A CP2001 workshop 

Modelling and Solving Problems with Soft Constraints

December 1st, 2001
Paphos, Cyprus

Preliminary Schedule

Note for Authors:

Please, note that each talk has an allocated 25' slot and a few minutes should be allowed for questions and discussion.
Also note that a beamer will be available for On-line presentations.

Accepted Papers


Description

Soft-constraints augment the CSP framework by allowing constraints to be partially satisfied without making a solution unacceptable. The interest of the community on soft constraints has increased in the last years. Several theoretical frameworks have been developed to allow soft constraints in problem modelling. For these frameworks, new algorithms have been built, looking for the solution that brings the highest degree of consistency among all possible assignments. The main motivation for this research is the existence of many real problems involving preferences among values on partially satisfied constraints, which demand an effective solving method.

When modelling a problem with soft constraints, it is represented in terms of variables, domains and (hard and soft) constraints. The satisfaction degrees of soft constraints have to be aggregated to define the global satisfaction degree of total assignments. Solving soft constraints becomes an optimization task, harder than satisfaction tasks in classical CSP. The dichotomy between finding the optimum versus finding suboptima depends on the computational effort needed, as well as on the solution quality required. Sometimes optimization becomes multi-objective, making more complex the solving process.

Workshop topics include (but not are limited to):

Workshop Format

This will be a half-day workshop, with open attendance. Organizers have a special interest in enforcing a friendly and constructive atmosphera to favour the exchange of ideas. This workshop is intended to build on the experience and  success of the CP99 and CP00 workshops on the same subject, and its aim is to provide a forum where researchers currently working in this area can discuss their most recent ideas and developments and think together about the most promising new directions. Therefore we encourage the presentation of work in progress or on specialized aspects of soft constraints. Papers that bridge the gap between theory and practice are especially welcome.

Submission Process and attendance policy

People wishing to give a talk should submit a 10-page paper, in article or LNCS style. Please, email all submissions as postscript to larrosa@lsi.upc.es by September 30th. Each submission should have a title page with the name, address, and email address for each author. One of the authors should be identified as the contact author.

Submissions will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee, and will be selected based on their contribution to the topic of the workshop. At least one author of each accepted submission must attend the workshop. All workshop attendees must pay the CP/ICLP workshop registration fee. The workshop will be timed in consultation with the organisers of the Constraints and Uncertainty workshop, so that there is no overlap, and attendance at both will be possible.

Organizing committee

Main Organizer:

Javier Larrosa                       Tel: (+34) 93 401 56 44
   Software Department          Fax: (+34) 93 401 70 14
   Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC
   Jordi Girona Salgado, 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Other members:


Important Dates

 

Javier Larrosa ( larrosa@lsi.upc.es)