Two New ERCIM Working Groups Formed on "Social Network Analysis" and "Models and Logics for Quantitative Analysis"

02 November 2009 ERCIM (European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics)

To new ERCIM Working Groups have recently been established: the Working Group "Social Network Analysis", focusing on algorithmic aspects of network data analysis, and the Working Group "Models and Logics for Quantitative Analysis", exploring and developping methods for formal verification of modern advanced software systems.

ERCIM Working groups are open to any researcher in the specific scientific field. Scientists interested in joining a Working Group should contact the coordinator.

Social Network Analysis

The ERCIM working group on Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been formed with a view to foster European collaboration in research on data analysis for social networks. The main objective of the SNA group is to build a strong network of researchers with expertise on algorithmic aspects of network data analysis. The first action will be to foster collaboration through the organisation of scientific meetings with the medium-term objective of collaborating on funded research programmes in this area.

Areas of interest include:
    * Algorithmic aspects of large-scale networked data analysis;
    * Information retrieval over social media;
    * Data mining and semantic web approaches for social media enrichment.

http://wiki.ercim.org/wg/SNA

Models and Logics for Quantitative Analysis

The remit of the new ERCIM Working Group on Models and Logics for Quantitative Analysis (MLQA) is to explore and develop methods for formal verification of modern advanced software systems. Such methods have already been successfully applied to self-contained and relatively simple systems. The group will develop new methods and expand the applicability of previous methods in order to formally verify the functionality of complex interacting modern software systems. This will be done by combining recent theory and methods from computer science and mathematical modelling.

The activities of the ERCIM Working Group on Models and Logics for Quantitative Analysis (MLQA) will study process models that are appropriate for describing the behaviour of systems and logics that are suitable for describing their quantitative properties.

The activities will:
    * Model behaviour of processes by means of transition systems, automata or process calculi;
    * Model quantitative properties using logics for expressing not only discrete but also stochastic and continuous properties;
    * Focus on algorithms, theory and tools;
    * Study applications with particular emphasis on embedded systems and service-oriented systems, but aim also to treat IT Guided Workflow Systems and biological systems.

http://wiki.ercim.org/wg/MLQA