left|whencdoP\right|\left|nextP\right|P\left|\right|Q\left|unlesscnextP\right|\left[P\right]}_i{|\uparrow }_{i}P|recX.P$

Computation of timed processes proceeds as in tcc. The spatial construct ${\left[P\right]}_i$ runs $P$ in the space of agent $i$ and the mobile process ${\uparrow }_{i}P$, extrudes $P$ from the space of $i$. By combining space and mobility, arbitrary processes can be moved from one a space into another. For example, one could send a trojan watchdog to another space for spying for a given message and report back to one's space.

III- Constraint systems can be used to specify advance text message deduction, arithmetic deductions, scheduling, etc.

IV - Epistemic Interpretation of spaces can be used to derive whether they are users with conflicting/inconsistent information, or whether a group of agents may be able to deduce certain message.

V - The scheduling of agent requests for program posts, privacy settings, friendship lists are handled by an external interface. For example, one could use type systems to check whether a program complies with privacy settings (for example checking that the a program does not move other program into a space it is not allowed into).

• Partner: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali

• Contact: Frank Valencia

• URL: http://www.dspacenet.com