Hierarchical port graphs & PORGY - port graph rewriting as a modelling tool

Abstract

Graph rewriting systems are natural verification and validation tools: they provide visual, intuitive representations of complex systems while specifying the dynamic behaviour of the system in a formal way. In this talk we will describe the use of strategic port graph rewriting as a basis for the implementation of a visual modelling tool: PORGY. We will present attributed hierarchical port graphs (AHP) and a notion of strategic AHP-rewriting as a mechanism to model the behaviour of dynamic systems. The system modelled is represented by an initial graph and a collection of graph rewrite rules, together with a user-defined strategy to control the application of rules. The traditional operators found in strategy languages for term rewriting have been adapted to deal with the more general setting of graph rewriting, and some new constructs have been included in the strategy language to deal with graph traversal and management of rewriting positions in the graph. In the second part of the talk, we describe PORGY and give examples of application in the areas of biochemistry, social networks and finance.

This is joint work with members of the PORGY team at Bordeaux and King’s College London.