REASONING ABOUT LOCATIONS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Locational reasoning plays an important role in many applications of A l problem-solving systems, yet has remained a relatively unexplored ar ea of research. This paper addresses both theoretical and practical is sues relevant to reasoning about locations. We define several theories of location designed for use in various settings, along with a sound and complete belief revision calculus for each that maintains a STRIPS -style database of locational facts. Techniques for the efficient oper ationalization of the belief revision rules in planning frameworks are presented. These techniques were developed during application of the location theories to several large-scale planning tasks within the SIP E-2 planning framework.