A categorical approach to time representation: first study on qualitative aspects

The qualitative time representation formalisms are considered from the viewpoint of category theory. The representation of a temporal situation can be expressed as a graph and the relationship holding between that graph and others (imprecise or coarser) views of the same situation are expressed as morphisms. These categorical structures are expected to be combinable with other aspects of knowledge representation providing a framework for the integration of temporal representation tools and formalisms with other areas of knowledge representation.