Runtime optimization of spatiotemporal events processing

• US 8,938,443 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Etzion, Opher, Zolotorevsky, Nir
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, CAM Y T
• Application Number:
  US12/907,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20120095986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707/724, 707/743, 707/787, 707/788
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method of optimizing runtime spatiotemporal events processing is provided. The method includes the following stages: defining a plurality of spatial contexts or spatiotemporal contexts; specifying a plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns being relationships between events complying with specified policies within the defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts respectively; identifying events of specified properties out of a stream of incoming events, based on the defined spatial contexts or the defined spatiotemporal contexts; detecting event patterns of specified properties out of the stream of incoming events by grouping the incoming events and applying a pattern matching process based on the specified spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns; adaptively generating a spatial evaluation plan that defines an order of processing such that event processing is optimized, based on off-line and runtime data; and processing the incoming events based on the order defined in the spatial evaluation plan.

Claims

1. A computerized method of runtime optimization of spatiotemporal event processing, comprising:

receiving and filtering events by filters;

defining, interactively with a user, a plurality of spatial contexts or spatiotemporal contexts;

specifying, interactively with the user, a plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns which define relationships among a plurality of events that comply with policies within the defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts respectively, wherein the specifying is based on the events filters and condition evaluation created interactively with the user;

detecting, in real time using a computerized processor, a plurality of event patterns within a stream of incoming events by grouping the incoming events into a plurality of subsets and applying a pattern matching process to compare each one of the plurality of subsets to the plurality of specified spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns;

adaptively generating, in real time, a spatial execution plan that defines an order of processing the plurality of events to optimize processing of the plurality of event patterns based at least partially on;

the plurality of defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts defined, the plurality of specified spatial or spatiotemporal patterns, the plurality of subsets, the plurality of detected event patterns, a processing strategy of the plurality of events and an processing intensity of the plurality of events; and

processing, in real time using the computerized processor, the plurality of event patterns in the order defined by the spatial execution plan to detect at least one significant situation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each one of the spatial contexts is determined based on a spatial space delimiter defined interactively with the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each one of the spatiotemporal contexts is determined interactively with the user based on a context initiator and a context terminator.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining semantic context parameters based on a semantic determiner interacting with the user, wherein the semantic context parameters are further used to identify the incoming events and detect the plurality of event patterns.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specifying is based on user selection of situation operators in a form of event algebra.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing is optimized using at least one spatial data structure tailored specifically to the stream of events based on spatial and temporal characteristics.

7. A system having a processor, for runtime optimization of spatiotemporal event processing, comprising:

an event unit configured to receive and filter events by filters;

a context management unit configured to define, interactively with a user, a plurality of spatial contexts or spatiotemporal contexts;

a pattern management unit configured to specify, interactively with the user, a plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns which define relationships among a plurality of events that comply with policies within the defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts respectively, wherein the specifying is based on the events filters and condition evaluation created interactively with the user; and

a situation evaluation unit configured to;

detect, in real time, a plurality of event patterns within a stream of incoming events by grouping the incoming events into a plurality of subsets and applying a pattern matching process to compare each one of the plurality of subsets to the plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns;

adaptively generating, in real time, a spatial execution plan that defines an order of processing the plurality of events to optimize processing of the plurality of event patterns based at least partially on;

the plurality of defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts defined, the plurality of specified spatial or spatiotemporal patterns, the plurality of subsets, the plurality of detected event patterns, a processing strategy of the plurality of events and an processing intensity of the plurality of events; and

process, in real time, the plurality of event patterns to in the order defined by the spatial execution plan to detect at least one significant situation.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the spatial contexts is determined based on a spatial space delimiter defined interactively with the user.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein each one of the spatiotemporal contexts is determined interactively with the user based on a context initiator and a context terminator.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the context management unit is further configured to define semantic context parameters based on a semantic determiner interacting with the user, wherein the semantic context parameters are further used to identify the events and detect the plurality of event patterns.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the pattern management unit is further configured to specify the patterns based on user selection of situation operators in a form of event algebra.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the situation evaluation unit is further configured to use at least one spatial data structure tailored specifically to the stream of events based on its spatial and temporal characteristics such that processing is optimized.

13. A computer program for runtime optimization of spatiotemporal event processing, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program embodied therewith, the computer readable program comprising;

computer readable program configured to receive and filter events by filters;

computer readable program configured to define, interactively with a user, a plurality of spatial contexts or spatiotemporal contexts;

computer readable program configured to specify, interactively with the user, a plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns which define relationships among a plurality of events that comply with policies within the defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts respectively, wherein the specifying is based on the events filters and condition evaluation created interactively with the user;

computer readable program configured to detect, in real time, a plurality of event patterns within a stream of incoming events by grouping the incoming events in a plurality of subsets and applying a pattern matching process to compare the plurality of subsets to the plurality of spatial patterns or spatiotemporal patterns;

computer readable program configured to generate adaptively in real time, a spatial execution plan that defines an order of processing the plurality of events to optimize processing of the plurality of event patterns based at least partially on;

the plurality of defined spatial contexts and spatiotemporal contexts, the plurality of specified spatial or spatiotemporal patterns, the plurality of subsets, the plurality of detected event patterns, a processing strategy of the plurality of events and an processing intensity of the plurality of events; and

computer readable program configured to process, in real time, the plurality of event patterns in the order defined by the spatial execution plan to detect at least one significant situation.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the spatial contexts is determined based on a spatial space delimiter defined interactively with the user.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein each one of the spatiotemporal context is determined interactively with the user based on a context initiator and a context terminator.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer readable program configured to define semantic context parameters based on a semantic determiner interacting with the user, wherein the semantic context parameters are further used to identify the incoming events and detect the plurality of event patterns.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer readable program configured to specify the patterns based on user selection of situation operators in a form of event algebra.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising computer readable program configured to optimize the events processing by using at least one spatial data structure tailored specifically to the stream of events based on its spatial and temporal characteristics.