Towards an Algebraic Formulation of Domain Definitions using Parameterised Machines

Abstractly specifying, rapidly creating, and re-using models of domain structure are desirable goals for knowledge engineering in AI Planning. However, while planning algorithms, and now knowledge engineering itself, are maturing areas of research, the descriptions used to formulate dynamic domain descriptions is under researched. In this paper we describe on-going work attempting to establish an algebraic approach to constructing domain descriptions. We postulate that this formulation will serve several purposes: it will help descriptions of domains to be rapidly built up by composing and interfacing pre-defined abstract, primitive machines. It will help engineers re-use existing domains, and it will serve as a semantics for concrete description languages such as PDDL.