Joseph Wilk

Joseph Wilk

Things with code, creativity and computation.

Intelligent Workflow Management System

Download PDF Thesis http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/teaching/projects/Distinguished04/JosephWilk.pdf

This project took the HTML form systems as a model and built a Workflow Management System that uses artificial intelligence planning methodologies and Event Calculus workflow specifications to try to overcome some of the problems of Workflow Management Systems. Logic, server side languages and planning all rolled into one.

The development of the Workflow Management System with AI uncovered interesting issues in modelling situations in the Event Calculus and the problems that need to be overcome to use AI with workflow. The problems and solutions developed in the project cover a wide spectrum of domains, looking at logic programming, server-side languages and getting the two to talk to each other. Areas covered include such interesting topics as typing of HTML to new frameworks for Prolog running as CGI.

Achievements

  • Workflow specification language Using the Event Calculus and extensions to specify workflow.

  • [HTML form typing | HTML typing in Prolog] A typing engine for ensuring that the HTML form element specifications are correct when used in workflow specifications.

  • A Visualisation tool for Event Calculus plans A tool that generates Scalable Vector Graphic graphs for Event Calculus plans.

  • A HTML/PHP iWFMS engine Using the plans generated from the workflow specifications to support the running and management of a system.

  • A JavaScript plan execution engine Facilitates the following of workflow plans in a scripting language that runs while the user is viewing and interacting with a web page.

  • Logic programming running as Common Gateway Interface (CGI) A framework for the use of high-level declarative programming languages functioning as CGI.

  • [Logic programming and server-side language interaction model | Interaction support between PHP and Prolog] An Interaction model allowing server-side languages used for generating web pages to interact with logic programming languages.

  • A Hospital model working example An example of how the specification can be utilised for a real world scenario in a hospital. Providing the full functionality within the iWFMS to run and manage this system.

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