Preface

Abstract

PNGT 2010 is the fourth workshop of a series that serves as a forum for all researchers and practitioners interested in an exchange of ideas, notions, techniques between the fields of Petrinets and graph transformations, two prominent specification formalisms of concurrent and distributed systems. It belongs to the folklore that Petri nets can be seen as rewriting systems over (multi)sets, the rewriting rules being the transitions, and, as such they can be seen as special graph transformation systems. This close correspondence between the two models has naturally led to a mutual influence. For instance, several approaches to the concurrent semantics of graph transformation systems as well as techniques for their analysis and verification are strongly influenced by the corresponding theories and constructions for Petri nets. Classical Petri net models have been integrated with graph transformation systems, e.g., in order to define rule-based changes in the net structure. This serves both for a stepwise refinement of Petri net models or for the specification of dynamically reconfiguring nets. Interesting connections exist with extensions of Petri net models with dynamic topologies, or with notions of Petri net module or component. Graph transformation systems are also used for the development, the simulation, or animation of various types of Petri nets, e.g., via the the definition of visual languages and environments.