Efficient Process Analysis of Transformation Systems Based on Petri nets

In the framework of adhesive transformation systems with Negative Application Conditions (NACs), we show how the problem of computing the set of equivalent derivations to a given one can be reduced to the analysis of the reachability graph of a generated Place/Transition Petri net. This net encodes the dependencies among rule applications of the derivation, including the inhibiting effects of the NACs. We show the effectiveness of this approach by comparing the cost of a brute force-approach with the cost of the presented analysis applied to a derivation of a simple system, showing a significant improvement in speed.