SELF-STAR: International Workshop on Self-* Properties in Complex Information Systems 31 May - 2 June 2004 University of Bologna Residential Center Bertinoro (Forlì), Italy

[ Presentation
| Location
| Important Dates
| Workshop Program
| Workshop Schedule at a Glance
| Registration
| List of Participants
| How to Reach Bertinoro
| Organization and Sponsorship
| Local Weather Forecast ]

Post-proceedings of the meeting appear as Volume no. 3460 in the Springer-Verlag LNCS Hot Topics series. Here is a bibtex entry for the volume.

Presentation

Information systems can be complex due to numerous factors including scale, decentralization, heterogeneity, mobility, dynamism, bugs and failures. Deploying, operating and maintaining such systems can be not only very difficult, but also very costly. A flurry of recent activity has been directed at this problem whereby future information systems are envisioned to be self-configuring, self-organizing, self-managing and self-repairing.

This "by-invitation-only" Bertinoro workshop will bring together a small interdisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners active in different fields in an effort to identify the conceptual and practical foundations for modelling, analyzing and achieving self-* properties in complex information systems. Some of the key questions we will be trying to answer include:

• Is there a valid scientific basis for self-* computing or is it mainly hype?
• What are some real (computing or otherwise) problems that have been effectively solved through self-* techniques?
• Are there any "negative results" for specific self-* properties or techniques in certain contexts?
• What are the limits for achieving self-* properties in complex information systems?

Additional topics of specific interest include:

• A taxonomy of self-* properties
• Novel approaches based on data-mining, biology- and market-inspired mechanisms
• Self-* through emergence
• Self-organization and stochastic models of complex networks
• Self-organization and topology management in overlay networks
• Self-* as an enabling technology for pervasive computing

Location

The workshop will be held in the University Residential Center located in the small medieval hilltop town of Bertinoro. This town is in Emilia Romagna about 50km east of Bologna at an elevation of about 230m.  It is easily reached by train and taxi from Bologna and is close to many splendid Italian locations such as Ravenna, Rimini on the Adriatic coast, and the Republic of San Marino (all within 35km) as well as some less well-known locations like the thermal springs of Fratta Terme and the castle and monastic gardens of Monte Maggio.  Bertinoro can also be a base for visiting some of the better-known Italian locations such as Padua, Ferrara, Vicenza, Venice, Florence and Siena.

Bertinoro itself is picturesque, with many narrow streets and walkways winding around the central peak.  The meeting will be held in an archiepiscopal fortress that has been converted by the University of Bologna into a modern conference center with computing facilities and Internet access.  From the fortress you can enjoy a beautiful vista that stretches from the Tuscan Apennines to the Adriatic coast and the Alps over the Po Valley.

Important Dates

White papers due:	27 February 2004 5 March 2004
Notification of participation:	19 March 2004 26 March 2004
Camera-ready version of position papers due:	23 April 2004
Advance Registration Deadline:	3 May 2004
Workshop:	31 May - 2 June 2004

Workshop Program

Workshop Schedule at a Glance

	May 30	May 31	June 1	June 2
	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
07.30-08.30		Breakfast
09.00-11.00		Technical Session 1 Autonomic Systems: Foundations	Technical Sessions 5-6 Other Techniques Emergence, Pattern Formation	Technical Session 10 Other Techniques
11.00-11.30		Coffee break
11.30-13.00		Technical Session 2 Structured Overlay Networks	Technical Session 7  Game-Theoretic Approaches	Technical Session 11 Autonomic Systems: Experience
13.00-15.00		Lunch
15.00-17.00		Technical Session 3  Complex Networks, Sensor Networks	Technical Session 8  Unstructured Overlay Networks	Departures
17.00-17.30	Arrivals	Coffee break
17.30-19.00		Technical Session 4 Restart, Recovery, Rejuvenation	Panel
20.00-	Welcome Reception	Dinner

Registration

How to Reach Bertinoro

List of Participants

Organization and Sponsorship

Organizing Committee	Ozalp Babaoglu, University of Bologna
	Mark Jelasity, University of Bologna
	Alberto Montresor, University of Bologna
	Christof Fetzer, Technical University of Dresden
	Maarten van Steen, Free University, Amsterdam
	Aad van Moorsel, HP Labs, Paolo Alto
	Stefano Leonardi, University of Rome, "La Sapienza"
Local Organization	Andrea Bandini, Ce.U.B.
	Elena della Godenza, Ce.U.B.
Sponsored by	FET Open Project BISON
	FET Integrated Project DELIS
	FET Open Project COSIN
	BICI: Bertinoro International Center for Informatics
	UNESCO REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE IN EUROPE (ROSTE)