Constraint Reasoning with Differential Equations

Abstract

System dynamics is naturally expressed by means of differential equations. Despite their expressive power, they are difficult to reason about and to make decisions upon, given their non-linearity and the important effects that the uncertainty on data may cause. In contrast with traditional numerical simulations that may only provide a likelihood of the results obtained, we propose a constraint reasoning framework that enables safe decision support despite data uncertainty. The approach is illustrated in the tuning of drug design and in an epidemiological study. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)