Event-driven scientific workflow execution

Abstract

Scientific workflows streamline large-scale, complex scientific processes and enable different parts of a process to be systematically and efficiently executed on distributed resources. In this paper, we propose an event-driven framework for scientific workflows, which goes beyond the typical paradigm of global ECA (Event-Condition-Action) rules and executes scientific processes in terms of event message-driven conversations between rule agents. The behavioral reaction logic implemented by messaging reaction rules in combination with derivation rules used to represent complicated scientific conditional logic provides a highly expressive, scalable and flexible way to define complex scientific workflow patterns. Finally, a prototype system based on a Web rule engine Prova and a tool for rule-based collaboration Rule Responder is demonstrated. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.