Autonomous units as a rule based concept for the modeling of autonomous and cooperating process

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This thesis introduces autonomous units as a framework for modeling autonomous processes within a community that interacts with and transforms its environment. Each unit operates based on rules that facilitate changes in the environment while pursuing individual goals. A control condition allows these units to select applicable rules in various situations. The formal semantics of the community and its members are defined in two stages: in the sequential case, only one unit acts at a time, with rule applications interleaved. This is illustrated through Petri nets, where each transition corresponds to an autonomous unit. In the parallel case, multiple actions occur simultaneously, exemplified by a simple foraging strategy in an ant colony, where actions are still sequentially ordered. Preliminary ideas for a concurrent semantics are introduced, allowing independent actions unless a causal relationship dictates an order. The thesis also applies these concepts to transport logistics, modeling a network of depots and trucks as autonomous units negotiating load transport. Two detailed case studies demonstrate these principles: one focuses on the board game Ludo and its sequential semantics, while the other examines a foraging ant colony and its parallel semantics. Additionally, the thesis discusses the semantics of rule-based systems and visual models, emphasizing the challenges of efficiently managing control conditions in software