Tackling the qualification problem using fluent dependency constraints: preliminary report

The use of causal rules, or fluent dependency constraints, has proven to provide a versatile means of dealing with the ramification problem. In this paper, we show how fluent dependency constraints, together with the use of durational fluents, can be used to deal with problems associated with action qualification. We provide both a weak and a strong form of qualification and demonstrate the approach using an action scenario which combines solutions to the frame, ramification and qualification problems in the context of actions with duration, concurrent actions, nondeterministic actions and the use of both Boolean and non-Boolean fluents. The circumscription policy used for the combined problems is reducible to the first-order case. In addition, we demonstrate the use of a research tool, called VITAL (VIsualization of Temporal Action Logics), for querying and visualizing action scenarios.